The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 season marks the introduction of a new format kicks off this week on Tuesday, the first change to the competition’s structure since 2003-04, when the round of 16 stage was introduced.
Here all the fixtures to be played in the opening week of UEFA Champions League 2024-25:
Time Zone: UTC+0
Tuesday, September 17
4.45pm – Juventus vs PSV
4.45pm – Young Boys vs Aston Villa
7.00pm – Milan vs Liverpool
7.00pm – Real Madrid vs Stuttgart
7.00pm – Bayern vs Dinamo Zagreb
7.00pm – Sporting vs LOSC
Wednesday, September 18
4.45pm – Bologna vs Shakhtar Donetsk
4.45pm – Sparta Praha vs RB Salzburg
7.00pm – PSG vs Girona
7.00pm – Club Brugge vs Dortmund
7.00pm – Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava
7.00pm – Man City vs Inter
Thursday, September 19
4.45pm – Crvena Zvezda vs Benfica
4.45pm – Feyenoord vs Leverkusen
7.00pm – Brest vs SK Sturm Graz
7.00pm – Atalanta vs Arsenal
7.00pm – Atletico Madrid vs RB Leipzig
7.00pm – Moanca vs Barcelona
So how will the Champions League work this season?
The 32-team group stage has been replaced with a 36-team league phase. Each team plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away, with the usual three points for a win and one for a draw. At the end of the league phase, the top eight will qualify directly for the last-16 knockout stage. The teams placed ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged play-off to join them there. The bottom 12 will be eliminated entirely, as will the play-off losers – no Europa League second chances here.
From there it’s as you were – a straight two-legged, home-and-away knockout competition to reach the final, which this season will take place at Munich’s Allianz Arena on Saturday 31 May.