The Champions League is back once again this season but with some twists on the old format that everyone knows and loves.
Arsenal will be looking to try their luck at lifting the iconic European trophy, having gone close in the past but narrowly missing out.
2006 appeared to be the Gunners’ best shot as they reached the final but fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona.
Last season saw their return to the competition for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign, showing the progress made by Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal boss was unable to take that step towards silverware as Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich knocked them out at the quarter-final stage.
With that experience under their belts, Arsenal will be looking to improve on the previous season and make a push for that Champions League trophy in 2024/25.
- READ MORE: How much Arsenal paid to sign every 2024/25 first-team squad player in the transfer market
How does the Champions League 2024/25 work? New format, table, rules and group games
The Champions League will undergo several key changes this season as it moves away from the previous group stage and knockout phases.
Instead, the competition will enter a “Swiss format”, which means that a giant league table will determine the outcome of the first phase rather than group stages.
36 teams will compete in this stage, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the round of 16, those ranked ninth to 24th will face off in a two-legged tie to determine the winner and those who finish 25th and below will be eliminated.
No teams will be dropping from the Champions League into the Europa League through this format.
If teams finish on the same points, a series of tie-breakers will determine who will finish above one another, which is as follows: goal difference, goals scored and then toughest path – which determines the points accumulated by the other teams in a team’s draw.
How does the Champions League 2024/25 draw work?
Much like the group stages, teams will be drawn based on their coefficient ranking after being separated into different pots.
Teams will play eight different opponents, split evenly across home and away ties, throughout the league phase.
Out of the four seeding pots, two teams from each of those will be played to reach the eight matches required.
When is the Champions League 2024/25 draw?
The draw for the Champions League matches in the league stage will take place on August 29, 2024.
This time, rather than the traditional drawing of teams from a pot, the draw will be fully computerised.
Which pot is Arsenal in for the Champions League draw?
Arsenal will be placed in pot two of the Champions League draw, due to their coefficient rankings in European competition.
Can English teams draw each other in the Champions League?
During the league phase, English teams won’t be able to face each other in the Champions League.
This means that Arsenal won’t face off against Premier League rivals Manchester City, Liverpool or Aston Villa until the later rounds of the competition.
Which teams have qualified for the Champions League?
29 teams have already booked their place in the Champions League for the upcoming season, with seven still left to join.
Those teams who have qualified are:
- Man City
- Arsenal
- Liverpool
- Aston Villa
- Real Madrid
- Barcelona
- Girona
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- VFB Stuttgart
- Bayern Munich
- RB Leipzig
- Inter Milan
- AC Milan
- Juventus
- Atalanta
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Monaco
- Brest
- PSV Eindhoven
- Feyenoord
- Sporting CP
- Benfica
- Club Brugge
- Celtic
- Sturm Graz
- Shakhtar Donetsk
Which teams are left to qualify for the Champions League?
14 teams are left in the mix for Champions League qualification, but only half of those will be able to book themselves into the draw in late August.
The teams left are:
- Young Boys
- Galatasaray
- Dinamo Zagreb
- Qarabag
- Midtjylland
- Slovan Bratislava
- Bodo/Glimt
- Red Star Belgrade
- Malmo
- Sparta Prague
- Lille
- Slavia Prague
- Dynamo Kyiv
- Red Bull Salzburg
The two-legged ties will be played on August 20/21 and 27/28, with those sides being filtered into pots three and four.
What are the Champions League draw pots?
The current pots for the draw are projected to be:
Pot 1:
- Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Inter Milan
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Barcelona
- Man City
- Liverpool
Pot 2
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Atletico Madrid
- Atalanta
- Juventus
- Benfica
- Club Brugge
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- AC Milan
- Arsenal
Pot two, three and four will be confirmed after the final set of qualifiers.
When does the Champions League 2024/25 start?
The first set of fixtures in the 2024/25 Champions League campaign will take place on September 17, 2024.
When are the Champions League knockout phase draws?
- Knockout round play-offs: 31 January 2025
- Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final: 21 February 2025
When is the Champions League 2024/25 final?
The 2024/25 Champions League final will take place on May 31, 2025, with two teams battling it out to earn a chance at lifting the trophy.
Where will the Champions League 2024/25 final be held?
When the Champions League final rolls around in late May, the two finalists will be making their way to Germany to earn a shot at winning the competition.
Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena will be the host stadium for the tie, having last held the final in the 2012 edition of the contest.
Full Schedule
- Matchday 1: September 17–19, 2024
- Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024
- Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024
- Matchday 4: November 5/6, 2024
- Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024
- Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024
- Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025
- Matchday 8: January 29, 2025
- Knockout round play-offs: February 11/12 and 18/19, 2025
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and 11/12, 2025
- Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and 15/16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
Have Arsenal ever won the Champions League?
Arsenal are yet to win the Champions League, having gone close with a run to the final of the competition in 2006.
The Gunners will be hopeful of ticking the trophy off of their list when they compete in the 2024/25 edition.
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