The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 will be the first season to be staged under a new format.

Organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 will be the 70th season of Europe's elite club competition and the 33rd season since it was rebranded from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

Real Madrid will head into the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 as defending champions after they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the UCL 2023-24 final at the Wembley Stadium in London, England.

With the win, Real Madrid claimed their record-extending 15th European Cup title, and their sixth in 11 years.

Meanwhile, the Champions League has undergone a drastic revamp and will follow a new format from the 2024-25 season.

Know more about Champions League 2024-25 new format.

Champions League 2024-25 new format

As per the Champions League 2024-25 new format, as many as 36 clubs will participate in the new league phase in comparison to the previous 32-team group stage system. The new UCL format will offer four more teams the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

While previously the 32 participants were divided into eight groups of four, the Champions League 2024-25 new format will witness these 36 teams participate in a single league competition in which all the 36 competing clubs will be ranked together in one big league table.

However, there will still be a draw at the start of the season to determine the new league phase fixtures.

These 36 teams will be divided into four pots of nine each. Pot 1 will comprise the UCL title holder and the eight clubs with the best coefficients. 

As a result, the champions of Europe's top domestic leagues will no longer be prioritised for Pot 1. Meanwhile, Pot 2 to Pot 4 will be determined based on club coefficient.

Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home and one away.

As per UEFA draw rules, two teams from the same football association or country cannot be drawn into the same group in the draw. Only leagues with four or more clubs could play one match against another team from the same country in order to avoid deadlock.

According to the Champions League 2024-25 new format, every team will play eight matches each in the new league phase, four at home and four away.

Under the former group stage system, each club used to face the other three opponents in their group twice in a home-and-away format. 

Every result will determine the overall ranking in the new league phase with three points being awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The top eight teams in the league will directly qualify for the round of 16 while the teams placed ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knock-out phase playoff to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition. 

Teams that will finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from the competition with no access to the UEFA Europa League.

In the knockout stage, clubs that finish between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the knockout phase playoff draw and will face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the return leg scheduled at home.

The eight winners in the knockout phase playoffs will advance to the Champions League round of 16. These teams will clash with the top-eight finishers, who will seeded in the round of 16.

From the round of 16 onwards, the UEFA Champions League will continue to follow its existing format of knockout rounds leading to the final staged at a neutral venue selected by UEFA. 

Furthermore, the number of matches in the Champions League 2024-25 new format has been increased from 125 to 189.

Just like previous editions, all Champions League 2024-25 matches will be played in midweek in order to take into consideration the domestic calendar of various leagues across Europe.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 final will be played at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Photo credit: Imago