With new format, 36 teams battle for 2024/25 UCL season

UEFA Champions League

With new format, 36 teams battle for 2024/25 UCL season.

The time for the fixtures will be announced Saturday.

The UEFA Champions League draw for the 2024/25 season concluded on Thursday evening, unveiling the matchups for Europe’s top football clubs.

With the draw now set, all eyes turn to the grand finale at Munich’s iconic Fußball Arena München on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

PUNCH Online reports that the much-anticipated league phase draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, August 29.

In March 2024, PUNCH Online provided an explainer on the new Champions League format.

A star-studded cast of Champions League legends, including Gianluigi Buffon and Zlatan Ibrahimović, welcome the beginning of a new era for Europe’s premier club competition.

New UCL format explained

In the upcoming format, 36 teams will compete instead of the usual 32, playing in a single league with four pots, eight in each. The top two in each gets automatic qualification.

Each team will face eight opponents, with 4 matches at home and 4 away, but they won’t play the same team twice.

After the league phase, the top 8 teams will automatically advance to the round of 16.

The bottom 8 teams will be eliminated, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will enter a playoff round.

This playoff will determine the remaining 8 spots in the knockout phase. The 16 teams in the knockout stage will compete, with 8 advancing to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals and finals.

Here is the full 2024/25 UCL draw in image breakdown: