The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 is going to be the 70th edition of Europe’s top football league. The league is organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Earlier, this tournament was known as the European Champion Club’s Cup.
The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League will be a special tournament because it will be played under the new format called Swiss-system. A total of 83 teams from 53 UEFA members will be playing for the title. Fans around the globe are waiting for the clash of giant football clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool, etc. All and all, we can say that the Champions League promises to deliver unforgettable memories and a breathtaking display of football skills.
Participating Teams in UEFA Champions League
As mentioned earlier, 83 teams will be participating in the tournament from 53 member countries. The number of teams from each member depends upon its ranking. Details are explained in the following table.
| Rank | Number of Teams | Countries as per the current rank |
| 1 to 5 | 4 teams | England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France |
| 6 | 3 teams | Netherlands |
| 7 to 15 | 2 teams | Portugal, Belgium, Scotland, Austria, Serbia, Turkey, Switzerland, Ukraine, Czech Republic |
| 16 to 53 | 1 team | Norway, Denmark, Croatia, Greece, Israel, Cyprus, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Moldova, Kosovo, Latvia, Republic of Ireland, Finland, Lithuania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Faroe Islands, Northern Ireland, Malta, Georgia, Estonia, Iceland, Albania, Wales, Gibraltar, North Macedonia, Andorra, Montenegro, San Marino |
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Schedule
The first leg of the tournament will start on 9th July 2024 and the final will be played on 31st May 2025 at Allianz Arena, Munich. The complete schedule is explained in the following table.
| Phase | Round | 1st Round | 2nd Round |
| Qualifying | 1st Qualifying Round | 9 to 10 July 2024 | 16 to 17 July 2024 |
| 2nd Qualifying Round | 23 to 24 July 2024 | 30 to 31 July 2024 | |
| 3rd Qualifying Round | 6 to 7 August 2024 | 13 August 2024 | |
| Play-Offs | Play-off round | 20 to 21 August 2024 | 27 to 28 August 2024 |
| League Phase | Matchday 1 | 17 to 19 September 2024 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1 to 2 October 2024 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 22 to 23 October 2024 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 5 to 6 November 2024 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 26 to 27 November 2024 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 10 to 11 December 2024 | ||
| Matchday 7 | 21 to 22 January 2025 | ||
| Matchday 8 | 29 January 2025 | ||
| Knockout Phase | Knockout Play-offs | 11 to 12 February 2025 | 18 to 19 February 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 4 to 5 March 2025 | 11 to 12 March 2025 | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 to 9 April 2025 | 15 to 16 April 2025 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 to 30 April 2025 | 6 to 7 May 2025 | |
| Final | 31 May 2025 at Allianz Arena, Munich | ||
Qualifying Rounds and Teams
Let’s take a look at the teams who are going to play in the different rounds of the tournament
1st Qualifying round
The following 30 teams will play in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25
- Winners of 2023–24 Slovenian PrvaLiga
- Winners of 2023–24 Moldovan Super Liga
- Winners of 2023–24 Football Superleague of Kosovo
- Winners of 2023 Latvian Higher League
- Winners of 2023 League of Ireland Premier Division
- Winners of 2023 Veikkausliiga
- Winners of 2023 A Lyga
- Winners of 2023–24 Armenian Premier League
- Winners of 2023 Belarusian Premier League
- Winners of 2023–24 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Winners of 2023–24 Nemzeti Bajnokság I
- Winners of 2023–24 Liga I
- Winners of 2023–24 First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)
- Winners of 2023–24 Slovak First Football League
- Winners of 2023–24 Azerbaijan Premier League
- Winners of 2023 Kazakhstan Premier League
- Winners of 2023–24 Luxembourg National Division
- Winners of 2023 Faroe Islands Premier League
- Winners of 2023–24 NIFL Premiership
- Winners of 2023–24 Maltese Premier League
- Winners of 2023 Erovnuli Liga
- Winners of 2023 Meistriliiga
- Winners of 2023 Besta deild karla
- Winners of 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore
- Winners of 2023–24 Cymru Premier
- Winners of 2023–24 Gibraltar Football League
- Winners of 2023–24 Macedonian First Football League
- Winners of 2023–24 Primera Divisió
- Winners of 2023–24 Montenegrin First League
- Winners of 2023–24 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio
2nd Qualifying Round
Just like the first qualifying round, 30 teams will play in the second qualifying round. However, out of these 30 teams, 24 will be selected through Champions Path (including 15 winners of the 1st qualifying round) and the rest 6 will be chosen through league path.
