The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League has undergone significant changes following UEFA’s decision to revamp its premier club competition.
With the tournament expanded to 36 teams, the traditional group stage was replaced by a single-league “Swiss model” format. The inaugural league phase concluded on Wednesday, with 24 teams advancing to the knockout phase.
However, the path to the Round of 16 is not the same for all qualifiers:
– The top 8 teams automatically progressed to the last 16.
– The remaining 16 teams (9th-24th place) entered the knockout play-off round, where they will compete for the final 8 spots in the last 16.
Knockout Play-Off Format
– 16 teams will take part in the draw.
– It will be seeded, meaning:
– Teams that finished 9th to 16th will face teams that finished 17th to 24th.
– Higher-seeded teams (9th-16th) will play the second leg at home.
– No Europa League drop-down: Teams finishing 25th-36th are eliminated outright.
Fixture Pairing Format
For clarity, matchups will be based on finishing positions:
– 9th & 10th will face 23rd & 24th
– 11th & 12th will face 21st & 22nd
– 13th & 14th will face 19th & 20th
– 15th & 16th will face 17th & 18th
The knockout play-off ties will be played across two legs on:
– February 11/12 & February 18/19, 2025
After these matches, the 8 winners will join the 8 automatically qualified teams in the Round of 16, where a separate draw will determine the final matchups.
With the new format, anticipation is high as Europe’s elite prepare for a thrilling knockout stage! 🔥⚽
Clubs involved in Champions League knockout play-off round
| Club | Final league phase position |
|---|---|
| Atalanta | 9th |
| Borussia Dortmund | 10th |
| Real Madrid | 11th |
| Bayern Munich | 12th |
| AC Milan | 13th |
| PSV Eindhoven | 14th |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 15th |
| Benfica | 16th |
| Monaco | 17th |
| Brest | 18th |
| Feyenoord | 19th |
| Juventus | 20th |
| Celtic | 21st |
| Manchester City | 22nd |
| Sporting CP | 23rd |
| Club Brugge | 24th |
Clubs eliminated from the Champions League after league phase
- Dinamo Zagreb
- VfB Stuttgart
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Bologna
- Crvena zvezda
- Sturm Graz
- Sparta Prague
- RB Leipzig
- Girona
- RB Salzburg
- Slovan Bratislava
- Young Boys
When is the draw for the UEFA Champions League playoffs?
Following the completion of the league phase, two crucial draws will take place to shape the knockout rounds of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
The first draw, scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, will determine the specific matchups for the knockout playoff round. For instance, a team finishing 13th will learn whether they will face the team finishing 19th or 20th.
The seeded teams (9th-16th) will enjoy the advantage of playing the second leg at home in the play-off ties, which are set to take place on February 11/12 and February 18/19.
The second draw will then finalize the round of 16 matchups, mapping out each team’s potential route to the final. With so much at stake, the coming weeks promise high-stakes action and fierce competition in Europe’s biggest club tournament.