When is the Champions League draw? Start time and how to stream live

The new Champions League tournament kicks off with a new format that UEFA hopes will help revitalise elite European competition.

The old group stage was criticised for being too predictable, and the hope is that the new league stage will provide a more interesting dynamic.

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League from the Premier League, while Real Madrid will be looking to defend their title as holders after beating Borussia Dortmund in last season’s final.

When is the 2024/25 Champions League draw?

The draw will take place on Thursday 29 August starting at 5pm GMT.

How to watch

The draw will be broadcast live online via the Champions League website and UEFA’s YouTube channel.

What will the new Champions League look like?

Under the new format, teams will play eight matches against eight different teams, instead of three teams twice as was the case previously.

Four additional clubs will be added to bring the total to 36, and a single league system will be used. The league stage will determine the overall standings – from first to thirty-sixth, with three points for a win and one point for a draw as usual.

The top eight teams will qualify for the round of 16, with the 16 teams placed 9th to 24th entering a two-legged play-off round, with a win securing passage to the round of 16. Teams placed 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be relegated to the Europa League.

How will the draw be done?

All eight matches will be played against different teams, four at home and four away, and will be organised according to the rankings. All results will contribute to the overall league standings.

Teams will be seeded into four pots based on their individual club coefficient at the start of the season (the only exception being that the Champions League holders always occupy the top spot in pot one). Each team will then be drawn against two opponents from each pot, one at home and one away.

In the league stage, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and can face a maximum of two teams from the same country.

All 36 teams will be drawn manually using physical balls. For each manually drawn team, a dedicated automated program will randomly draw eight opponents across the four pots, who will be revealed on screen in the drawing room and on television. The program will also decide which matches will be played at home and which away.

Which teams qualified?

French Ligue 1 side Brest and Spanish La Liga side Girona will make their European debuts, while Germany and Italy have been given an extra place in the competition after their clubs performed best in UEFA competitions last season.

Europa League Champion: Atalanta

England: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa

Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Girona, Atletico Madrid

Germany: Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund

Italy: Inter Milan, Milan, Bologna, Juventus

France: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Brest

Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

Portugal: Sporting Lisbon

Belgium: Club Brugge

Scotland: Celtic

Austria: Storm Graz

Shakhtar Donetsk restore balance to Champions League champions

Rebalancing the Europa League champions: Benfica

Qualified: Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, Red Star Belgrade, Sparta Prague, Lille, Red Bull Salzburg

Key Dates

First round: September 17-19, 2024

Round 2: October 1/2, 2024

Round 3: October 22/23, 2024

Round 4: November 5/6, 2024

Round 5: 26/27 November 2024

Round 6: 10/11 December 2024

Round 7: 21/22 January 2025

Round 8: January 29, 2025

Knockout stage draw: January 31, 2025

Playoffs: 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025

Draw for round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals: 21 February 2025

When and where is the final?

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League Final will be held on 31 May 2025 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.