Soccer Football - Champions League - Phase Draw 2024 - Grimaldi Forum, Monaco - Aug. 29, 2024 President of Paris Saint-Germain Nasser al-Khela (Credit: Reuters)
Liverpool was drawn on Thursday to face champions Real Madrid when they return to the Champions League, which has been expanded to a 36-team league format.
The revamped competition has also set up other intriguing matchups, including a rematch of last year's final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, while Manchester City are slated to battle Paris St Germain and Barcelona against Bayern Munich.
In this year's men's tournament, teams will compete in eight fixtures during the 'league phase,' marking a significant departure from the traditional group stage format.
The draw, held in Monaco, featured special guests Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon.
The dates and times for each team's fixtures will be announced on Saturday.
UEFA Champions League's new format
The 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Champions League will follow a new format — following is an explainer of how it will work:
One League:
All teams will compete in a single 36-team league, replacing the previous format of eight groups with four teams each.
In the new league phase, teams will play eight matches instead of facing three opponents twice. They will play against eight different teams, with half of the games at home and half away.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while those finishing from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off for a chance to secure a spot in the next stage.
Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not advance to the Europa League.
From the Round of 16 onward, the Champions League will revert to its traditional format, with the final held at a neutral location.
Who draws who:
Teams are divided into four pots for the draw based on their club coefficient.
Each team will play against two teams from each pot, with one match held at home and the other away.
Teams will be restricted from facing rivals from their own country and will be limited to playing against only two clubs from any single country.
More Matches:
Under the new format, the total number of matches will rise from 125 to 189, with each team playing between eight and 17 games, and the league phase extending until the end of January rather than concluding before Christmas.