The first matchday of the Champions League will take place between September 17 and 19, 2024.
The draw for the League Phase of the Champions League, UEFA’s top club competition, has been held, marking a significant change in format for the 2024-25 season. In this new campaign, the Group Stage will be replaced by the League Phase, which is the most important alteration to this prestigious European competition.
In the League Phase, teams will play eight matches—moving away from the previous format of playing two matches against three opponents (home and away). Instead, clubs will now face eight different teams, with half of these matches played at home and the other half away. Initially, teams will be divided into four pots, and then each club will play against two opponents from each pot, facing one at home and one away.
The inaugural League Phase matches are highly anticipated, with fans looking forward to thrilling encounters. For instance, Real Madrid, the defending champions and the most successful club in the tournament’s history, will face AC Milan, a historic Italian club that has played a significant role in the career of Carlo Ancelotti, Madrid’s current manager. Additionally, the ‘Kings of Europe’ will visit Anfield to take on Liverpool, a team they have faced multiple times in battles for the prestigious trophy. Furthermore, Madrid will also confront Lille, the club that recently signed Ethan Mbappé, Kylian Mbappé’s brother.
Manchester City, managed by Pep Guardiola, faces a challenging schedule as they will take on Inter, PSG, Juventus, and Mexico’s Santiago Giménez’s Feyenoord.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will host Bayern Munich, the former team of Hansi Flick, now the head coach of the Catalan side. Although Barcelona appears to have an “accessible” League Phase, they will also have a crucial matchup against Atalanta, who were crowned 2023-24 Europa League champions.
On another note, the reigning French champions PSG will have a tough start to their campaign, with matches scheduled against Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, and Arsenal.
The full schedule for the League Phase will be released on August 31, 2024, but here are some key matches not to be missed in the first round of the Champions League:
– Liverpool vs. Real Madrid
– Real Madrid vs. AC Milan
– Manchester City vs. Inter
– PSG vs. Manchester City
– Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich
– PSG vs. PSV
– Manchester City vs. Feyenoord
– Bayern Munich vs. PSG
– Bayer Leverkusen vs. Inter
– Juventus vs. PSV
– Atalanta vs. Real Madrid
– Arsenal vs. PSG
– Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona
– Bayern Munich vs. Aston Villa
– Girona vs. Arsenal
– PSV vs. Liverpool
– Lille vs. Real Madrid
– Juventus vs. Manchester City
– Bayer Leverkusen vs. Feyenoord
– Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich
– PSG vs. Atlético Madrid