2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase
International football club competition in Europe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2024–25 UEFA Champions League league phase began on 17 September 2024 and ended on 29 January 2025. A total of 36 teams competed in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League.
Aston Villa, Bologna, Brest, Girona and Slovan Bratislava made their debut appearances in the Champions League since the introduction of the group stage. Brest and Girona also made their debut appearances in European football. A total of 16 national associations were represented in the league phase.
This was the first season with the single-league format, which replaced the group format used until the previous season.[1] With the format change, the number of matches prior to the knockout phase increased from 96 to 144. Juventus' Kenan Yıldız was the first-ever goalscorer of the competition's league phase.[2]
Format
Each team played eight matches, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table. Teams were separated into four pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients, and each team played two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away. The top eight ranked teams received a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th contested the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th were eliminated from all competitions, with no access to the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.
Tiebreakers
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[3]
- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Away goals scored;
- Wins;
- Away wins;
- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;
- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;
- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;
- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Teams and seeding
The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each, with the Champions League title holders automatically placed as the top seed of pot 1.[4] All remaining teams were allocated to pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients.[5] The participants included:
- 29 teams which entered at this stage
- 7 winners of the play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 2 from the League Path)
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Teams ranked 1 to 8 advanced to the round of 16 as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 9 to 16 advanced to the knockout phase play-offs as a seeded team |
| Teams ranked 17 to 24 advanced to the knockout phase play-offs as an unseeded team |
|
|
|
|
Notes
- TH Champions League title holders (automatic top seed of pot 1)
- EL Europa League title holders
- CP Winners of the play-off round (Champions Path)
- LP Winners of play-off round (League Path)
Draw
The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 29 August 2024, 18:00 CEST.[6][7][8] All 36 teams were manually drawn using physical balls. For every team manually drawn, a guest on stage pressed the button for the automated software to digitally draw their opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team faced two opponents from each of the four pots, one of which they faced at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. The draw started with Pot 1, assigning opponents to all teams, one after the other, and continued with the other pots in ascending order until all teams were assigned their opponents.[9][10][11]
The switch to a primarily computer-based draw was made due to issues with the complexity and duration required by a manual draw.[12] The draw software, developed by AE Live, guaranteed total randomness within the framework of the draw conditions and prevented any deadlock situations. The software was reviewed by external auditor Ernst & Young, which also provided review and control of the manual and digital draw operations on-site.[9]
League phase table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Liverpool |
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5 | +12 | 21 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) |
| 2 |  Barcelona |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 19 | |
| 3 | Arsenal |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 19 | |
| 4 |  Inter Milan |
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 19 | |
| 5 | Atlético Madrid |
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 18 | |
| 6 |  Bayer Leverkusen |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 16 | |
| 7 |  Lille |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 16 | |
| 8 | Aston Villa |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 16 | |
| 9 | Atalanta |
8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 6 | +14 | 15 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) |
| 10 | Borussia Dortmund |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 15 | |
| 11 | Real Madrid |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 15[a] | |
| 12 | Bayern Munich |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 15[a] | |
| 13 | Milan |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 15 | |
| 14 |  PSV Eindhoven |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 14 | |
| 15 | Paris Saint-Germain |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 13 | |
| 16 |  Benfica |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 13 | |
| 17 | Monaco |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) |
| 18 | Brest |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 13 | |
| 19 | Feyenoord |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 13 | |
| 20 | Juventus |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 12 | |
| 21 |  Celtic |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 12 | |
| 22 | Manchester City |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 11 | |
| 23 | Sporting CP |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 11 | |
| 24 |  Club Brugge |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 11 | |
| 25 |  Dinamo Zagreb |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 19 | −7 | 11 | |
| 26 | VfB Stuttgart |
8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 10 | |
| 27 |  Shakhtar Donetsk |
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 7 | |
| 28 | Bologna |
8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 6 | |
| 29 |  Red Star Belgrade |
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 22 | −9 | 6 | |
| 30 |  Sturm Graz |
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 6 | |
| 31 |  Sparta Prague |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 4 | |
| 32 | RB Leipzig |
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 3 | |
| 33 | Girona |
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 3 | |
| 34 | Red Bull Salzburg |
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 27 | −22 | 3 | |
| 35 |  Slovan Bratislava |
8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 27 | −20 | 0 | |
| 36 |  Young Boys |
8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 24 | −21 | 0 |
- Tied on points (15), goal difference (+8), goals scored (20), away goals (6) and wins (5). Ranked on away wins: Real Madrid 2, Bayern Munich 1.
