Champions League 2024/25: New format, teams, fixtures, results and table for the league phase | Football news

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic are taking part in a new Champions League format this season – here's everything you need to know…

How does the new “league phase” format work?

The 36 teams form a single league, with each participant playing against eight different clubs, four at home and four away. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw.

The top eight teams in the league automatically qualify for the knockout phase, while the teams ranked 9th to 24th compete in a home and away play-off for a place in the round of 16 of the competition.

The last twelve teams are eliminated and have no access to the Europa League.

How does the knockout play-off phase work?

Teams that finish between 9th and 16th place will be seeded in the knockout draw, meaning they will face a team ranked 17th to 24th.

The eight clubs that advance in the knockout phase advance to the round of 16, where they will each face one of the eight best seeded clubs.

The pairings in the knockout phase are partly determined by the placings in the league phase; the teams' path to the final is determined by a draw.

How many points do you need to qualify for the knockout round?

A new format brings new expectations this Champions League season: clubs must mathematically check how many points they need to qualify for the knockout rounds in the league stage structure.

The supercomputer Opta believes 16 points of a possible 24 – so five wins and one draw in eight gamesor other combinations – would almost certainly be sufficient to finish in the top eightwhich guarantees you a round of 16 Place in the new year.

The data also show 15 points – So five wins from eight gamesor other combinations – could be enough to sneak into eighth place, with that score being sufficient in 73 percent of Opta's 50,000 league stage simulations.

Fourteen pointsi.e. four wins and two draws or other combinations, are unlikely to be enough for a place in the top eight – therefore Race with five wins should be the goal of the biggest teams.

To land among the top 24which at least guarantees a play-off place, Opta believes 10 points – So three wins and one drawor other combinations – almost certainly guarantee you a place in this round.

This means that teams that win the first round of the Champions League only need seven points from their remaining seven games to secure a play-off place.

Nine points – so tThree wins from eight gamesor other combinations – could be enough for 24th place, with this score being sufficient in 69 percent of simulations.

But only eight points – that is, two wins and two draws or other combinations – carries the risk of elimination, although this score is only sufficient in 16 percent of simulations.

The teams aim at least three wins out of eight to give them the best possible chance of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Arsenal games

19 September: Atalanta vs ArsenalGewiss Stadium, kick-off 8pm

October 1: Arsenal vs Paris SGEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

October 22: Arsenal vs Shakhtar DonetskEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

6 November: Inter Milan vs ArsenalSan Siro, kick-off 8pm

26 November: Sporting Lisbon vs ArsenalJose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8pm

December 11: Arsenal vs MonacoEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

January 22: Arsenal vs Dinamo ZagrebEmirates Stadium, kick-off 8pm

January 29: Girona vs ArsenalEstadi Montilivi, kick-off 8pm

Aston Villa Fixtures

17 September: Young Boys vs Aston VillaWankdorf Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm

October 2: Aston Villa vs Bayern MunichVilla Park, kick-off 8pm

October 22: Aston Villa vs BolognaVilla Park, kick-off 8pm

6 November: Club Brugge vs Aston VillaJan-Breydel-Stadion, kick-off 5.45pm

27 November: Aston Villa vs JuventusVilla Park, kick-off 8pm

December 10: RB Leipzig vs Aston VillaRed Bull Arena, kick-off 8pm

21 January: AS Monaco vs Aston VillaLouis II Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm

January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, kick-off 8pm

Liverpool games

17 September: AC Milan vs LiverpoolSan Siro, kick-off 8pm

October 2: Liverpool vs BolognaAnfield, kick-off 8pm

October 23: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Red Bull Arena, kick-off 8pm

5 November: Liverpool vs Bayer Leverkusen, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

27 November: Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

December 10: Girona vs Liverpool, Estadi Montilivi, kick-off 5.45pm

21 January: Liverpool vs Lille, Anfield, kick-off 8pm

January 29: PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool, Philips Stadium, kick-off 8pm

Man City Fixtures

18 September: Man City vs Inter MilanEtihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

October 1: Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City, Narodny futbalovy stadion, kick-off 20:00

October 23: Man City vs Sparta PragueEtihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

5 November: Sporting CP vs Man City, Jose Alvalade Stadium, kick-off 8pm

26 November: Man City vs Feyenoord, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

December 11: Juventus vs Manchester City, Allianz Stadium, kick-off 8pm

January 22: Paris Saint-Germain vs Man City, Parc des Princes, kick-off 8pm

January 29: Man City vs Club Brugge, Etihad Stadium, kick-off 8pm

Celtic Fixtures

18 September: Celtic vs Slovan BratislavaCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

October 1: Borussia Dortmund vs CelticSignal Iunda Park, kick-off 8pm

October 23: Atalanta vs CelticGewiss Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm

5 November: Celtic vs RB LeipzigCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

27 November: Celtic vs Club BruggeCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

December 10: Dinamo Zagreb vs CelticMaksimir Stadium, kick-off 5.45pm

January 22: Celtic vs Young BoysCeltic Park, kick-off 8pm

January 29: Aston Villa vs CelticVilla Park, kick-off 8pm

When will the 2024/25 Champions League matches take place?

• Matchday 1: 17-19 September 2024
• Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
• Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
• 4th matchday: 05./06.11.2024
• Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
• Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
• Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
• Matchday 8: January 29, 2025

When will the knockout phases of the 2024/25 Champions League take place?

• Knockout playoffs: 11/12 February and 18/19 February 2025
• Round of 16: 4/5 March and 11/12 March 2025
• Quarterfinals: 8/9 April and 15/16 April 2025
• Semi-finals: 29/30 April and 6/7 May 2025
• Final: 31 May 2025

Where will the 2025 Champions League final take place?

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will take place on 31 May 2025 in Munich at the Allianz Arena.