The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League: A Complete Guide

A revamped UEFA Champions League awaits football fans this season. The traditional group stage has been replaced by a newly designed qualifying phase, offering a fresh format to the competition. The tournament will run until May 31st, culminating in the Final at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Real Madrid, the reigning Champions League champions, will be looking to build on their recent success. Their victory last season marked their fifth triumph in the past decade and extended their record as the most successful club in the competition’s history, with a total of 15 trophies—eight more than second-placed AC Milan.

With the addition of Kylian Mbappé to their already impressive squad, Real Madrid is poised as a strong contender for yet another Champions League title.

For comprehensive coverage of the Champions League, visit Sportzfylive.com. But Real Madrid faces stiff competition from several other elite teams eager to claim the title. Manchester City, the three-time English champions, are a formidable rival after winning the Champions League in the 2022/23 season. Bayern Munich, fresh off an unbeaten 2023/24 campaign, is also a strong contender. Barcelona, bolstered by the emerging talent of Lamine Yamal and the leadership of German coach Hansi Flick—who guided Bayern to Champions League glory in the 2019/20 season—are also in the mix, aiming to make a significant impact this season. How will qualification for the knockout stage of the Champions League 2024/25 be determined?

Advancement to the knockout stage will be determined by straight points. However, only the eight best-placed teams in this first phase will progress directly to the round of 16.

To complete the remaining participants in the decisive knockout round, the teams finishing between ninth and 24th place in the first phase will compete in a playoff with back-to-back matches.

Whoever progresses will go through to the Round of 16. The losers will join the others eliminated from the competition. Once the Round of 16 is determined, the Champions League will revert to its traditional knockout format, featuring two-legged ties leading up to the Final, which will be a single match played at a neutral venue.

2024/25 Champions League League Phase Dates

The revamped Champions League will feature a league phase where the 36 participating teams play eight matches each. This phase is spread over eight matchdays, with teams competing for a spot in the knockout stage or to remain in the playoff contention before the decisive rounds.

In order to favour the league format, UEFA is preparing a Champions League-only week, with no Europa League matches.

Gameweek One: September 17th-19th

Gameweek Two: October 1st-2nd

Gameweek Three: October 22nd-23rd

Gameweek Four: November 5th-6th

Gameweek Five: November 26th-27th

Gameweek Six: December 10th-11th

Gameweek Seven: January 21st-22nd 2025

Gameweek Eight: January 29th 2025

Check out the 2024/25 Champions League knockout round dates

The first knockout phase of the new Champions League will be a playoff between the teams that finished between ninth and 24th in the group stage. There will be back-to-back matches.

Playoffs: February 11th/12th and 18th/19th 2025

Once the qualifiers are set, the knockout stage of the Champions League will proceed from the Round of 16 to the Final, which will be held in Munich.

Key Knockout Stage Dates:

• Round of 16: March 4th/5th and 11th/12th, 2025
• Quarter-Finals: April 8th/9th and 15th/16th, 2025
• Semi-Finals: April 29th/30th and May 6th/7th, 2025
• Final: May 31st, 2025

2024/25 Champions League Draw Dates:

• League Phase Draw: August 29th, 2024
• Playoff Draw: January 31st, 2025
• Draw for the Round of 16, Quarter-Finals, and Semi-Finals: February 21st, 2025

The Champions League is already in progress with the qualifying stages, and the draw to determine the matchups for the league phase will occur at the end of August.

Where will the 2024/2025 Champions League final be held?

The Champions League final will return to Munich for the first time since 2012, when the same Allianz Arena saw Chelsea beat Bayern on penalties to become continental champions for the first time.The Allianz Arena has also hosted matches in the last two European Championships, including this year’s competition. The stadium has a capacity of 67,000 fans.