The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League draw has set the stage for an exciting and competitive tournament, especially with the newly introduced league format.
Real Madrid, the reigning champions, have been drawn into a challenging schedule that includes familiar rivals Liverpool, as well as Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, and Brest.
This season marks a significant shift in the tournament’s structure, with UEFA expanding the league phase to include 36 clubs, four more than in previous years.
Instead of the traditional group stage, each team will now play eight matches against eight different opponents, moving away from the former format where clubs faced three teams over six games.
Real Madrid, as the defending champions, were placed in Pot 1, alongside other top-seeded teams.
Their matchups promise to be thrilling, with the draw reigniting their rivalry with Liverpool and setting up a replay of last season’s final against Borussia Dortmund.
The same league format will be adopted in the Europa League, while the Conference League will see each club face six different teams drawn from six distinct pots.
This new structure is designed to heighten the excitement of European football’s premier competitions.
