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, with 36 participating teams that play eight games each against different opponents in a league phase, all the teams being ranked in a joint group.[2][3] This will increase the total number of matches played in the competition from 125 to 189 (excluding qualifying rounds).
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) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 90 |
| Goals scored | 288 (3.2 per match) |
| Attendance | 3,731,011 (41,456 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) 7 goals |
← 2023–24 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 27 November 2024. | |
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
editA 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 were each given an additional entry if they did not qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league.
- The two associations who obtained 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 could not fill the European Performance Spots.
Association ranking
editFor the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2023 UEFA association coefficients, which took 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 could 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
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Distribution
edit| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from the previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (28 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round (28 teams) |
Champions Path (24 teams) |
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| League Path (4 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round (20 teams) |
Champions Path (12 teams) |
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| League Path (8 teams) |
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| Play-off round (14 teams) |
Champions Path (10 teams) |
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| League Path (4 teams) |
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| League phase (36 teams) |
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| Preliminary knockout round (16 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (16 teams) |
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The information here reflects the suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list were made:
- The champions of associations 23 (Sweden) and 24 (Poland) entered 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 were 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, entered 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, entered 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, entered 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 were made:
- Benfica, as the club with the highest club coefficient that would otherwise have entered the League Path third qualifying round, entered 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, entered the third qualifying round.
Teams
editThe 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 were divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all played in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified 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
editThe 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 phase 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
editFirst qualifying round
editThe 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 were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round and 2 were transferred to the Conference League Champions Path qualifying and received a bye to the third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovan Bratislava | 6–3 | 4–2 | 2–1 | |
| The New Saints | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| Borac Banja Luka | 2–2 (4–1 p) | 1–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | |
| Ħamrun Spartans | 1–1 (4–5 p) | 0–1 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | |
| UE Santa Coloma | 3–3 (6–5 p)[a] | 1–2 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | |
| Flora | 1–7 | 0–5 | 1–2 | |
| KÍ | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | |
| Panevėžys | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | |
| RFS | 7–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | |
| Víkingur Reykjavík | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |
| Virtus | 1–11 | 1–7 | 0–4 | |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | |
| Ordabasy | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | |
| Dinamo Minsk | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
- ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.
Second qualifying round
editThe 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 were played on 30 and 31 July 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| APOEL | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| Ferencváros | 7–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | |
| PAOK | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | |
| Bodø/Glimt | 7–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | |
| Malmö FF | 6–4 | 4–1 | 2–3 | |
| Shamrock Rovers | 2–6 | 0–2 | 2–4 | |
| UE Santa Coloma | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–1 | |
| Celje | 1–6 | 1–1 | 0–5 | |
| Panevėžys | 1–7 | 0–4 | 1–3 | |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 0–7 | 0–2 | 0–5 | |
| FCSB | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| League Path | ||||
| Lugano | 4–6 | 3–4 | 1–2 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 9–2 | 6–2 | 3–0 | |
Third qualifying round
editThe draw for the third qualifying round was held on 22 July 2024. The first legs were played on 6 and 7 August, and the second legs were played on 13 August 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective paths. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Qarabağ | 8–4 | 1–2 | 7–2 (a.e.t.) | |
| Slovan Bratislava | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | |
| Sparta Prague | 4–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | |
| Malmö FF | 6–5 | 2–2 | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | |
| Midtjylland | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 1–5 | 0–1 | 1–4 | |
| League Path | ||||
| Slavia Prague | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
| Lille | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 5–4 | 2–1 | 3–3 | |
Play-off round
editThe draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2024. The first legs were played on 20 and 21 August, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 August 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the league phase. The losers were transferred to the Europa League league phase.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Path | ||||
| Young Boys | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | |
| Midtjylland | 3–4 | 1–1 | 2–3 | |
| Bodø/Glimt | 2–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | |
| Malmö FF | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | |
| League Path | ||||
| Lille | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | |
League phase
editMadrid teams
Milan teams
The league phase draw for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 29 August 2024, 18:00 CEST.[12][13] The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient, except for the Champions League title holders, who were automatically placed as the top seed in pot 1.
The 36 teams were manually drawn and then automated software digitally drew their eight different opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team will face two opponents from each of the four pots, one at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association.[14]
Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest, Girona and Slovan Bratislava made their debut appearances since the introduction of the group stage. Brest and Girona also made their debut appearances in European football.[15][16]
A total of 16 national associations are represented in the league phase.
Table
editThe top eight ranked teams will receive a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions, with no access to the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 15 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) | |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 13 | ||
| 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 12 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 6 | +10 | 12 | ||
| 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 11 | ||
| 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 10 | ||
| 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 10 | ||
| 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) | |
| 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 | ||
| 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 | ||
| 12 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 | ||
| 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 | ||
| 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 | ||
| 15 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 9 | ||
| 16 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 8 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) | |
| 18 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 | ||
| 19 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 21 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 7 | ||
| 22 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 7 | ||
| 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 7 | ||
| 24 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 25 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | ||
| 26 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 4 | ||
| 27 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 4 | ||
| 28 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 4 | ||
| 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 | ||
| 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 3 | ||
| 31 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 3 | ||
| 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 15 | −12 | 3 | ||
| 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 | ||
| 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 0 | ||
| 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 18 | −14 | 0 | ||
| 36 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 0 |
Rules for classification: League phase tiebreakers
(T) Qualified, but not yet for the phase indicated; (Y) Cannot advance to round of 16 automatically, but may still via the play-offs (seeded)
Results
editKnockout phase
editThe 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, who host the second leg at home, 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 | |
|---|---|---|
Statistics
editStatistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.
Top goalscorers
edit- As of 27 November 2024
| Rank[17] | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 408 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 404 | ||
| 411 | ||||
| 417 | ||||
| 450 | ||||
| 7 | 4 | 305 | ||
| 310 | ||||
| 359 | ||||
| 360 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 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. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "The New Champions League Format Explained". www.soccersat.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Venues appointed for club competition finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2024/25 Season". Nyon: UEFA. 2024. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Association coefficients 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 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. Archived from the original on 15 August 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. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Sheldon, Dan (16 May 2023). "How the new Champions League format works". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "More national derby games possible when revamped Champions League starts next year". AP News. 10 July 2023. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League: League phase draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "UEFA: Men's Club Competition Season Kick-Off". Grimaldi Forum. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ "UEFA Club Competitions 2024/25 onwards: new league phase draw procedures explained". UEFA. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "Atalanta close in on Champions League, Bologna and Juve qualify". SuperSport. 12 May 2024. Archived from the original on 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. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 27 November 2024.