New Champions League format explained: How it works, schedule and how to watch in UK

The 2024/25 Champions League kicks-off this evening and Europe’s biggest nine contention has undergone a extremist change.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are the Premier League clubs vying for glory against the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Whether they similar it oregon not, supporters volition person to get utilized to a caller format this season, with Europe’s premier tourney fixed a makeover pursuing Real Madrid’s triumph implicit Borussia Dortmund astatine Wembley successful June.

Here’s everything you request to cognize astir the all-new Champions League, including however the caller format works, the afloat docket and however to ticker connected TV and unrecorded stream.

What is the caller Champions League format and however does it work?

This season, the 32-team radical signifier of the Champions League has been replaced by a league signifier featuring 36 clubs, which is commonly being referred to arsenic a ‘Swiss model’.

Rather than playing 3 teams twice, each broadside has been drawn against 8 antithetic opponents; 2 from each of the 4 seeding pots. Every squad volition play 4 games astatine location and 4 away.

The results volition find wherever each 36 teams decorativeness successful 1 ample league table. Those that decorativeness successful positions 1 to 8 unafraid nonstop qualification to the round-of-16.

Clubs ranked 9 to 24 participate into a knockout playoff contest, wherever triumph volition unafraid a spot successful the circular of 16. Teams successful positions 25 to 36 are eliminated from the competition.

In the knockout phase, each games are contested location and away, culminating with a azygous limb format.

UEFA’s video explainer says: ‘In the caller league format, each match, each goal, each constituent and presumption successful the fertile counts.

‘The caller strategy volition guarantee fast-changing and unpredictable standings, much matches betwixt arsenic ranked teams competing for important points, with fans capable to bask apical clashes close from the archetypal lucifer day.’

Full Champions League Schedule

The Champions League makes its eagerly anticipated return connected Tuesday, September 17, 2024 and runs done to Saturday, May 31, 2025.

This season’s last volition beryllium held astatine Munich’s 75,000-seater Allianz Arena, Germany, location to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Who volition the Premier League clubs play?

As UEFA hoped, the gully for the league signifier has thrown up immoderate tasty fixtures, with Arsenal up against the likes of French champions PSG, Italian champions Inter Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.

Manchester City besides instrumentality connected Inter and PSG, portion Liverpool look reigning champions Real Madrid arsenic good German champions Bayer Leverkusen who are managed by Anfield fable Xabi Alonso.

Aston Villa are playing successful Europe’s apical contention for the archetypal clip since 1983 and their fixtures see Bayern Munich, Juventus and Scottish champions Celtic.

Full details of who the English sides volition beryllium facing successful the league signifier tin beryllium recovered here.

How to ticker the Champions League connected TV and unrecorded watercourse successful the UK

In summation to the caller format, determination are besides caller ways to ticker the Champions League successful the UK this season.

TNT Sports volition stay the main location of the UCL and amusement astir each match. Their sum tin besides beryllium streamed connected Discovery+.

However, Amazon Prime Video will besides broadcast 1 Tuesday nighttime crippled unrecorded successful each matchday, starting with Liverpool’s travel to AC Milan tonight.

Additionally, BBC Sport will amusement highlights from the games – Match of the Day benignant – connected the Wednesday of each matchday, starting time nighttime astatine 10:40pm.

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