The UEFA Champions League has taken place for many seasons with the old format - 32 teams are divided into groups and play a 2-round round robin to determine the teams that advance. However, over time, with more and more "unsuccessful" matches - as described by the European Football Union (UEFA), they decided to change.
The new format promises to reduce unattractive matches but still make more money.
Accordingly, the number of matches in the 2024-2025 Champions League will increase by 66.7% compared to the 2023-2024 season . The tournament has evolved significantly and the new format certainly brings some exciting novelties. Even the draw will be different, as there will no longer be a group stage but will be called "league".
When does the 2024-2025 Champions League draw take place?
Big teams from across Europe will find their opponents in the 2024-2025 Champions League on Thursday, August 29, 2024, with the draw held at Grimaldi Forum, Monaco.
The draw begins at 11:00 p.m. (Vietnam time) and will be broadcast live on UEFA.com.
Which teams are participating?
Many familiar names will participate in the 2024-2025 Champions League, with some countries having up to five teams. In total, 36 teams started in the league stage.
Europa League champions Atalanta stand alongside AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Bologna to represent Serie A.
The German Bundesliga also has 5 representatives after the impressive 2023-2024 season including Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, the team ranked 5th in the Bundesliga but reached the Champions League final last season.
With La Liga, in addition to giants like Barcelona, Real Madrid - the defending champion, and Atletico Madrid, Girona is a rookie in the Champions League.
The Premier League also has only 4 teams: Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool along with Aston Villa.
The play-off matches will determine the remaining 7 clubs to win tickets to the league stage of the 2024-2025 Champions League.
Method of drawing lots
There are some similarities to previous years, with the 36 teams divided into four seeded groups based on their UEFA coefficients. However, the change in format means that teams will not be divided into groups.
Instead, each team will be drawn with 2 opponents from all 4 groups to make up their 8 opponents.
Each team will be drawn manually, but their opponents will be generated through AI software, which will also decide which matches are played home and away.
Each team plays 4 matches at home and 4 matches away.
Each team can be drawn against a maximum of 2 teams from the same country and cannot face teams from the same League.
Match schedule frame
Round 1: September 17-19, 2024
Round 2: October 1-2, 2024
Round 3: October 22-23, 2024
Round 4: November 5-6, 2024
Round 5: November 26-27, 2024
Round 6: December 10-11, 2024
Round 7: January 21-22, 2025
Round 8: January 29, 2025
UEFA club-level tournaments including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League will be available on the VTVcab platform for 3 seasons, from 2024-2025 to 2026-2027.
