New Champions League format explained: Qualified teams, schedule, playoffs, group stage draw, dates

The UEFA Champions League has a brand new, expanded format for the 2024–25 season and it requires some explanation.

So let’s get started.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about the upcoming Champions League season as Real Madrid look to defend their title.

Current Champions League playoffs to reach the group stage

After a series of exhausting qualifying matches over the summer months, 14 teams are still in the race for a place in the group stage of the Champions League.

29 of the 36 teams have already qualified for the group stage; the last seven places will be awarded to these teams, who will play home and away playoffs next week.

Tuesday, August 20
Bodo/Glimt 2-1 Red Star Belgrade – CH Game 4
Lille – Slavia Prague 2:0 – LP Game 1
Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 Qarabag FK – CH Game 2

Wednesday, August 21
Young Boys – Galatasaray 3:2 – CH game 1
Midtjylland 1:1 Slovan Bratislava – CH Game 3
Dynamo Kiev – RB Salzburg 0:2 – LP Game 2
Malmö – Sparta Prague 0:2 – CH-Game 5

Tuesday, August 27
Galatasaray vs Young Boys – 3:00 p.m. ET
Sparta Prague – Malmö – 3:00 p.m. ET
RB Salzburg vs Dynamo Kyiv – 3:00 p.m. ET

Wednesday, August 28
Qarabag FK vs Dinamo Zagreb – 12:45 ET
Red Star Belgrade vs Bodo/Glimt – 3:00 p.m. ET
Slovan Bratislava vs Midtjylland – 3:00 p.m. ET
Slavia Prague vs Lille – 3:00 p.m. ET

When does the group stage of the Champions League take place?

The new group stage will take place from 17 September 2024 to 29 January 2025.

Here are the dates for the group stage matches:

• Matchday 1: 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: January 29, 2025

How the new Champions League format works

In the new league phase of the tournament, each team will play eight games against eight different teams: four at home and four away.

Teams will be placed into one of four pots (full pot list below) and each team will play two teams from each of the four pots. Teams will play one game at home and one game away against one team from each pot.

The top eight teams in the league phase automatically qualify for the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th advance to the knockout round. Teams ranked 25th to 36th are eliminated from the Champions League and will not participate in any other European competition for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

The eight teams that advance from the knockout stage will face one of the teams ranked 1st to 8th in the league phase in the round of 16. From then on, the tournament will be played in the normal knockout format.

Teams that qualified for the group stage of the Champions League

Pot 1
real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
PSG
Liverpool
Inter Milan
Borussia Dortmund
RB Leipzig
Barcelona

Pot 2
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Atalanta
Juventus
Benfica
arsenal
FC Bruges
Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan

Pot 3
Feyenoord
Sporting Lisbon
FC Schalke 04
Winner of CH Game 1
Winner of CH Match 2
Winner of LP Match 1

Pot 3 or 4
Winner of CH Match 3
Winner of CH Match 4
Winner of LP Match 2

Pot 4
Monaco
Aston Villa
Bologna
The old town of Girona
Stuttgart
Storm Graz
Brest
Winner of CH Match 5

When will the draw for the group stage of the Champions League take place?

The draw for the group stage of the Champions League will take place on 29 August 2024 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

When do the knockout phases of the Champions League take place?

An additional knockout round has been created. The teams that finish 9th to 24th in the league phase will play home and away matches to reach the round of 16. There they will face one of the eight best teams from the league phase that automatically qualified for the round of 16.

• Knockout playoffs: 11/12 and 18/19 February 2025
• Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March 2025
• Quarterfinals: 8/9 and 15/16 April 2025
• Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2025
• Final: 31 May 2025

When and where will the 2024–25 Champions League final take place?

The final of the Champions League will take place on May 31, 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.