The summer of 2024 is action-packed in terms of football, with June and July serving up Euro 2024 from Germany and the Copa America from the other side of the Atlantic. It is a true football feast, an all-you-can-eat banquet of football offering dedicated fans four, five or even six games per day to gorge on. The finals of both take place on the same day, the 14th of July, so make sure you clear your calendar for that!
After the summer, we’ll be very much building towards the new domestic football season, with teams already playing pre-season friendlies and trying to hone their fitness. The Premier League begins on Friday the 16th of August, with Manchester United playing Fulham. Our focus in this article is European competition though, chiefly the 2024/25 Champions League, whilst we’ll also take a look at the Europa League.
The likes of Man City and Real Madrid will not be thinking about the UCL for many weeks yet. However, the qualifying rounds of the tournament actually begin whilst the Euros and Copa America are still taking place. The first qualifying round, which sees teams such as Northern Ireland’s Larne, Shamrock Rovers from the Republic and Wales’ The New Saints enter the fray, begins on the 9th of July.
In this article, we take a look at the English and Scottish sides that will feature, as well as other key contenders and sides of note. We will also detail the important dates and discuss – as briefly as we possibly can – the new format. In fact, given it is such a big change, the structure of the Champions League in 2024/25 is probably the best place to start!
Bye to Round Robin Groups, Hello to Swiss League
The fundamentals of the qualifying phase remain the same but rather than a 32-team group stage, we will have a league stage with 36 clubs. Just to be clear, UEFA have made this change to benefit the fans, small clubs and football in general, and this is nothing to do with making more money, cementing the status of the top sides and appeasing those who wanted a breakaway European Super League. Nope, nothing to do with that at all.
The new league is played in what is referred to as the Swiss Model, as opposed to the round robin group system that was used before. Previously every team in the group played each other (twice) but now there is just a single league of 36 clubs and, naturally, they do not all play against every other side.
Instead they play eight different clubs, four at home and four away, with one at home and one away from clubs in each of the four seeding pots. UEFA state that this means sides play a “wider range of opponents” and fans get to see “top teams go head to head more often”, whilst also delivering “more competitive matches for every club”.
The top eight in the final league standings progress to the last 16. Sides ranked ninth to 24th play each other in a two-legged play-off, whilst those finishing 25th to 36th are knocked out (and do not drop down into the Europa League). From the last 16 onwards we have, as normal, a straight knockout competition.
Who Are the Teams to Look Out For?
From an English perspective, all eyes will be on Manchester City (as they seek to regain the Champions League crown), as well as Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa. This will be a hugely exciting season for Villa fans as their club make their bow in the tournament. Celtic will also definitely feature in the league phase, whilst Rangers will have to qualify for that stage of the competition.
Bologna, Brest and Girona join Villa in making their UCL debuts in 2024/25. In terms of potential champions, Pot 1, effectively the top seeds for the league phase, includes Man City and Liverpool, defending champions Madrid, plus Bayern, PSG, Barca, Inter Milan and German dup Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. Man City and Real head the betting as far as the bookies are concerned, with Arsenal, in Pot 2, third favourites, which may surprise many.
Other strong teams in Pot 2 include Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus. As far as the oddsmakers are concerned it really is a two-horse race, and beyond Pep Guardiola’s men and the defending champions Real, the betting is wide open.
Key Dates and a Munich Final
The draw for the league phase takes place on the 29th of August and that is when all clubs will know which eight sides they are set to face. Games then take place between the 17th of September and the 29th of January 2025. The knockout round play-offs are scheduled for mid-February, with the Round of 16 in March, quarters at the start of April, and semis at the end of April.
The final, which will be held in Munich at the Allianz Arena, is set to be played on the 31st of May. Might home striker Harry Kane be there? We can’t wait to find out, and the inaugural edition of the new-format UCL promises to be a cracker.
What About the Europa League?
Yes, “what about it?” some might say. But football snobs aside, the Europa League also promises to be a brilliant competition this term. It is seeing the same changes as the Champions League, with a switch from 32 sides in eight groups of four to the same 36-team league format. Equally noteworthy is that because no sides drop down from the Champions League once the 36 teams are decided, we will know at that stage who the possible winners are.
English involvement comes courtesy of Man United and Spurs, who are sure to be among the favourites to go all the way. Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, Roma, Lazio and Porto are also among the teams who will hope to compete at the business end of things.
The draw for the league phase is on the 30th of August, with games generally taking place on Thursdays, running between the 25th of September and the 30th of January. The knockout phase runs from the 13th of February, through to semis on the 1st and 8th of May. The final, at Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium, will be played on the 21st of May. Bring it on!