The 70th season of the UEFA Champions League kicks off today with the first of eight matchdays in an exciting new format. This prestigious Europe-wide club football tournament features 36 elite teams competing against one another, offering fans increased chances to watch their favorite clubs face off against top contenders.
Defending champions Real Madrid return, joined by 2023-24 runners-up Borussia Dortmund and 2022-23 winners Manchester City.
Fans can catch all the action from Matchday 1, which includes a detailed schedule outlining how the new tournament structure will operate.
To watch and stream UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 for free, Paramount+ is the primary streaming platform in the United States, providing coverage of every match. An effective way to access Paramount+ is through the Prime Video Channels add-on, accessible to all Amazon Prime subscribers.
Prime Video Channels allows Prime members to add streaming services to their existing subscription, consolidating multiple platforms into a single app. The cost remains equal to a direct subscription at $7.99 per month with ads, or $12.99 without ads, plus a seven-day free trial. New users can also take advantage of a 30-day free trial for Amazon Prime.
UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 features six matches each day, with two starting at 12:45 p.m. ET and four at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Matchday schedule includes:
Tuesday, September 17:
– Juventus vs. PSV, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Young Boys vs. Aston Villa, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Bayern München vs. GNK Dinamo, 3:00 p.m. ET
– AC Milan vs. Liverpool, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Real Madrid vs. Stuttgart, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Sporting CP vs. Lille, 3:00 p.m. ET
Wednesday, September 18:
– Bologna vs. Shakhtar, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Sparta Praha vs. Salzburg, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Club Brugge vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Celtic vs. ŠK Slovan Bratislava, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Man City vs. Inter Milan, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Paris vs. Girona, 3:00 p.m. ET
Thursday, September 19:
– Crvena Zvezda vs. Benfica, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Feyenoord vs. Leverkusen, 12:45 p.m. ET
– Atalanta vs. Arsenal, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Atleta vs. Leipzig, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Monaco vs. Barcelona, 3:00 p.m. ET
– Brest vs. Sturm Graz, 3:00 p.m. ET
The Champions League will debut a “Swiss” system in the 2024-25 season, transitioning from the traditional group stage format. Instead of the previous 32 teams divided into eight groups, all 36 teams will compete in a league phase where each team plays eight different opponents, half at home and half away.
The scoring system remains unchanged, with three points awarded for a win and one point for a draw. This new format aims to enhance the competitiveness among clubs and provide fans with more opportunities to watch premier teams compete.
Following the league phase, the top eight clubs will automatically qualify for the Round of 16, while teams finishing between 9th and 24th will enter a playoff to secure their advancement.
Matchday 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, and Wednesday, October 2.
Qualified clubs for the 2024 UEFA Champions League include:
– Arsenal
– Aston Villa
– Atalanta
– Atlético Madrid
– Borussia Dortmund
– Barcelona
– Bayern München
– Benfica
– Bologna
– Brest
– Celtic
– Club Brugge
– Crvena Zvezda
– Feyenoord
– Girona
– GNK Dinamo
– Inter Milan
– Juventus
– Leipzig
– Leverkusen
– Lille
– Liverpool
– Manchester City
– AC Milan
– Monaco
– Paris Saint-Germain
– PSV Eindhoven
– Real Madrid
– Slovan Bratislava
– Salzburg
– Shakhtar Donetsk
– Sparta Praha
– Sporting CP
– Sturm Graz
– Stuttgart
– Young Boys