AC Milan will find out their opponents for the first phase of the UEFA Champions League on Thursday as the draw will take place, but there is a new format to get used to.
The main alteration is the shift away from the current format’s group stage system, whereby in the previous Champions League group stage there were 32 participants divided into eight groups of four.
Under that structure the draw was quite easy: the teams were divided into pots based on league finish and co-efficient, then drawn one by one into the various groups.
The new format
From the 2024-25 season, 36 clubs will participate in the Champions League league phase (former group stage), giving four more sides entry into a single league competition with one big table.
The teams will play eight matches in the new league phase and therefore will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – as per the old group stage.
Instead they will play fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away. To determine the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots.
Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away. For more information, read our feature which broke things down in more detail.
The top eight teams from the ‘big league’ will advance to the last 16, with the 16 teams finishing between ninth and 24th entering the play-off round over two legs, with a victory securing passage to the last 16. Teams who finish 25th or below will be eliminated and will not drop down to the Europa League.
All 36 teams will be manually drawn using physical balls, as in the previous format. For every team manually drawn, a designated automated software will randomly draw eight opponents across the four pots.
These opponents will be revealed on screen in the draw hall and on television, and the software will also decide which matches will be at home and which ones away.
🤔 Wondering how the draw for the new #UCL format will work?
🗳️ The video below explains 👇pic.twitter.com/Z2ZNs2zVKo
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) August 20, 2024
Date, time, venue and how to watch
The draw will take place on Thursday 29 August from 18:00 CEST in Nyon, Switzerland. It will be streamed live online via the Champions League website and UEFA YouTube channel.
Below are the dates of the various rounds in the league phase:
➤ Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
➤ Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
➤ Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
➤ Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
➤ Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
➤ Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
➤ Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
➤ Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
➤ Knockout round play-offs draw: 31 January 2025
➤ Knockout round play-offs: 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025
➤ Round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws: 21 February 2025
Possible opponents
The second leg of the final qualifying ties are taking place on Wednesday night, but below are the teams that have already been confirmed of a place and a pot:
Pot One:
Real Madrid (ESP)
Manchester City (ENG)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Liverpool (ENG)
Inter (ITA)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
RB Leipzig (GER)
Barcelona (ESP)
Pot Two:
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Atalanta (ITA)
Juventus (ITA)
Benfica (POR)
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Arsenal (ENG)
Club Brugge (BEL)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
Milan (ITA)
Pot Three:
Feyenoord (NED)
Sporting (POR)
PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Celtic (SCO)
Young Boys (SUI)
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)
Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) or Qarabag (AZE)
Slavia Prague (CZE) or Lille (FRA)
Pot Three or Four (depending on results of play-off ties):
Midtjylland (DEN) or Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Bodo/Glimt (NOR) or Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Pot Four:
Monaco (FRA)
Sparta Prague (CZE)
Aston Villa (ENG)
Sturm Graz (AUT)
Bologna (ITA)
Brest (FRA)
Girona (ESP)
VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Give me FC Midtjylland if they manage to qualify, AC Milan, hasn’t freaking played in Demark since the days of Papin, Savicevic, Boban etc. where they beat FC Copenhagen 6-0. I’ll probably not be able to get a ticket but at least give me the option to see a match in my backyard arghhhh 😀
Midtjylland managed to throw a win away in the final minutes and is now out of cl …. sigh.
Damn I would have forced you to go haha you couldn’t miss that opportunity but you’re welcome in Milan Martin!
Nobody would need to force me, if anything id pry a ticket out of a Midtjylland fans hands if i could get a ticket. Come to think about it it could also have happned that it would be an away game with this new setup 😛
so sorry bro
Thanks
Here’s a thought. Sandro Tonali played his first match for Newcastle, after a 10 month ban, this afternoon.
Tonali played the first 60 minutes, and even though he wasn’t on the scoresheet, he was rated MOM.
Just food for thought.
«Sandro ha dimostrato di possedere un’enorme forza mentale. Credo che ne uscirà un giocatore migliore. Sì, alla fine vedrete una persona molto più forte. Perché nelle avversità è possibile scovare più forza di quella che si pensava di avere». Eddie Howe
He trained on specific aspects and is reportedly more athletic, fast and improved his motor. And the rehab seemed successful. Good for him. Uno di noi!
To be fair Tonali was my favorite player in Milan, In hindsight for last season it did made sense selling him considering his ban but I would nevertheless welcome him back so I cant say Im surprised that he is already doing great for them again.
You reckon we can beat them? 😂 I remember that Copenhagen tie….good times
Yeah if we doesn’t play as we did in the first two serie a matches 😀
Idk what was wrong with the old format. The amount of games just raises the injury factor. Which means teams with quality depth will be the ones to go far.
I want we get monaco. Yes
nothing was wrong, people just like to change things to have an impact and feel important. absolutely pointless changes
No I’m pretty sure the idea was that UEFA wanted to emulate the super league to some extent that was causing an outcry a few years ago and instead to make a format themselves to avoid it popping up for now. Retained income for Uefa and Bigger income for the clubs and players participating but more matches played. I was against the super league and I’m not really too fond of this new cl format either.
Yep, that’s the anti “super league” right there, masterpiece of anticlimactic decision driven by panic. Let’s remember folks that UEFA created the schism that brought to the idea of the SL because of greed and incompetence. The SL is only a matter of time anyway, the ambition from those promoters is too strong and they have obtained the green light from the European court of justice. I don’t like it, nobody really likes it but that’s the direction we are headed believe it or not…
Probably the day I’ll turn my back on the sport,
Not different from the NFL adding a 18th week on the schedule with more to come and 14 teams in the playoffs, or college football expanding the playoffs, or the World Cup and Euro raising the number of teams qualified. More games, more TV rights.
The only good outcome is to qualify for the knockout round, I still think we have a decent team that can accomplish that and more. Fonseca must wake himself up and motivate the players because I would hate the idea of Allegri 2.0 with this dynamic team. Look at Juve how seems to be rejuvenated without him… Forza!
Feyenoord – Milan please
More games more chances of players burning out and fans paying over hyped prices for a huge drop in quality because the players will just end up being exhausted. Plus this new club world cup format in the summer or next , where’s the break for the players to refresh and go again?? They’ve basically made the super League and destroyed a great European competition!!