UEFA Champions League 2024-2025 not only changes radically from what we knew, but it gest quite complicated to digest and understand the new shape. Does the imminent commence of European Super League in the near future be a factor? I can say this looks like to be the main key factor of the radical UEFA Champions League change, at the 70th edition of this competition, essentially started in 1955, in that moment raw format. What are the main catches, though? Why is this new format so different? First of all, the number of teams increased to 36, from 32. It looks more like the shape of a World Cup for countries – that has… 48 teams, though!!! – but projected in Europe, at club level. This part is important, but it is the least change made by UEFA.
UEFA Champions League, completely different format from 2024 onwards!
The real movement is the format of the competition which, from my point of view, provides a completely fresh start and aspect of the Champions League, that should represent the ideal way to resurrect a numb European football. The group stage is gone as we know it. There is something similar now, but with no real impact in the final progression, only something tangential. The teams were seeded in four pots, with nine teams each, and everybody will play eight matches each – two more than with the classic group stage – but those matches are played against different teams, four matches at home, and four matches away. There will be no double round games against same opponent. This would really be interesting to watch! It is a very creative way to change things, but to enhance the number of competitive stake.
How are teams qualifying from the new UEFA Champions League?
When I was speaking about the completely different final ranking and, that we don’t really have a group stage anymore, I was referring to the fact that at the end of all eight match days, a final ranking will be settled and the output will be:
- Top eight qualify automatically for the next round;
- 9-16 will be drawn against 17-24 for a play-off round, which will result also in eight teams which will join the upper eight in the knock out phase of the competition;
- 25-36 will be completely eliminated from the ongoing European season, with no possibility to go to UEFA Europe League, Europe Conference, or any other competition like they used to, at least part of them.
Eight matchdays for the first stage of the new UEFA Champions League!
Another big change, very understandable, considering there are two more games for each team, is that the last two matches from each initial phase, won’t be played in December, but in January, the next year – exactly the two extra encounters. Of course, there are plenty of new joiners in the competition, especially since the UEFA Champions League format, which is somewhat 30 years old now. But I will let you discover them by presenting each matchday, by encounter. I foresee a great success, at least for this first edition. 🙂
Matchday 1 (17th – 18th of September)
- Young Boys Bern (Switzerland) – Aston Villa (England)
- Juventus Turin (Italy) – PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
- AC Milan (Italy) – FC Liverpool (England)
- Bayern Munich (Germany) – Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
- Real Madrid (Spain) – VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
- Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) – OSC Lille (France)
- Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) – Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
- Bologna Calcio (Italy) – Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
- Celtic Glasgow (Scotland) – Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
- Club Bruges (Belgium) – Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Manchester City (England) – Inter Milan (Italy)
- Paris Saint Germain (France) – Girona (Spain)
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
- Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) – Benfica Lisbon (Portugal)
- AS Monaco (France) – FC Barcelona (Spain)
- Atalanta Bergamo (Italy) – Arsenal London (England)
- Atletico Madrid (Spain) – RB Leipzig (Germany)
- Brest (France) – Sturm Graz (Austria)
Matchday 2 (1st – 2nd October)
- Red Bull Salzburg – Brest
- VfB Stuttgart – Sparta Prague
- Arsenal London – Paris Saint Germain
- Bayer Leverkusen – AC Milan
- Borussia Dortmund – Celtic Glasgow
- FC Barcelona – Young Boys Bern
- Inter Milan – Red Star Belgrade
- PSV Eindhoven – Sporting Lisbon
- Slovan Bratislava – Manchester City
- Shakhtar Donetsk – Atalanta Bergamo
- Girona – Feyenoord Rotterdam
- Aston Villa – Bayern Munich
- Dinamo Zagreb – AS Monaco
- FC Liverpool – Bologna Calcio
- OSC Lille – Real Madrid
