UEFA Champions League 2024-25: All you need to know about group stage draw, date, time, teams and new format

The highly anticipated UEFA Champions League is set to make its return with the group stage draw scheduled to take place at the prestigious Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, August 29, 2024. This upcoming season will see a departure from the traditional format, as the tournament will now feature a new 36-team single group format. While this format may be longer, it promises to bring more excitement and allow for a greater number of clubs to participate.

Supporters of top clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain are eagerly anticipating how their favorite teams will fare in this revamped UCL format. 

New format

The previous group-stage format, which had been in place for 21 seasons, has been replaced with a new single-standings league system. In this new format, 36 teams will compete, each playing eight games against eight different opponents from January through March.

The top eight teams in the standings at the end of the league phase will advance directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th will compete in knockout playoffs in February to secure their spot in the next round. Unfortunately, the bottom 12 teams will be eliminated from the competition.

During the playoffs, teams ranked 9th through 16th are seeded to play second legs at home against unseeded teams ranked 17th through 24th. This seeding system ensures a fair and competitive match-up for all teams involved.

How will the draw be done?

The 36 teams have been divided into four seeding pots based on their "UEFA club coefficient," which reflects their performance in European competitions over the past five years. The top-seeded pot includes recent Champions League winners and finalists, as well as Leipzig and Barcelona.

Once a team's ball is drawn, a software program will quickly allocate its eight opponents - two from each seeding pot, with one match to be played at home and one away.

Match dates will be finalized on Saturday to prevent scheduling conflicts with Europa League and Conference League games, which will be drawn on Friday in Monaco. The Conference League, a 36-team single-standings league, consists of teams that play only six games.

Winning prize

Manchester City's victory in the 2023 Champions League final resulted in a lucrative prize of 135 million euros ($151 million) from UEFA. The upcoming season's champion stands to earn even more, with a potential payout of 150 million euros ($168 million), thanks to an increase in total competition revenue generated by the sale of 189 games, up from 125.

Each of the 36 participating teams receives a base payment of 18.6 million euros ($20.8 million), in addition to 2.1 million euros ($2.35 million) for every game won and 700,000 euros ($782,000) for each draw.

The distribution of funds is further determined by team performance, with 275,000 euros ($307,000) allocated per place in the standings. The team finishing at the top in January receives 9.9 million euros ($11 million), while the last-place team receives a single share. Bonuses increase as teams progress through the knockout rounds, starting at 11 million euros ($12.3 million) per team.

Furthermore, an additional prize fund of 853 million euros ($953 million) is distributed based on teams' historical performance in UEFA competitions and the value of national and global broadcast agreements.

Teams

England: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa

Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid

Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna

Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund

France: Paris St-Germain, Monaco, Brest

Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

Portugal: Sporting Lisbon, Benfica

Belgium: Club Bruges

Scotland: Celtic

Austria: Sturm Graz, Salzburg

Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

Switzerland: Young Boys

Czech Republic: Sparta Prague

Live Streaming Details

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 group stage draw is scheduled to commence at 9:30 PM IST in India. This highly anticipated event will be broadcasted on the Sony Sports Network, providing football enthusiasts across the nation with the opportunity to witness the excitement firsthand. For those unable to tune in via television, the draw can also be live-streamed on the SonyLiv app and website in India.

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