2024-25 Champions League Phase Draw: When is it, how it works, format, qualified teams, seedings and pots
The Champions League has changed for the 2024-25 season, with additional teams and a completely new format introduced by UEFA.
Real Madrid are the reigning champions and the Spanish giants can expect plenty of competition from Europe’s elite, including giants like Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and more.
So, with the qualifying phase over, when is the 2024-25 Champions League draw, and, importantly, how is it made? The Informant247 brings you everything you need to know.
WHEN IS THE DRAW?
The League Phase pairings will take place this Thursday, August 29th, starting at 5 p.m. (WAT).
QUALIFIED TEAMS AND POTS
| POTS | TEAMS |
|---|---|
| Pot 1 | Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona |
| Pot 2 | Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético de Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan |
| Pot 3 | Feyenoord, Sporting, PSV, Dinamo Zagreb, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Red Star, Young Boys, Celtic |
| Pot 4 | Slovan Bratislava, Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest |
THE FORMAT
Unlike the historic format of eight groups of four teams, from the 2024-25 edition, it will be played as a 36-team league, although each of the teams will play eight games in total, four at home and four away, with a final standings table.
The draw will determine the eight opponents of each team and will determine the home and away positions. It is worth noting that this is where the seeding pots come into play: each team will face two teams from each pot, playing against one team from each pot at home and against one team from each pot away. In addition, matches cannot be played between teams from the same country and a team can face a maximum of two rivals from the same league.
In this last case, as an example, if Real Madrid is drawn against Manchester City and Liverpool, it would not be able to face Arsenal or Aston Villa as well.
HOW IS THE DRAW CONDUCTED?
The process by which the draw will be made will be through specialized software to comply with the regulations mentioned above.
The first team to be drawn will be defending champions Real Madrid, who will learn its eight opponents and home-field advantage, with technology responsible for the pairings. The process will be repeated with the other teams, taking into account how the fixture is organized.
ELIMINATION PHASES
Once the League Phase concludes, at the end of January 2025, the top eight teams in the general table will qualify directly for the round of 16, while those from 9th to 24th place will be paired for a Preliminary Phase, with the remaining eight places up for grabs.