- RB Leipzig – Juventus Turin
- Sturm Graz – Club Bruges
- Benfica Lisbon – Atletico Madrid
Matchday 3 (22th – 23rd of October)
- AC Milan – Club Bruges
- AS Monaco – Red Star Belgrade
- Arsenal London – Shakhtar Donetsk
- Aston Villa – Bologna Calcio
- Girona – Slovan Bratislava
- Juventus Turin – VfB Stuttgart
- Paris Saint-Germain – PSV Eindhoven
- Real Madrid – Borussia Dortmund
- Sturm Graz – Sporting Lisbon
- Atalanta Bergamo – Celtic Glasgow
- Brest – Bayer Leverkusen
- Atletico Madrid – OSC Lille
- Young Boys Bern – Inter Milan
- FC Barcelona – Bayern Munich
- Red Bull Salzburg – Dinamo Zagreb
- Manchester City – Sparta Prague
- RB Leipzig – FC Liverpool
- Benfica Lisbon – Feyenoord Rotterdam
Matchday 4 (5th – 6th of November)
- PSV Eindhoven – Girona
- Slovan Bratislava – Dinamo Zagreb
- Bologna Calcio – AS Monaco
- Borussia Dortmund – Sturm Graz
- Celtic Glasgow – RB Leipzig
- FC Liverpool – Byer Leverkusen
- OSC Lille – Juventus Turin
- Real Madrid – AC Milan
- Sporting Lisbon – Manchester City
- Club Bruges – Aston Villa
- Shakhtar Donetsk – Young Boys Bern
- Sparta Prague – Brest
- Bayern Munich – Benfica Lisbon
- Inter Milan – Arsenal London
- Feyenoord Rotterdam – Red Bull Salzburg
- Red Star Belgrade – FC Barcelona
- Paris Saint-Germain – Atletico Madrid
- VfB Stuttgart – Atalanta Bergamo
Matchday 5 (26th -27th of November)
- Sparta Prague – Atletico Madrid
- Slovan Bratislava – AC Milan
- Bayer Leverkusen – Red Bull Salzburg
- Young Boys Bern – Atalanta Bergamo
- FC Barcelona – Brest
- Bayern Munich – Paris Saint-German
- Inter Milan – RB Leipzig
- Manchester City – Feyenoord Rotterdam
- Sporting Lisbon – Arsenal London
- Red Star Belgrade – VfB Stuttgart
- Sturm Graz – Girona
- AS Monaco – Benfica Lisbon
- Aston Villa – Juventus Turin
- Bologna Calcio – OSC Lille
- Celtic Glasgow – Club Bruges
- Dinamo Zagreb – Borussia Dortmund
- FC Liverpool – Real Madrid
- PSV Eindhoven – Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 6 (10th – 11th of December)
- Girona – FC Liverpool
- Dinamo Zagreb – Celtic Glasgow
- Atalanta Bergamo – Real Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen – Inter Milano
- Club Bruges – Sporting Lisbon
- Red Bull Salzburg – Paris Saint-Germain
- Shakhtar Donetsk – Bayern Munich
- RB Leipzig – Aston Villa
- Brest – PSV Eindhoven
- Atletico Madrid – Slovan Bratislava
- OSC Lille – Sturm Graz
- AC Milan – Red Star Belgrade
- Arsenal London – AS Monaco
- Borussia Dortmund – FC Barcelona
- Feyenoord Rotterdam – Sparta Prague
- Juventus Turin – Manchester City
- Benfica Lisbon – Bologna Calcio
- VfB Stuttgart – Young Boys Bern
Matchday 7 (21st – 22nd January)
- AS Monaco – Aston Villa
- Atalanta Bergamo – Sturm Graz
- Atletico Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen
- Bologna Calcio – Borussia Dortmund
- Club Bruges – Juventus Turin
- Red Star Belgrade – PSV Eindhoven
- FC Liverpool – OSC Lille
- Slovan Bratislava – VfB Stuttgart
- Benfica Lisbon – FC Barcelona
- Shakhtar Donetsk – Brest
- RB Leipzig – Sporting Lisbon
- AC Milan – Girona
- Sparta Prague – Inter Milan
- Arsenal London – Dinamo Zagreb
- Celtic Glasgow – Young Boys Bern
- Feyenoord Rotterdam – Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain – Manchester City
- Real Madrid – Red Bull Salzburg
Matchday 8 (29th of January)
- Aston Villa – Celtic Glasgow
- Bayer Leverkusen – Sparta Prague
- Borussia Dortmund – Shakhtar Donetsk
- Young Boys Bern – Red Star Belgrade
- FC Barcelona – Atalanta Bergamo
- Bayern Munich – Slovan Bratislava
- Inter Milan – AS Monaco
- Red Bull Salzburg – Atletico Madrid
- Girona – Arsenal London
- Dinamo Zagreb – AC Milan
- Juventus Turin – Benfica Lisbon
- OSC Lille – Feyenoord Rotterdam
- Manchester City – Club Bruges
- PSV Eindhoven – FC Liverpool
- Sturm Graz – RB Leipzig
- Sporting Lisbon – Bologna Calcio
- Brest – Real Madrid
- VfB Stuttgart – Paris Saint-Germain
Final thoughts regarding the upgraded UEFA Champions League
After presenting all the matches that will be held this autumn and winter, we need to mention another important big change for the draw were influence by the allocation, which was made by artificial intelligence entirely, this time – I mean when it comes to games played home / away, and against which teams. These being said, it is expected to have a second article somewhere at the beginning of February 2024, that will conclude the pilot league phase shaped for this season, with a foreword regarding the knock-out phase, which will be, in essence, pretty similar to what we already know. Let the UEFA Champions League, new format begin! Oh, and in colors I’ve pointed out the headlights you need to see! 🙂
Data source: wikipedia.org
Photo: pixabay.com