2024–25 UEFA Champions League
 The Allianz Arena in Munich will host the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 9 July – 28 August 2024 Competition proper: 17 September 2024 – 31 May 2025 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 36 Total: 81 (from 53 associations) |
The 2024–25 UEFA Champions League is the 70th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 33rd season since it was rebranded from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.[1] This will be the first season under a new format, where in the league phase each team plays eight games against different opponents, but all 36 teams are ranked in a joint group.[2][3]
The final will be played on 31 May 2025 at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.[4] The winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League will automatically qualify for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase, the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, and earn the right to play against the winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup.
Real Madrid are the defending champions, having won their record-extending 15th title last season.
Association team allocation
[edit]A total of 81 teams from 53 of the 55 UEFA member associations are set to participate in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League (the exceptions being Liechtenstein which does not organise a domestic league and Russia which is currently suspended). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[5]
- Associations 1–5 each have four teams.
- Association 6 has three teams.
- Associations 7–15 each have two teams.
- Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein[Note LIE] and Russia[Note RUS]) each have one team.
- The winners of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League and 2023–24 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league.
- The two associations who obtain the most coefficient points in the 2023–24 season will each have one European Performance Spot into the league phase. The winners of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League cannot fill the European Performance Spots.
Association ranking
[edit]For the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2023 UEFA association coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2018–19 to 2022–23.[6] The table reflects Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA.
Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:
- (EPS) – European Performance Spot, the additional berths for associations who finished in the top 2 of the 2023–24 association coefficients
- (TH) – Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders
- (EL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
|
|
|
Distribution
[edit]| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from the previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (28 teams) |
|
||
| Second qualifying round (28 teams) |
Champions path (24 teams) |
|
|
| League path (4 teams) |
|
||
| Third qualifying round (20 teams) |
Champions path (12 teams) |
| |
| League path (8 teams) |
|
| |
| Play-off round (14 teams) |
Champions path (10 teams) |
|
|
| League path (4 teams) |
| ||
| League phase (36 teams) |
|
| |
| Preliminary knockout round (16 teams) |
| ||
| Knockout phase (16 teams) |
| ||
The information here reflects the ongoing suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- The champions of associations 23 (Sweden) and 24 (Poland) will enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round (champions path).
As the Champions League title holders (Real Madrid) qualified via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- Shakhtar Donetsk as the club with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the champions path of the qualifying phase or play-off round, will enter the league phase instead of the champions path play-off round.
- Dinamo Zagreb, as the club with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the champions path second qualifying round, will enter the champions path play-off round.
- Ferencváros and Qarabağ, as the two clubs with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the champions path first qualifying round, will enter the champions path second qualifying round.
As the Europa League title holders (Atalanta) qualified via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- Benfica, as the club with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered at any stage of the qualifying phase or play-off round, will enter the league phase instead of the league path third qualifying round.
- Slavia Prague and Red Bull Salzburg, as the two clubs with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the league path second qualifying round, will enter the third qualifying round.
Teams
[edit]The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- TH: Champions League title holders
- EL: Europa League title holders
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
- EPS: The European Performance Spots given to clubs from the 2 associations with the highest coefficient points in 2023–24
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all play in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV is the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualify for the UEFA Conference League for the 2024–25 season.
- ^ Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[8]
Schedule
[edit]The schedule of the competition is as follows.[9] Compared to past seasons, one "exclusive week" will be introduced in which Thursday will also be a matchday.[2][10][11] All matches in other weeks will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from the final.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 18 June 2024 | 9–10 July 2024 | 16–17 July 2024 |
| Second qualifying round | 19 June 2024 | 23–24 July 2024 | 30–31 July 2024 | |
| Third qualifying round | 22 July 2024 | 6–7 August 2024 | 13 August 2024 | |
| Play-offs | Play-off round | 5 August 2024 | 20–21 August 2024 | 27–28 August 2024 |
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 29 August 2024 | 17–19 September 2024 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1–2 October 2024 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 22–23 October 2024 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 5–6 November 2024 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 26–27 November 2024 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10–11 December 2024 | |||
| Matchday 7 | 21–22 January 2025 | |||
| Matchday 8 | 29 January 2025 | |||
| Knockout phase | Knockout round play-offs | 31 January 2025 | 11–12 February 2025 | 18–19 February 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 21 February 2025 | 4–5 March 2025 | 11–12 March 2025 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8–9 April 2025 | 15–16 April 2025 | ||
| Semi-finals | 29–30 April 2025 | 6–7 May 2025 | ||
| Final | 31 May 2025 at Allianz Arena, Munich | |||
Qualifying rounds
[edit]First qualifying round
[edit]The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 18 June 2024. The first legs were played on 9 and 10 July, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 July 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. 12 of the 14 losers would be transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round and 2 would be transferred to the Conference League Champions Path qualifying and received a bye to the third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Slovan Bratislava  | 6–3 |  Struga | 4–2 | 2–1 |
The New Saints  | 4–1 |  Dečić | 3–0 | 1–1 |
Borac Banja Luka  | 2–2 (4–1 p) |  Egnatia | 1–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
Ħamrun Spartans  | 1–1 (4–5 p) |  Lincoln Red Imps | 0–1 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) |
UE Santa Coloma  | 3–3 (6–5 p)[A] |  Ballkani | 1–2 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
Flora  | 1–7 |  Celje | 0–5 | 1–2 |
KÍ  | 2–0 |  Differdange 03 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
Panevėžys  | 4–1 |  HJK | 3–0 | 1–1 |
RFS  | 7–0 | .svg/23px-Flag_of_Northern_Ireland_(1953–1972).svg.png){kind=small} Larne | 3–0 | 4–0 |
Víkingur Reykjavík  | 1–2 |  Shamrock Rovers | 0–0 | 1–2 |
Virtus  | 1–11 |  FCSB | 1–7 | 0–4 |
Ludogorets Razgrad  | 3–2 |  Dinamo Batumi | 3–1 | 0–1 |
Ordabasy  | 0–1 |  Petrocub Hîncești | 0–0 | 0–1 |
Dinamo Minsk  | 1–0 |  Pyunik | 0–0 | 1–0 |
- ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.
