REVEALED: Reason why some Champions League games will be played on Thursdays

The 2024/25 season will see substantial changes to UEFA’s three primary club competitions. The number of contests will increase from 125 to 189 as the Champions League expands from 32 to 36 teams. Teams will compete in eight group stage matches and be assigned to the same table. The competition’s scheduling has been altered in addition to the format.

UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League matches are typically scheduled for Thursdays, which is why certain games in the Champions League next year will be played on Thursdays. For the first time in the tournament’s history, the Champions League group stage will extend beyond Christmas, with the final two rounds of games scheduled for January. The following information provides a comprehensive overview of the format for the upcoming season and the reason why Thursday is no longer exclusively reserved for Europa League and Europa Conference League matches.

In the forthcoming season, 36 teams will be grouped together, and each club will be required to play eight opponents, four of whom will be at home and four of whom will be away. The matches will be determined by four seeding pools, with each team facing two opponents from each of the four pots. The top eight teams will advance to the Round of 16, while the teams ranked from 9th to 24th will compete in two-legged play-off matches to determine the final eight places in the competition’s subsequent stage. The remaining teams that finish in the 24th to 36th positions will be eliminated from the competition and will not be eligible for the Europa League or Europa Conference League.

Aleksandr Ceferin, the President of UEFA, stated that the new format enhances the “competitive balance” of clubs throughout the continent. He stated:

“We are certain that the format selected will achieve the appropriate balance, thereby enhancing the competitive balance and generating substantial revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues, and grassroots football across our continent, all while increasing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions.”

The decision to increase the number of teams is primarily motivated by financial considerations. The current Champions League format generates an estimated €3.5 billion (£2.9 billion) annually for UEFA. However, the figure is expected to rise to approximately €4.5 billion (£3.8 billion) with the addition of four teams and additional matches. The number of teams will be increased to 36 under the ‘Swiss model’, which will be implemented in both the Europa League and the Europa Conference League. However, the Europa Conference League will only feature six group stage matches, as opposed to the Europa League’s eight.

Champions League matches are played on Thursdays.

An exclusive matchweek will be designated for each UEFA club competition, during which only one match will be played. Matches will be contested on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the Champions League’s exclusive week. The Europa League exclusive week will feature games on Wednesday and Thursday, while the Europa Conference League will feature every game on Thursday.

The Champions League commences on Tuesday, September 17th, and this week is the competition’s exclusive period. The matches will be contested on Wednesday, September 18th, and Thursday, September 19th, as a result. This week, there will be no Europa League or Europa Conference League matches, as Champions League fixtures will take centre stage across the continent in mid-September. The Europa League’s exclusive week will occur on Wednesday, September 25th, and Thursday, September 26th. On December 19th, only Europa Conference League games will be contested.

Dates of the Champions League Competition

Next season, the length of time that supporters will be required to wait for Champions League matches is 20 days. The final group stage match and the initial elimination round are separated by a mere 13 days. The sixth and final group games were played on December 12th and 13th in the previous year’s format. The initial Round of 16 first legs were contested two months later, a circumstance that will not occur in the upcoming season’s competition due to the scheduling.

The 2024/25 Champions League final will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31st. The final game of the competition will be played at Bayern Munich’s home stadium for the second time, with the most recent instance occurring in 2012. In 2012, Chelsea achieved their inaugural Champions League victory by defeating Bayern Munich on penalties. Real Madrid will be optimistic about their chances of securing a spot in the final at Munich, with the goal of securing a record-extending 16th title. In the final of the previous season, they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, with goals from Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal.

Details of the Champions League Draw

The draw for the division phase of the Champions division for the upcoming season will occur on August 29th. Thirty-six teams will be divided into four pools of nine. Real Madrid and the eight other clubs with the highest coefficients will comprise Pot 1. The coefficients of the other clubs are also used to organise the other categories. Each team will be drawn against two clubs from each pot, resulting in a total of eight games: four at home and four abroad, as previously mentioned.

Clubs from the same country were prohibited from being selected against each other in the group stage of the Champions League in its previous format. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that teams from the same association could compete in a league-phase match if the competition includes four or more clubs. This is applicable to the English, Spanish, German, and Italian leagues, all of which have a minimum of four competing organisations in the forthcoming competition. This encompasses Aston Villa, the 1982 European Cup champions, who last participated in the competition during the 1982/83 season.