It’s almost time for the UEFA Champions League draw, with the competition phase of the 2024-2025 season to be decided on Thursday, August 29. The UCL format has changed, so we’ve listed everything you can expect from the new-look European competition at the highest level. Defending champions Real Madrid have already started the new campaign with continental silverware in the UEFA Super Cup, but who will they face as they defend their title with new boy Kylian Mbappe?
Here’s how the road to the UCL final at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31, 2025 is mapped out.
How to watch UCL sign on Golazo Network
UCL play-offs for league stage berths
- Bodo/Glimt or Red Star Belgrade (2-1 after leg one)
- Lille or Slavia Praha (2-0 after leg one)
- Dinamo Zagreb or Qarabag FK (3-0 after leg one)
- Young Boys of Galatasaray (3-2 after leg one)
- Midtjylland or Slovan Bratislava (1-1 after leg one)
- Dynamo Kiev or RB Salzburg (0-2 after leg one)
- Malmö or Sparta Praha (0-2 after leg one)
What is the stage of the UCL competition?
The group stage as we knew it is now over. Instead, each team that reaches the new competition stage will face eight different opponents. Four of these matches will be played at home and the other four will be away. The phase lasts longer than the previous group phase, with the eighth and final round scheduled for the end of January, despite the regular break at the end of December. The teams are divided into four pots and each team plays against two teams from each pot. One home match and one away match against a team from each of these pots form the fixture list. The top eight teams in the rankings will qualify directly for the round of 16, while the ranked teams from ninth to 24th will enter the knockout round. Those finishing 25th and below will be eliminated from Europe and will not enter the UEFA Europa League. The eight winners of the knockout round will then face the top eight teams in the round of 16 before the Champions League returns to its recognizable knockout format from the quarter-finals onwards.
UCL competition stage pots
- Pot 1: Real Madrid (title holders), Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Barcelona.
- Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk and Milan.
- Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven, Young Boys of Galatasaray, Dinamo Zagreb of Qarabag FK and Lille of Slavia Praha.
- Pot 3 or Pot 4: Midtjylland or Slovan Bratislava, Bodo/Glimt or Red Star Belgrade and Dynamo Kiev or RB Salzburg.
- Pot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest and Malmö or Sparta Praha.
Dates of the UCL competition phase
- Game 1: September 17-19
- Game 2: October 1-2
- Game 3: October 22-23
- Game 4: November 5-6
- Game 5: November 26-27
- Game 6: December 10-11
- Game 7: January 21-22 (2025)
- Game 8: January 29 (2025)
Dates of the UCL knockout stage
- Playoffs knockout round: February 11-12 and February 18-19 (2025)
- Round of 16: March 4-5 and March 11-12
- Quarter finals: April 8-9 and April 15-16
- Semi-finals: April 29-30 and May 6-7
- Final: May 31