Second qualifying round
[edit]The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 19 June 2024. The first legs were played on 23 and 24 July, and the second legs will be played on 30 and 31 July 2024.
The winners of the ties will advance to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Match 1 | Dinamo Minsk | 2–0 | 31 July |
APOEL  | 2–1 | Petrocub Hîncești | 1–0 | 1–1 |
Ferencváros  | 7–1 | The New Saints | 5–0 | 2–1 |
PAOK  | Match 4 | Borac Banja Luka | 3–2 | 31 July |
Bodø/Glimt  | Match 5 | RFS | 4–0 | 31 July |
Malmö FF  | 6–4 | KÍ | 4–1 | 2–3 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 2–6 |  Sparta Prague | 0–2 | 2–4 |
| UE Santa Coloma | Match 8 |  Midtjylland | 0–3 | 31 July |
| Celje | 1–6 | Slovan Bratislava | 1–1 | 0–5 |
| Panevėžys | Match 10 |  Jagiellonia Białystok | 0–4 | 31 July |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 0–7 |  Qarabağ | 0–2 | 0–5 |
| FCSB | Match 12 |  Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1–1 | 31 July |
| League Path | ||||
Lugano .svg/16px-Flag_of_Switzerland_(Pantone).svg.png){kind=small} | 4–6 |  Fenerbahçe | 3–4 | 1–2 |
Dynamo Kyiv  | Match 2 |  Partizan | 6–2 | 31 July |
Third qualifying round
[edit]The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 22 July 2024. The first legs will be played on 6 and 7 August, and the second legs will be played on 13 August 2024.
The winners of the ties will advance to the play-off round of their respective paths. The Champions Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Qarabağ | Match 1 | Winner of match 1 | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Slovan Bratislava | Match 2 | APOEL | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Sparta Prague | Match 3 | Winner of match 12 | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Malmö FF | Match 4 | Winner of match 4 | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Winner of match 8 | Match 5 | Ferencváros | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Winner of match 10 | Match 6 | Winner of match 5 | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| League Path | ||||
| Slavia Prague | Match 1 | .svg/23px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Union Saint-Gilloise | 7 August | 13 August |
Lille  | Match 2 | Fenerbahçe | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
| Winner of match 2 | Match 3 |  Rangers | 6 or 7 August | 13 August |
Red Bull Salzburg  | Match 4 |  Twente | 6 August | 13 August |
Play-off round
[edit]The draw for the play-off round will be held on 5 August 2024.
Seeding
[edit]A total of 14 teams will play in the play-off round – 10 in the Champions Path and 4 in the League Path. Seeding of the teams will be based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients.[12] Before the draw, UEFA may form groups of seeded and unseeded teams per the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team for the first leg.
| Seeded | Seeding to be determined | Unseeded |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Seeded | Unseeded |
|---|---|
|
|
- Notes
- † Winners of the third qualifying round, whose identity will not be known at the time of draw.
League phase
[edit]
The draw for the league phase will be held on 29 August 2024.[13]
Sixteen clubs will be national champions. All teams will make their debut appearances in the inaugural league phase, while Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest and Girona will make their debut appearances since the introduction of the group stage. Brest and Girona will also make their debut appearances in European football.[14][15]
Qualified teams
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot TBD | Pot 3 | Pot 3 or 4 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Knockout phase
[edit]The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout phase and will receive a bye to the round of 16, while the teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged first round play-off to secure their path to the round of 16, with teams ranked 9th–16th being seeded and hosting the second leg at home while teams ranked 17th to 24th hosting the first leg. The winners will join the top eight in the round of 16. Meanwhile, teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from all competitions, with no access to the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.[2]
Final
[edit]TBD  | v | TBD |
|---|---|---|
See also
[edit]- 2024–25 UEFA Europa League
- 2024–25 UEFA Conference League
- 2025 UEFA Super Cup
- 2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League
- 2024–25 UEFA Youth League
References
[edit]- ^ "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ a b c UEFA.com (13 March 2024). "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "The New Champions League Format Explained". www.soccersat.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Venues appointed for club competition finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2024/25 Season". Nyon: UEFA. 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Association coefficients 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". BBC.co.uk. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs. However this could change depending on what happens" (Press release). Nyon: UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ "UEFA club competitions cycle 2024–27 ("Post 2024")". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 36/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Sheldon, Dan. "How the new Champions League format works". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "More national derby games possible when revamped Champions League starts next year". AP News. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ "2024/25 UEFA Champions League: Matches, final, key dates". UEFA. 1 January 2024. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Atalanta close in on Champions League, Bologna and Juve qualify". SuperSport. 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Girona: Catalan side beat Barcelona to secure Champions League football for first time". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.