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The 70th edition of the Champions League will be different from the previous ones. The premier European club competition will inaugurate a new format featuring a league phase instead of traditional group stages. There will be 36 teams, with 29 automatically qualified and 7 coming from the qualification rounds. Each club will play 8 matches against different teams from each tier, with four home and four away games. The matchups will be determined by a draw. The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while the ninth to twenty-fourth placed teams will have to compete in playoffs to earn their spots.
After the playoffs, the competition will proceed with the classic knockout phase. The first matchday is scheduled for September 17-18, with the last one on January 29, 2025. The knockout stages will begin on February 11 and conclude with the final on May 31 at the Bayern Arena in Munich. The draw for the league phase might take place right after the final playoff date, on August 29, though the exact dates are yet to be confirmed.
Real Madrid will defend their title against strong contenders like Manchester City. Bayern Munich will aim to win the competition on home soil, as will fellow German clubs Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. English teams, always formidable, will feature Arsenal and Liverpool prominently. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will be the main Spanish rivals. Special attention will be on the Italian teams, with Inter looking to redeem themselves after last season's Round of 16 exit. Juventus and Milan are regulars in the Champions League, while Bologna and Atalanta will be the dark horses.
