Champions League 2024-25 format: What to know about league phase, teams, how to watch draw, matchdays

It is almost time for the UEFA Champions League draw with the 2024-25 season's league phase set to be decided on Thursday, Aug. 29. The UCL format has changed so we have broken down everything that you can expect from the new-look European top tier competition. Defending champions Real Madrid have already started the new campaign with continental silverware in the UEFA Super Cup, but who will they face as they attempt their title defense with new boy Kylian Mbappe?

Here is how the road to the UCL final at Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31, 2025, will be mapped out.

How to watch UCL draw on Golazo Network

• Date: Thursday, August 29 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
• Draw location: Grimaldi Forum -- Monaco
• Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network

UCL playoffs for league phase berths

• Bodo/Glimt or Red Star Belgrade (2-1 after leg one)
• Lille or Slavia Praha (2-0 after leg one)
• Dinamo Zagreb or Qarabag FK (3-0 after leg one)
• Young Boys or Galatasaray (3-2 after leg one)
• Midtjylland or Slovan Bratislava (1-1 after leg one)
• Dynamo Kyiv or RB Salzburg (0-2 after leg one)
• Malmo or Sparta Praha (0-2 after leg one)

What is the UCL league phase?

The group stage as we knew it is now gone. Instead, each team that reaches the new league phase will face eight different opponents. Four of these Games will be played at home and the other four will take place away and the phase lasts for longer than the previous group stage with the eighth and final round of Games slated for late January despite the regular late December break. The teams are split into four pots and each team will play against two teams from each of those pots. One home Game and one away Game against a team from each of those pots will make up the fixture list. The top eight teams in the table will qualify directly for the round of 16 with the teams ranked from ninth to 24th will go into the knockout round. Those finishing 25th and below will be eliminated from Europe and will not drop into the UEFA Europa League. The eight knockout round winners will then face the top eight teams in the round of 16 before the Champions League returns to its recognizable knockout format from the quarterfinals onwards.

UCL league phase pots

• Pot 1: Real Madrid (titleholders), Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Barcelona.
• Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk and Milan.
• Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven, Young Boys or Galatasaray, Dinamo Zagreb or Qarabag FK and Lille or Slavia Praha.
• Pot 3 or Pot 4: Midtjylland or Slovan Bratislava, Bodo/Glimt or Red Star Belgrade and Dynamo Kiev or RB Salzburg.
• Pot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest and Malmo or Sparta Praha.

UCL league phase dates

• Game 1: Sept. 17-19
• Game 2: Oct. 1-2
• Game 3: Oct. 22-23
• Game 4: Nov. 5-6
• Game 5: Nov. 26-27
• Game 6: Dec. 10-11
• Game 7: Jan. 21-22 (2025)
• Game 8: Jan. 29 (2025)

UCL knockout phase dates

• Knockout round playoffs: Feb. 11-12 and 18-19 (2025)
• Round of 16: March 4-5 and 11-12
• Quarterfinals: April 8-9 and 15-16
• Semifinals: April 29-30 and May 6-7
• Final: May 31