Why Teams Won’t Play Home and Away in the Champions League

The format for the UEFA Champions League will change significantly this year, with 32 teams expanded to 36 and the number of games going from 125 to 189. This is the first time there have been major changes to Europe’s primary competition since 2004.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will be looking to retain the title and secure a record-extending 16th Champions League title. The addition of French forward Kylian Mbappe will help boost their chances as they begin their campaign at home to Stuttgart on 17th September at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid will not travel to play Stuttgart away from home, though, as one of the most notable changes to this year’s format is that, in the initial ‘League Phase’, teams will not play the same team home and away. Here is an in-depth look at the new format, with the beginning of the competition around the corner.

Why Teams Will Not Play The Same Team Home and Away

The draw for this year’s ‘League Phase’ in the 2024/25 Champions League took place on Thursday, 29th August. Every team was given eight opponents assigned by a computer (four home and four away), with two opponents drawn from each of the four pots. Clubs will accumulate points in the ‘League Phase’ and be placed in one big table with the other participating sides. At the end of this competition phase, the top eight will go straight to the Round of 16, while clubs placed between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round to try and qualify for the next stage. Teams ranked 25 to 36 will be eliminated from the Champions League and the other continental competitions.

A major change from previous years is that every club will have eight different opponents instead of playing three opponents home and away, which was the format used last season. One of the fundamental reasons for this alteration of the competition is that there will be more high-profile matches earlier in the competition. Real Madrid travel to Anfield in November, and Arsenal host PSG in October, which is evidence of this. When they announced the new format for the Champions League in 2024, UEFA said:

Other Changes

Another one of the major changes for the 2024/25 Champions League is that some games will take place on Thursdays. This is usually a dedicated slot for the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, but that will change this year. An exclusive week for matches in only one of Europe’s club competitions will be given to all three across various parts of the season. The Champions League’s exclusive week will be on the first matchday, with Arsenal travelling to Atalanta on Thursday, 19th September. Meanwhile, only Europa League matches will take place on the 25th and 26th September, while teams in the Conference League will have to wait until 19th December.

Another significant change is that on gameweek eight, all 18 matches will be played simultaneously. These matches will take place on Wednesday, 29th January 2025, and kick-off at 8pm (BST). Playing at the same time will ensure that no team gains an unfair advantage by starting their game later and knowing what they need to do to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Information gathered from Transfermarkt and UEFA.com.