Since the 2024/25 season, the UEFA Champions League no longer uses eight groups of four. All 36 clubs play in one league table, each facing eight different opponents. Final positions decide who goes straight to the Round of 16, who enters a play-off, and who goes home.
This guide covers the draw, the qualification bands, the tiebreakers and the season calendar.
How the league phase draw works
Clubs are split into four pots of nine based on UEFA club coefficients, with the holders placed in Pot 1. Each team is drawn against two opponents from every pot — one at home, one away — giving four home and four away matches.
Teams cannot face a club from their own national association in the league phase, and can play at most two clubs from any single other country. Because nobody plays everyone, the strength of a club's eight opponents varies — which is why opponents' results are part of the tiebreakers.
Qualification places
League position also shapes the knockout bracket. Finishing 1st or 2nd means a path that avoids the other top-two clubs until the final, so even already-qualified teams have reasons to keep winning on the last matchday. Ties are two-legged until the single-match final, with extra time and penalties if level — there is no away goals rule.
Tiebreakers
When teams finish level on points, UEFA separates them in this order:
- 1Goal difference
- 2Goals scored
- 3Away goals scored
- 4Wins
- 5Away wins
- 6Points earned by league-phase opponents
- 7Goal difference of league-phase opponents
- 8Goals scored by league-phase opponents
- 9Disciplinary points (fewer is better)
- 10UEFA club coefficient
Unlike the old group stage, head-to-head results are not used — most level teams never play each other.
Season calendar
Why it makes matches more exciting
With 36 teams in one table, the gaps between 8th, 9th, 24th and 25th are often a single goal. On the final matchday all 18 games kick off at the same time, so positions change minute by minute. GoalBT's Excitement Index rates stakes as part of every pre-match score, which is why late league-phase games often rate highly.
Follow the live table, fixtures and results on the Champions League page.
Frequently asked questions
How many teams are in the Champions League now?
36 teams play in a single league table, up from 32 teams in eight groups of four under the old format.
How many games does each team play in the league phase?
Eight: four at home and four away, against eight different opponents — two drawn from each of the four seeding pots.
Which teams qualify for the Round of 16?
The top eight in the league table go straight through. Teams ranked 9th to 24th play a two-legged knockout play-off for the remaining eight places.
Do teams that finish 25th–36th go into the Europa League?
No. Under the new format there is no transfer to the Europa League; teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition.
Is the away goals rule used in the Champions League?
Not in knockout ties — away goals were abolished in 2021. In the league phase, total away goals scored is only used as a tiebreaker for teams level on points.
Why did UEFA change the format?
To create more high-profile matches between top clubs and to keep more games meaningful until the final matchday, since almost every point can move a team between qualification bands.