Champions League Draw: All You Need To Know About New Format

The new and updated Champions League draw will be held today at 5 p.m. (UK time) on Thursday.

The competition has undergone a drastic revamp ahead of the 2024/25 season, with the total number of clubs increased from 32 to 36.

The biggest change will see a change from the traditional group stage to a single league phase with all participating teams.

This will see the number of fixtures increase from 125 to 189.

The league phase will also end at the end of January instead of the usual December.

The winners will have played 17 games across the competition.

Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.

The top eight sides will then qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams that finish in ninth to 24th place will be drawn in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.