The Champions league group-stage draw will see Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic discover their opponents for the opening round of the 2024/25 edition.
When is the draw?
The 2024/25 Champions League group stage draw takes place at 5pm (BST) on Thursday August 29 in Monaco.
Carlo Ancelotti lifted a record fifth Champions League last year with Real Madrid
Who is in the draw?
Twenty-nine teams have qualified automatically for this year’s Champions League group stage, with 25 having done so via their 2023/24 league position.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Benfica qualified by virtue of the Champions League and Europa League winners having already booked their spots via their domestic league performance or as a result of their country’s collective performance in Europe last season.
Two leagues – Italy and Germany – have been rewarded with an extra place based on performance in Europe last year.
Seven further teams have booked their places via the play-offs.
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England: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City
Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Real Madrid
Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart
Italy: AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Inter Milan, Juventus
France: Brest, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal: Benfica, Sporting Lisbon
Netherlands: Feyenoord, PSV
Austria: Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg
Scotland: Celtic
Belgium: Club Brugge
Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
Switzerland: Young Boys
*Four play-off teams still to qualify
How does the draw work?
With the number of teams having expanded from 32 to 36 in the Champions League, the biggest change is a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league phase including all participating teams.
Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.
No team can play a side from their own league at this stage, although teams from England and Scotland could be drawn against each other. UEFA will confirm any other restrictions ahead of the draw ceremony.
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.
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When are the group stage games?
Matchday 1: September 17-19
Matchday 2: October 1/2
Matchday 3: October 22/23
Matchday 4: November 5/6
Matchday 5: November 26/27
Matchday 6: December 10/11
Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025
Matchday 8: January 29, 2025
The key Champions League dates
The 2024/25 Champions League final will take place on May 31, 2025 at Allianz Arena.
Knockout round play-offs: February 11/12 & 18/19, 2025
Round of 16: March 4/5 & 11/12, 2025
Quarter-finals: April 8/9 & 15/16, 2025
Semi-finals: April 29/30 & May 6/7, 2025
Final: May 31, 2025 (Allianz Arena, Germany)
