The UEFA Champions League will return for its 70th season with a revamped format, marking a departure from previous structures.
This season introduces a new format where the group stage evolves into a single 36-team league. Each team will face eight opponents—four home and four away. The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked ninth through twenty-four will enter knockout round play-offs to secure their place in the Round of 16. The competition will then proceed in a straight knockout format until the final.
UEFA has also released the schedule for the competition, with the matches for the newly formatted group stage (now referred to as phase matches) set as follows:
Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
The knockout matches will be as follows:
Knockout round play-offs: 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025
Round of 16: 4/5 & 11/12 March 2025
Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April 2025
Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2025
Final: 31 May 2025
The draws for the Phase Matches of the UEFA Champions League will occur on August 29. The draws for the knockout round play-offs are scheduled for January 31, and the draws for the Round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals will take place on February 21.
The final will be hosted at the Allianz Arena, home to Bayern Munich, which previously hosted a UCL final in 2012.
Note that these dates are subject to change if necessary.
