Champions League draws LIVE: Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa study their fixtures ahead of the new format

England: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa

Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Girona, Atletico Madrid

Germany: Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund

Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bologna, Juventus

France: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Brest

Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

UEFA Europa League winners: Atalanta

Champions League rebalancing: Shakhtar Donetsk

Europa League winner rebalancing: Benfica

Qualification: Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, Red Star Belgrade, Sparta Prague, Lille, Red Bull Salzburg

All eight matches will be played against different teams, with four at home and four at home, and will be arranged by seeding. All results will contribute to the overall league ranking.

Teams will be seeded in four pots based on individual club coefficients at the start of the season (only Champions League winners are seeded in pot 1). Each team will then be drawn against two opponents from each pot, one will be at home and one away.

In the league phase, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and a maximum of two teams from the same country can be drawn.

All 36 teams will be drawn manually using physical balls. For each manually drawn team, designated automated software will randomly draw eight opponents in four pots, which will be revealed on screens in the draw hall and on television. The software will also decide which matches will be home and away.

In the new format, teams will play eight matches against eight different teams, instead of three double teams as before.

Four extra clubs will be added to take the number up to 36, and a single league format will be used. The league phase will determine the overall ranking – from 1 to 36, with three points for a win and one for a draw as usual.

The top eight teams will advance to the last 16, with the 16 teams finishing between ninth and 24th entering the play-offs over two legs, with victory securing a pass to the last 16. Teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be relegated to the Europa League.

Match 1: 17–19 September 2024

Match 2: 1/2 October 2024

Match 3: 22/23 October 2024

Match 4: 5/6 November 2024

Match 5: 26/27 November 2024

Match 6: 10/11 December 2024

Match 7: 21/22 January 2025

Match 8: January 29, 2025

Draw for knockout play-off round: 31 January 2025

Play-off round: 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025

Round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals: 21 February 2025

This said about the new Champions League, when the executives are preparing for the trip to Nyon for Thursday’s draw, one of the most common statements is: “Well, how is this going?” Many people still think about it. He will never be alone. UEFA should be flooded with explanations for the expanded 36-team super-group stage.

It means that the round will do more than just decide who plays that in a series of generally inconsequential group games.

This is the first step in three years that will change the perception and interaction with football. This won’t be the last time people approach one of the major competitions and wonder how it works. There is also the World Cup, which is bloated for 48 teams and immediately removes the feeling of being an independent elite event. In between, there is an expanded 32-team Club World Cup at the end of this season, should that happen.

It’s really a new era, with the theme music changed, too.

Preview by Miguel Delaney

The Champions League has undergone the most significant change in the competition’s history with a new format for the 2024/25 season.

Europe’s premier club competition has abandoned its traditional group stage structure as it enters its 33rd season since rebranding.

However, progression to the knockout stages will be determined by an expanded league stage featuring 36 teams and two more rounds of midweek matches.

The final of this year’s competition will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich next May as Real Madrid attempt to defend the continental crown they won for the 15th time earlier this year.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new format and the 2024/25 Champions League.

The draw will take place on Thursday 29 August from 5pm BST.

The draw will be broadcast live online via the Champions League website and UEFA’s YouTube channel.

The new Champions League kicks off with a format that UEFA hopes will revitalize Europe’s elite competition.

The old group stage faced criticism for being predictable and the hope was that the new league stage would create a more interesting dynamic.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League from the Premier League, while Real Madrid will try to defend their crown as champions, after defeating Borussia Dortmund in the final of last season.