All you need to know about Champions League - and how to watch on BBC

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Champions League: All you request to cognize astir the caller format

The Champions League gets nether mode connected Tuesday - and you volition beryllium capable to ticker highlights of each crippled connected the BBC.

From 22:00 BST connected the Wednesday of Champions League matchweeks, determination volition beryllium game-by-game highlights disposable connected BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app - positive a highlights amusement connected BBC One astatine 22:40.

With the archetypal acceptable of fixtures dispersed crossed 3 days alternatively of two, determination volition adjacent beryllium a bonus highlights amusement connected Thursday connected BBC Two astatine 23:05.

The caller amusement is hosted by Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan, with Jason Mohammad besides presenting during the archetypal week.

They are joined by a line-up of experts. Former Manchester City and Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, erstwhile Arsenal guardant Theo Walcott, ex-Aston Villa, Bayern Munich and Stuttgart midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger and erstwhile Manchester City skipper Steph Houghton are each connected punditry duties.

Alongside them are our analysts - Nedum Onuoha and Stephen Warnock - whose occupation it volition beryllium to spot the tactical trends and hidden moments from the week.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday BBC Radio 5 Live’s commentary and goals work volition support fans up to day via BBC Sounds and Champions League Final Score connected BBC iPlayer.

There volition besides beryllium clips online and connected societal media, arsenic good arsenic unrecorded substance commentary connected each nighttime of enactment connected the BBC Sport website.

And that's not the lone happening that's caller astir the Champions League successful 2024-25.

With a wholly antithetic format to get to grips with, including much teams and games than ever before, work connected to find retired everything you request to cognize astir this year's competition.

What is the caller Champions League format and however does it work?

From this season, a caller format volition beryllium successful play aft Uefa approved the changes successful May 2022.

It is the archetypal clip since 1992 that Europe's elite contention has seen specified a revamp.

In caller years, the radical signifier has been acceptable up with 32 teams successful 8 groups of 4 - with the apical 2 sides from those groups qualifying for the past 16.

However, from this play an expanded 36-team tourney sees each broadside play 8 games - 4 astatine location and 4 distant - successful a league phase, against 2 opponents from each of the 4 seeding pots.

Teams who decorativeness successful the apical 8 volition suffice automatically for the past 16, portion those who spot ninth to 24th volition vie successful a two-legged knockout play-off for the accidental to articulation them.

Whoever finishes 25th oregon little volition beryllium eliminated, and volition not beryllium entered into the Europa League.

What astir the knockout stages?

From the past 16 onwards, the Champions League volition proceed to travel its erstwhile format, with a bid of two-legged knockout games culminating successful the last connected Saturday, 31 May. As was the lawsuit past season, determination volition beryllium nary distant goals regularisation successful play.

This season, the last volition instrumentality spot astatine Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.

How galore British teams are successful the Champions League?

For Premier League clubs, the apical 4 from past play are competing successful the Champions League, with the fifth-placed squad successful the Europa League.

That means Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are successful the elite nine knockout contention successful 2024-25.

Fifth-placed Tottenham had to settee for the Europa League, on with FA Cup winners Manchester United. Chelsea are successful the Conference League.

From Scotland, Premiership champions Celtic are successful the Champions League, but Rangers were beaten by Dynamo Kyiv successful qualifying and person to settee for a spot successful the Europa League instead.

Who volition the British sides beryllium playing?

Aston Villa

  • Young Boys (A -17 September, 17:45)

  • Bayern Munich (H - 2 October, 20:00)

  • Bologna (H - 22 October, 20:00)

  • Club Brugge (A - 6 November, 17:45)

  • Juventus (H - 27 November, 20:00)

  • RB Leipzig (A - 10 December, 20:00)

  • Monaco (A - 21 January, 17:45)

  • Celtic (H - 29 January, 20:00)

Arsenal

  • Atalanta (A - 19 September, 20:00)

  • Paris St-Germain (H - 1 October, 20:00)

  • Shakhtar Donetsk (H - 22 October, 20:00)

  • Inter (A - 6 November, 20:00)

  • Sporting (A - 26 November, 20:00)

  • Monaco (H - 11 December, 20:00)

  • Dinamo Zagreb (H - 22 January, 20:00)

  • Girona (A - 29 January, 20:00)

Celtic

  • Slovan Bratislava (H - 18 September, 20:00)

  • Borussia Dortmund (A - 1 October, 20:00)

  • Atalanta (A - 23 October, 17:45)

  • RB Leipzig (H - 5 November, 20:00)

  • Club Brugge (H - 27 November, 20:00)

  • Dinamo Zagreb (A - 10 December, 17:45)

  • Young Boys (H - 22 January, 20:00)

  • Aston Villa (A - 29 January, 20:00)

Liverpool

  • AC Milan (A - 17 September, 20:00)

  • Bologna (H - 2 October, 20:00)

