The Champions League is back, after the previous phase played this summer, with the draw starting this Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in Monaco. A draw that inaugurates a new format with 36 teams in the same ranking and each team facing eight opponents.
A CChampions League which begins on September 17 (Tuesday) with the first day of the league of this new format and will end on May 31 with the grand finale of the tournament at Allianz Arena of Munich. A competition in which the current champion is the the real Madrid after lifting the trophy last season at Wembley. The Madrid entity is also the most successful club with 15 trophies to its name, far ahead of second-placed Milan with seven.
A final of the Champions League which will crown the new champion at the end of the season and the first of this new format on May 31, 2025. It will be held in the German city of Munichspecifically in the Allianz Arena, which was inaugurated in April 2005. Same place where one of the semi-finals of the Euro Cup was played this summer, where Spain eliminated France.
This edition is the 70th edition of the most prestigious tournament in Europe. This stadium is repeating the final, since it hosted the one in 2012. A final of the Champions who measured Bayern Municha team that plays its matches in this stadium, and Chelsea. It was the English on German soil who won the title, their first in history, after a breathtaking penalty shootout.
New Champions League format
This new Champions League presents the novelty of the so-called league phase Champions League in which 36 teams will participate, which will be divided into four groups during the draw based on the coefficient UEFA. Each team will face two rivals from each pot, playing one match at home and one as an away team against one team from each pot. The points earned will be added together in a common league in which the top eight will qualify for the round of 16 while the teams in 9th to 24th place will play a two-legged playoff to try to qualify. The rest will be eliminated.
Calendar of the new Champions League
- Day 1: September 17-19, 2024
- Day 2: October 1-2, 2024
- Day 3: October 22-23, 2024
- Day 4: November 5-6, 2024
- Day 5: November 26-27, 2024
- Day 6: December 10-11, 2024
- Day 7: January 21-22, 2025
- 8th day (last phase of the championship): January 29, 2025
- Preliminary round first leg: February 11-12, 2025
- Preliminary round return: February 18-19, 2025
- Round of 16 first leg: March 4-5, 2025
- Round of 16 second leg: March 11-12, 2025
- Quarter-final first leg: April 8-9, 2025
- Quarter-finals return: April 15-16, 2025
- Semi-final first leg: April 29-30, 2025
- Semi-final second leg: May 6-7, 2025
- Champions Final: May 31, 2025
