Football fans are already enjoying the new format of the UEFA Champions League for the
2024-25 season, where a measure of novelty has been added to the class, history and
prestige of one of the most highly-regarded club football competitions in the world.
Charity Njanji, head of corporate affairs and public relations of MultiChoice Zimbabwe, said
the new format was already under way and had been created to enhance interest and add
value to an existing winning formula.
In previous years the draw for the league competition would divide the final 32 teams into
eight groups of four, but in the new format, 36 teams were placed in one ‘joint group’ but
separated into four pots of nine, based on their 2023 UEFA association coefficients and
taking into consideration their performance in European competitions from 2018–19 to
2022–23.
Each team is now drawn against two teams from each pot but will only play one team from
each pot at home and one team from each pot away, creating four home fixtures and four
away fixtures. After each of the 36 teams has played their eight games, the top eight in the
‘joint group’ league table will advance to the last 16. The teams that finish ninth to 24th will
be drawn against each other in a two-legged knockout playoff round, with the winners
advancing to the last 16. From this point, the competition has the same knockout format as
before, culminating in the final, which will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31
2025.
The bottom 12 teams, which is 25th or lower, will be eliminated from all European
competitions completely, with no ‘dropping’ into the UEFA Europa League, as was the case
in years gone by. And as an aside, the Europa League and UEFA Conference League will
also follow the same 36-team format.
Njanji said the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League featured 81 teams from 53 different
associations, whittled down to 36 for the league phase via the qualifying rounds, which took
place in July.
“Teams reaching the final will play either 17 or 15 matches in the UEFA Champions League
this season, excluding the qualifying rounds, depending on whether they were involved in
the knockout playoffs phase immediately after the league phase,” she said.
Stade Brest and Bologna FC make their European competition debuts in this edition of the
UEFA Champions League, while Aston Villa return to the top European club competition for
the first time since the 1982-83 season. Villa famously won the 1981-82 European Cup, now
the Champions League, after defeating Bayern Munich in the final. Real Madrid are the
reigning UEFA Champions League holders, having won a record-extending 15th title last
season.
“The new format brings added interest and excitement to this brilliant competition, which has
a strong following here in Zimbabwe,” said Njanji.
“Full coverage of the competition is, of course, presented by DStv’s SuperSport, where
viewers can follow all the action live and in HD.”
The 2024-25 league schedule:
- 29 August – League Phase draw (done)
- 17-19 September – League Phase Matchday 1
- 1-2 October – League Phase Matchday 2
- 22-23 October – League Phase Matchday 3
- 5-6 November – League Phase Matchday 4
- 26-27 November – League Phase Matchday 5
- 10-11 December – League Phase Matchday 6
- 21-22 January – League Phase Matchday 7
- 29 January – League Phase Matchday 8
- 31 January – Knockout Playoffs draw.
- 11-12 February – Knockout Playoffs, first leg
- 18-19 February – Knockout Playoffs, first leg
- 21 February 2025 – Draw for remainder of competition.
- 4-5 March – Round of 16, first leg
- 11-12 March – Round of 16, second leg
- 8-9 April – Quarterfinals, first leg
- 15-16 April – Quarterfinals, second leg
- 29-30 April – Semifinals, first leg
- 6-7 May – Semifinals, second leg
- 31 May – Final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
ends
