New details of the Champions League “league phase” draw have been confirmed, with Arsenal to learn their draw later this month.
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 23, 2024. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
The Athletic report that the new Champions League draw will involve a manual draw for each of the 36 teams using physical balls, but each team’s league phase opponents will then be automatically assigned by computer software.
So when Arsenal are drawn, a button will be pressed and the Gunners’ eight opponents will be randomly allocated from the remaining available options at that stage.
The fixture list with match dates and times will then be announced on August 31st, two days after the draw.
The reason for the use of an automatic draw is that the new format would require around 1,000 balls if completed manually.
What is the new Champions League format?
The UEFA Champions League trophy during the draw for the UEFA Champions League 2023-2024 at The Grimaldi Forum in the Principality of Monaco. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
The new competition will begin with a “league stage”, with all 36 clubs ranked against each other in one big league table. The table will be determined by points, three points for a win and one for a draw.
Each club will play eight matches in the league stage, with four at home, and four away. But the matches will be against eight different teams, you’ll only play each opponent once.
After that, the competition will move to the knockout stages.
The teams finishing in the top eight in the league stage will progress directly to the round-of-16, whilst teams nine to 24 will enter a two-legged play-off round to try and join the top eight.
Teams finishing 25th or below in the league stage will be eliminated, and they won’t drop into the Europa League. The losers of the play-off round will also not drop into the Europa League.
From the round-of-16 onwards, the competition will play out as it normally does, with two-legged knockout ties until the single-leg final.
The knockout stages will be partially seeded, with your league finish giving you an easier path against worse opponents if you finished higher in the league table. But there will still be a seeded draw to determine your exact opponents.
Who could Arsenal face in the league stage?
2024/25 Champions League projected pots via @FootRankings on Twitter
The 36 teams will be split into four pots, based on their individual club coefficients determined by their European performances over the last five seasons.
Each team will then face two teams from Pot 1, two teams from Pot 2, two teams from Pot 3, and two teams from Pot 4. You’ll face two teams from your own pot regardless of which one it is, so there’s little benefit to being in a higher pot.
Arsenal will definitely be in Pot 2, and there have been some early projections at the full list (as shown above). But these are only predictions, with some qualifiers still to be played.
Are there any country restrictions?
Unlike in previous seasons, Arsenal could face another English team in the league stage.
Teams from the same association will mostly be kept apart, but associations with four or more teams in the competition (like the Premier League) could play one match against another team from the same country.
When will the matches be played?
Arsenal team photo during the UEFA Champions League quarter final first-leg football match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich at the Arsenal Stadium, in north London, on April 9, 2024. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)
League Stage
Arsenal will play one match on each of the eight league stage matchdays, listed below.
- Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
- Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
- Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
- Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
- Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
- Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
- Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
- Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
Knockout Stage
If Arsenal finish 1st-8th in the league stage, they’ll then jump to the round-of-16. If they finish 9th-24th, they’ll play in the knockout round play-offs, giving the team an extra two games in February.
If they finish 25th-36th, their participation in European competition will end on January 29th.
- Knockout round play-offs: 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025
- Round-of-16: 4/5 & 11/12 March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April 2025
- Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2025
- Final: 31 May 2025
When are the draws?
English former football player Joe Cole shows the paper slip of Arsenal FC during the draw for the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League football tournament at The Grimaldi Forum in the Principality of Monaco, on August 31, 2023. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
The draw for the league stage will be held on August 29th, 2024.
The knockout round draw will be on January 31st, 2025. The draw for the remaining rounds will be held on February 21st, 2025.
