Champions League 2023-24: Schedule, Teams, & 2024-25 Format

2023-24 Champions League in Iceland, preliminary round decides first qualifying round teams.
Russian teams were banned due to the Ukraine invasion by Putin.
Group stage: 32 teams, top two advance to last 16, third-placed teams move to Europa League.

The 2023-24 Champions League is set to begin in Kopavogur, Iceland. Four teams will compete in the preliminary round, including Atletic d’Escaldes, Buducnost Podgorica, Tre Penne, and Breidablik. The winner will face Shamrock Rovers in the first qualifying round. Qualifying matches will continue in August, leading to the group stages in September.

78 teams from 53 countries will participate in the qualifying rounds or the group phase. However, Russian teams will not be present due to a UEFA ban from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Exciting UCL qualifying matchups for UK and Ireland teams! 🏆

Larne takes on HJK Helsinki 🇬🇧🆚🇫🇮
Shamrock Rovers awaits the preliminary round winners 🇮🇪⚽
The New Saints faces BK Hacken 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🆚🇸🇪
Rangers enters the fray in the third qualifying round 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚔️#UCL #Qualifiers
— David Mckanzie (@jonmurphi2) June 27, 2023

32 teams will compete in the group phase, divided into eight groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the last 16, while the third-placed teams will move to the Europa League. The draw for the group stage will take place on August 31st.

Spain has five teams participating, including Sevilla, the Europa League winner. Newcastle, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Manchester United will represent England.

Teams from the same country will not face each other in the qualifying rounds or the group phase.

Celtic will qualify automatically for the group stage, while Rangers will enter the third qualifying round. Union Berlin will make their Champions League debut after finishing fourth in the Bundesliga. The competition will progress through the last 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, all played over two legs.

Group Stage (26 teams, plus six qualifiers)

Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle
France: Lens, Paris St-Germain
Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin
Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, Napoli
Netherlands: Feyenoord
Portugal: Benfica, Porto
Scotland: Celtic
Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla (2022-23 Europa League winners)
Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

Dates of Matches

Preliminary round: Semi-finals on June 27, Final on June 30
First qualifying round: July 11-12 and 18-19
Second qualifying round: July 25-26 and August 1-2
Third qualifying round: August 8-9 and 15
Play-offs: August 22-23 and 29-30
Group stage matchday one: September 19-20
Matchday two: October 3-4
Matchday three: October 24-25
Matchday four: November 7-8
Matchday five: November 28-29
Matchday six: December 12-13
Last 16: February 13-14, 20-21 and March 5-6, 12-13
Quarter-finals: April 9-10 and 16-17
Semi-finals: April 30, May 1, 7-8
Final: June 1

In the 2024-25 season, the Champions League will significantly change its format, marking the last season of the existing structure. Here’s a summary of the upcoming alterations:

Expanded Participation: The number of teams in the competition will increase to 36, with four different places allocated to countries whose clubs have excelled in the previous campaign.
Revised Group Stage: Instead of 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, the new format will feature all 36 teams.
Single League Table: A single league table will rank all 36 teams based on their performance. .
Knockout Stage Qualification: The top eight teams in the league table will directly progress to the tournament’s knockout stages.