Champions League 2024-2025: match schedule and rules

The 2024-2025 Champions League has been turned upside down this year and we'll explain everything to you.

The new edition of the Champions League is a revolution. The competition now welcomes 36 teams, compared to 32 previously with the disappearance of the group stage, but the appearance of a “regular season” with a single ranking that groups together the 36 qualified clubs. Each team has 8 matches to play (compared to 6 currently), for as many different opponents. This is where the pot system comes into play, allowing total fairness to be preserved. At the end of this mini championship, the lowest ranked teams, i.e. between places 25 and 36, will be eliminated from the competition and will not be drafted into the Europa League. The teams having finished in the first 8 places will qualify directly for the round of 16 of the competition. They will have the advantage of being seeded, and therefore not facing each other in the next round.

On the other hand, the teams ranked between 9th and 24th places will have to go through play-offs in a two-legged format. The draw for the final phase will also be changed and will take place with a seeded system. Thus, the championship leader cannot be in the same part of the table as its runner-up. The third will be in the reverse game of the fourth… 

Here is the draw for the French clubs:

• The opponents of PSG for this new formula of the Champions League
  • Home: Manchester City/Atlético de Madrid/PSV Eindhoven/Girona
  • Away: Bayern Munich/Arsenal/Salzburg/Stuttgart
• Lille's opponents for this new Champions League format
  • Home: Real Madrid/Juventus/Feyenoord/Sturm Graz
  • Away: Atletico Madrid/Liverpool/Bologna/Sporting Portugal
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• Monaco's opponentsfor this new Champions League format
  • Home: Barcelona/Benfica/Red Star/Aston Villa
  • Away: Arsenal/Inter/Dinamo Zagreb/​​Bologna
• The opponents of Brest for this new Champions League format
  • Home: Real Madrid/Bayer Leverkusen/PSV / Sturm Graz
  • Away: Barcelona/Shakhtar/Salzburg/Sparta Prague

The complete calendar

The regular season consists of eight days spread over five months. The first day is played over three days (Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday) while the following ones resume the usual Tuesday-Wednesday. On the other hand, the final day, full of promise as the slightest action could shake up the ranking, is played simultaneously on a single Wednesday evening.

• Day 1: September 17-18-19, 2024
• Day 2: October 1-2, 2024
• Day 3: October 22-23, 2024
• Day 4: November 5-6, 2024
• Day 5: November 26-27, 2024
• Day 6: December 10-11, 2024
• Day 7: January 21-22, 2025
• Day 8: January 29, 2025

The final table of the direct elimination phase begins by the dams in mid-February. On the current model, all the rounds are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The grand finale is organized at Munich, Saturday, May 31, 2025.

• Play-off draw: January 31, 2025
• Barrages for phase à Direct elimination: 11-12 and 18-19 February 2025
• Drawing of the internal table ;gral: February 21, 2025
• Round of 16: 4-5 and 11 -March 12, 2025
• Quarterfinals: 8-9and April 15-16, 2025
• Semi-finals: April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2025
• Final: May 31, 2025

On which TV channel to watch the Champions League in France ?

The battle for TV rights has continued to rage ahead of this Champions League season. UEFA has awarded the French TV rights for the “Coupe aux grandes oreilles” to beIN Sports and Canal+, which thus ensure the nbsp;Champions League broadcast.