UEFA Champions League 2024/25: Key Dates, New Format, and Upcoming Matches

The UEFA Champions League is set to embark on its 70th season, marking the 33rd edition since its rebranding. The 2024/25 season introduces a significant format change, transitioning to a singular 36-team League stage. This new format will see each team face eight different opponents, with four matches at home and four away. The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked from ninth to 24th will participate in knockout round play-offs to secure their spots in the last 16.

The season will kick off on July 9, 2024, with the first qualifying round, followed by subsequent qualifying rounds and play-offs in July and August. The League stage matches are scheduled from September 17–19, 2024, to January 29, 2025. The knockout stage will commence with the knockout round play-offs on February 11/12 and 18/19, 2025, leading up to the final on May 31, 2025, at the Fußball Arena München in Munich, Germany.

In the current league phase, several high-profile matches are upcoming. One of the most anticipated matches is the clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, a repeat of last year’s UEFA Champions League final. Borussia Dortmund, currently leading the league phase, will face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Dortmund’s in-form striker Serhou Guirassy and Real Madrid’s stars Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior are expected to play crucial roles in this match. Both teams will be dealing with injuries, with Dortmund missing Karim Adeyemi, Julien Duranville, Yan Couto, and Gio Reyna, and Real Madrid without Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, and Brahim Diaz.

Other notable matches in the upcoming week include Arsenal vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, Monaco vs. Crvena zvezda, and Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich. These matches promise intense competition as teams vie for top spots in the new league format.