Results summary
Matches
The fixture list was announced on 31 August 2024, two days after the draw.[15][16][17] This was to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in Europa League and Conference League playing in the same cities.[9]
In principle, each team did not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and played one home match and one away match across both the first and last two matchdays. The matches were played on 17–19 September (exclusive week),[note 1] 1–2 October, 22–23 October, 5–6 November, 26–27 November, 10–11 December 2024, 21–22 January and 29 January 2025. All matches were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for the competition's exclusive week, which also included Thursday fixtures. The scheduled kick-off times were 18:45 (two matches on each day) and 21:00 (remaining matches) CET/CEST. The only exception was the final matchday, where all fixtures were played simultaneously at 21:00.[19][20]
Times are CET or CEST,[note 2] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Matchday 1
| Young Boys | 0–3 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[21] |
| Real Madrid | 3–1 | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report[29] |
|
| Sporting CP | 2–0 | Lille |
|---|---|---|
| Report[31] |
| Sparta Prague | 3–0 | Red Bull Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
| Report[33] |
| Bologna | 0–0 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[35] |
| Club Brugge | 0–3 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[39] |
| Manchester City | 0–0 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[41] |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1–0 | Girona |
|---|---|---|
| Report[43] |
| Feyenoord | 0–4 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[45] |
|
| Red Star Belgrade | 1–2 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[47] |
|
| Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[53] |
|
Matchday 2
| Red Bull Salzburg | 0–4 | Brest |
|---|---|---|
| Report[58] |
|
| VfB Stuttgart | 1–1 | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[60] |
|
| Arsenal | 2–0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
| Report[62] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1–0 | Milan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[64] |
| Barcelona | 5–0 | Young Boys |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[68] |
| Inter Milan | 4–0 | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[71] |
| PSV Eindhoven | 1–1 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[73] |
|
| Slovan Bratislava | 0–4 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[75] |
| Aston Villa | 1–0 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[83] |
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Bologna |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[87] |
| Lille | 1–0 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[89] |
| Sturm Graz | 0–1 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[93] |
|
| Benfica | 4–0 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[95] |
Matchday 3
| Arsenal | 1–0 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[101] |
| Aston Villa | 2–0 | Bologna |
|---|---|---|
| Report[103] |
| Girona | 2–0 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[105] |
| Juventus | 0–1 | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report[107] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1–1 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[109] |
|
| Real Madrid | 5–2 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[111] |
| Sturm Graz | 0–2 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[113] |
| Brest | 1–1 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[117] |
|
| Young Boys | 0–1 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[121] |
|
| Barcelona | 4–1 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[123] |
|
| Red Bull Salzburg | 0–2 | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
| Report[125] |
| Manchester City | 5–0 | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[127] |
| RB Leipzig | 0–1 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report[129] |
|
Matchday 4
| Slovan Bratislava | 1–4 | Dinamo Zagreb |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[135] |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1–0 | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[139] |
| Celtic | 3–1 | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[141] |
|
| Liverpool | 4–0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report[143] |
| Sporting CP | 4–1 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[149] |
|
| Club Brugge | 1–0 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report[151] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2–1 | Young Boys |
|---|---|---|
| Report[153] |
|
| Inter Milan | 1–0 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[157] |
| Feyenoord | 1–3 | Red Bull Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[159] |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–5 | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Report[161] |
|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1–2 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[163] |