| Champions Path | League Path |
| 15 winners of the 1st qualifying round | Runner-up of 2023–24 Austrian Football Bundesliga |
| Winners of 2023–24 Czech First League | Runner-up of 2023–24 Serbian SuperLiga |
| Winners of 2023 Eliteserien | Runner-up of 2023–24 Süper Lig |
| Winners of 2023–24 Danish Superliga | Runner-up of 2023–24 Swiss Super League |
| Winners of 2023–24 Croatian Football League | Ukraine Runner-up of 2023–24 Ukrainian Premier League |
| Winners of 2023–24 Super League Greece | Czech Republic Runner-up of 2023–24 Czech First League |
| Winners of 2023–24 Israeli Premier League | |
| Winners of 2023–24 Cypriot First Division | |
| Winners of 2023 Allsvenskan | |
| Winners of 2023–24 Ekstraklasa |
3rd Qualifying Round
20 teams will play in the 3rd qualifying round. 12 will be chosen from the champions path and 8 to be selected via the league path.
| Champions Path | 12 winners of the 2nd qualifying round (Champions Path) | |
| League Path | Fourth place of 2023–24 Ligue 1, Third place of 2023–24 Eredivisie, Runner-up of 2023–24 Primeira Liga, Runner-up of 2023–24 Belgian Pro League, Runner-up of 2023–24 Scottish Premiership, 3 winners of the second qualifying round (League Path) | |
Play-Off round
A total of 14 teams will be participating in playoff rounds. The Champions Path and League Path will have 10 and 4 teams respectively.
| Champions Path | League Path |
| Winners of 2023–24 Serbian SuperLiga | 4 winners of the third qualifying round (League Path) |
| Winners of 2023–24 Super Lig | |
| Winners of 2023–24 Swiss Super League | |
| Winners of 2023–24 Ukrainian Premier League | |
| 6 winners of the third qualifying round (Champions Path) |
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 League Phase
The format of the competition has changed for the season 2024-25. Changes are explained below.
Instead of being drawn into groups, all 36 teams will now compete together in one league. Each team will play against eight others. The teams will be divided into four pots of nine based on their UEFA club coefficients.
Each club will have 4 home matches and 4 away matches. They will play one home and one away match against a team from each of the four pots.
The seeding will follow specific rules –
- Pot 1 will have the Champions League title holder and the 8 qualified teams with the highest club coefficient.
- Pots 2, 3, and 4 will have the remaining qualified teams, grouped by their club coefficient.
Note: Generally, clubs from the same association will not play against each other in the league phase, with a maximum of one match allowed between clubs from the same association.
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Teams to play in the League Phase are as follows.
| Winners of 2023–24 UEFA Champions League | Winners of 2023–24 UEFA Europa League | Winners of 2023–24 Premier League |
| Runner-up of 2023–24 Premier League | Fourth place of 2023–24 Premier League | Third place of 2023–24 Premier League |
| Winners of 2023–24 La Liga | Third place of 2023–24 La Liga | Runner-up of 2023–24 La Liga |
| Winners of 2023–24 Bundesliga | Fourth place of 2023–24 La Liga | Third place of 2023–24 Bundesliga |
| Runner-up of 2023–24 Bundesliga | Runner-up of 2023–24 Serie A | Runner-up of 2023–24 Ligue 1 |
| Winners of 2023–24 Serie A | Third place of 2023–24 Ligue 1 | Winners of 2023–24 Eredivisie |
| Fourth place of 2023–24 Bundesliga | Runner-up of 2023–24 Eredivisie | Winners of 2023–24 Primeira Liga |
| Winners of 2023–24 Ligue 1 | Winners of 2023–24 Scottish Premiership | Winners of 2023–24 Belgian Pro League |
| Fourth place of 2023–24 Serie A | Winners of 2023–24 Austrian Football Bundesliga | 5 winners of Champions Path |
| Third place of 2023–24 Serie A | 2 winners of League Path | Extra team from the association with the highest coefficient from the previous season |
| Extra team from the association with the second-highest coefficient from the previous season |
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Russian Football Union is currently suspended by UEFA.
It will be played at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Real Madrid with 14 titles.
5 UEFA Champions League Titles
UEFA Champions League matches are broadcasted by various television networks and streaming platforms around the world.
