Twenty-nine teams will participate in the next Champions League 2024-25, the other seven will come from the playoffs. There is great anticipation for the new format chosen starting next season and which will be in force until 2027, barring further changes by UEFA. Four more teams than in the past and only one group, in order to increase the spectacle in the first phase.
The 29 teams already qualified for the 2024-25 Champions League
There are already 29 clubs that have obtained a pass for the top European competition. They will defend the Italian colors Inter, Juventus, Bologna, Atalanta and Milan: for the first time our country will have five teams, with the extra place coming thanks to the first position in the ranking in the current season. Furthermore, Real Madrid’s victory last night did Shakhtar Donetsk a favor, which will not have to advance from the playoffs.
The new format
There are many new features in the new format, starting from the single group. Each team will play eight matches with eight different teams, with four home matches and four away matches (for example Inter will be able to play with Manchester City at San Siro, but with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu). Three points for a victory, one for a draw and zero for a defeat: the top eight teams will advance to the round of 16, for the teams ranked from ninth to twenty-fourth there will be a further play-off round while the other teams will be directly eliminated (there will be no plus relegation to the Europa League).
The new bands
What will change completely will be the draw with the new brackets. Each bracket will have nine teams, but they will be decided based on the ranking: Inter will therefore be in first place while Juventus, Atalanta and Milan are currently in second place. Bologna, however, will be in third place. The Bergamo team will therefore not be in the first tier – in fact the additional place for the winner of the Europa League will be lost – and winning the championship will no longer be considered as an assignment criterion. As reported by Football and FinanceIn fact, the UEFA documents underline that the “36 teams will be divided into four pots of nine based on the individual ranking established at the start of the season (coefficient over five seasons, including the previous season). The first pot in the Champions League will include the team European champion and top eight teams in the club rankings.”
First band
Manchester City
Bayern Monaco
real Madrid
Paris Saint Germain
Liverpool
Inter
Leipzig
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Second tier
Bayer Leverkusen
Atletico Madrid
Atalanta
Juventus
Benfica
Arsenal
Club Brugge
Shakhtar
Milan
Third tier
Feyenoord
Sporting
PSV
Celtic
Monk
Aston Villa
Bologna
Girona
Stuttgart
Fourth band
Sturm Graz
Brest