| VfB Stuttgart | 0–2 | Atalanta |
|---|---|---|
| Report[165] |
| Bayern Munich | 1–0 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[168] |
Matchday 5
| Sparta Prague | 0–6 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[170] |
| Slovan Bratislava | 2–3 | Milan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[172] |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 5–0 | Red Bull Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
| Report[174] |
| Young Boys | 1–6 | Atalanta |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[176] |
|
| Bayern Munich | 1–0 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[180] |
| Inter Milan | 1–0 | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
| Report[182] |
| Manchester City | 3–3 | Feyenoord |
|---|---|---|
| Report[184] |
|
| Sporting CP | 1–5 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[186] |
| Red Star Belgrade | 5–1 | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
| Report[188] |
|
| Sturm Graz | 1–0 | Girona |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[190] |
| Aston Villa | 0–0 | Juventus |
|---|---|---|
| Report[194] |
| Celtic | 1–1 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[198] |
|
| Dinamo Zagreb | 0–3 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
| Report[200] |
|
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[202] |
| PSV Eindhoven | 3–2 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| Report[204] |
Matchday 6
| Dinamo Zagreb | 0–0 | Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| Report[208] |
| Atalanta | 2–3 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[210] |
|
| Bayer Leverkusen | 1–0 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[212] |
| Club Brugge | 2–1 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[214] |
|
| Red Bull Salzburg | 0–3 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
| Report[216] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 1–5 | Bayern Munich |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[218] |
| RB Leipzig | 2–3 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[220] |
| Brest | 1–0 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[222] |
| Atlético Madrid | 3–1 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[224] |
| Lille | 3–2 | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[226] |
|
| Feyenoord | 4–2 | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[234] |
| Juventus | 2–0 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[236] |
Matchday 7
| Monaco | 1–0 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[242] |
| Atalanta | 5–0 | Sturm Graz |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[244] |
| Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[246] |
|
| Bologna | 2–1 | Borussia Dortmund |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[248] |
| Club Brugge | 0–0 | Juventus |
|---|---|---|
| Report[250] |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–3 | PSV Eindhoven |
|---|---|---|
| Report[252] |
| Slovan Bratislava | 1–3 | VfB Stuttgart |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[256] |
| RB Leipzig | 2–1 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
| Report[262] |
|
| Sparta Prague | 0–1 | Inter Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Report[266] |
|
| Celtic | 1–0 | Young Boys |
|---|---|---|
| Report[270] |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 4–2 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report[274] |
| Real Madrid | 5–1 | Red Bull Salzburg |
|---|---|---|
| Report[276] |
|
Matchday 8
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2–0 | Sparta Prague |
|---|---|---|
| Report[280] |
| Borussia Dortmund | 3–1 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[282] |
|
| Young Boys | 0–1 | Red Star Belgrade |
|---|---|---|
| Report[284] |
|
| Bayern Munich | 3–1 | Slovan Bratislava |
|---|---|---|
| Report[288] |
|
| Inter Milan | 3–0 | Monaco |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[290] |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 1–4 | Atlético Madrid |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[292] |
| Manchester City | 3–1 | Club Brugge |
|---|---|---|
| Report[302] |
|
| Sturm Graz | 1–0 | RB Leipzig |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[306] |
| Sporting CP | 1–1 | Bologna |
|---|---|---|
|
Report[308] |
|
| Brest | 0–3 | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Report[310] |
|
| VfB Stuttgart | 1–4 | Paris Saint-Germain |
|---|---|---|
| Report[312] |
Notes
- Brest played their home matches at Stade de Roudourou, Guingamp, instead of their regular stadium, Stade Francis-Le Blé, Brest, which did not meet UEFA requirements.[56]
- Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[78] Therefore, Shakhtar Donetsk played their home matches at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen, Germany, instead of their regular stadium, Donbas Arena, Donetsk.[79]
- Sturm Graz played their home matches at Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, instead of their regular stadium, Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