  • RB Leipzig (A - 23 October, 20:00)

  • Bayer Leverkusen (H - 5 November, 20:00)

  • Real Madrid (H - 27 November, 20:00)

  • Girona (A - 10 December, 17:45)

  • Lille (H - 21 January, 20:00)

  • PSV (A - 29 January, 20:00)

Manchester City

  • Inter Milan (H - 18 September, 20:00)

  • Slovan Bratislava (A - 1 October, 20:00)

  • Sparta Prague (H - 23 October, 20:00)

  • Sporting (A - 5 November, 20:00)

  • Feyenoord (H - 26 November, 20:00)

  • Juventus (A - 11 December, 20:00)

  • Paris St-Germain (A - 22 January, 20:00)

  • Club Brugge (H - 29 January, 20:00)

You tin spot the afloat database of games connected our Champions League scores and fixtures leafage here

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Manchester City were the past British broadside to triumph the Champions League, beating Inter Milan successful the last successful 2023

How galore much games volition beryllium played and erstwhile volition they beryllium played?

The fig of matches successful the caller format volition summation from 125 to 189.

Each squad volition play a minimum of 8 - alternatively of six - and a maximum of 17.

In modular weeks, Champions League matches volition inactive beryllium played connected Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In the Champions League exclusive weeks - erstwhile nary different European competitions are played - games volition beryllium played crossed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The league signifier volition present decorativeness astatine the extremity of January alternatively of during December.

What's the afloat database of teams playing successful the Champions League?

Germany (5): Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund

Italy (5): Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna

England (4): Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa

France (4): Paris St-Germain, Monaco, Brest, Lille

Spain (4): Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid

Austria (2): Sturm Graz, Salzburg

Netherlands (2): PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

Portugal (2): Sporting Lisbon, Benfica

Belgium (1): Club Bruges

Croatia (1): GNK Dinamo

Czech Republic (1): Sparta Prague

Scotland (1): Celtic

Serbia (1): Crvena Zvezda

Slovakia (1): Slovan Bratislava

Switzerland (1): Young Boys

Ukraine (1): Shakhtar Donetsk

How bash the coefficient places work?

Germany and Italy are the nations to person secured a 5th automatic spot successful this season's tournament.

The coefficient places, different known arsenic European show spots, spell to the associations who person the champion corporate show by their clubs successful the erstwhile season.

Italy person 5 representatives successful Europe's premier contention aft Atalanta won the Europa League.

The winners of some tournaments suffice automatically for the pursuing season's Champions League.

What are the rules connected squads for Uefa competitions?

Each nine competing successful immoderate Uefa contention indispensable taxable 2 lists of players.

On 'List A', clubs tin taxable a maximum of 25 players, with 8 places reserved exclusively for "locally-trained players", besides known arsenic homegrown players.

These 8 indispensable beryllium made up of astatine slightest 4 "club-trained" players and a maximum of 4 "association-trained" players.

According to Uefa regulations, players who conscionable the "club-trained" criteria indispensable person been connected the club's books, irrespective of the player's nationality and age, for astatine slightest 3 years betwixt the ages of 15 and 21.

An "association-trained" subordinate is idiosyncratic that has played successful the aforesaid state arsenic the nine they are presently astatine for 3 years, irrespective of the player's nationality, betwixt the ages of 15 to 21.

On List B, a nine tin registry an unlimited fig of players for the 2024-25 play arsenic agelong arsenic they are calved connected oregon aft 1 January 2003.

The List A squads for the 36 Champions League league signifier contenders were submitted connected Tuesday, 3 September, portion List B players indispensable beryllium submitted nary aboriginal than 23:00 BST the time earlier each match.

Uefa besides states that a subordinate who has played during immoderate of the qualifying rounds anterior to the radical signifier of the Champions League, Europa League oregon Conference League tin play successful those competitions for different nine from the league phase.

How has the Champions League format changed implicit the years?

Europe's astir notable shot contention began during the 1955-56 play arsenic lone a six-team invitational tournament, initially known arsenic the European Champion Clubs' Cup.

From 1967, the contention grew to 32 teams, was called the European Cup and featured 4 two-legged rounds anterior to a single-match last - this exemplary would past for much than 20 years.

The Champions League arsenic we cognize it began successful 1992.

A radical signifier was added with the past 16 entering a knockout phase.

There was a little spell with 2 radical stages, but this was reverted backmost to the azygous group-stage format for the 2003-04 tournament.

Are the Europa League and Europa Conference League changing too?

Yes. Both competitions spot akin changes to those of the Champions League this season.

The Europa League present follows the aforesaid format arsenic the Champions League.

Europe's third-tier competition, the Europa Conference League, has been rebranded arsenic the Uefa Conference League and teams play six matches against six antithetic opponents successful the league phase.

Both the Europa League and Conference League besides diagnostic 36 teams.

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