The Champions League will undergo major changes in the 2024/25 season as it transitions from its recognisable current format. The group stage is now a thing of the past with the number of teams increasing from 32 to 36. All teams are placed in a joint league under the new format in the League Phase. The competition will be played in a Swiss Model where each team plays eight games against different opponents home and away. The top eight teams will qualify directly to the last 16, the stage from which the competition will follow the existing format, while teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will enter a double-legged playoff stage.
The slot allocations in the Champions League will also change with additional ones determined by the UEFA coefficient rankings. The Champions League and Europa League winners of the 2023/24 season, Real Madrid and Atalanta, have directly qualified for the League Phase. They have also secured the Champions League place domestically so their qualification was guaranteed. Joining them directly are 29 more teams while the remaining slots are filled up by sides coming through the playoffs. The two associations with the highest coefficients from the previous season will receive an extra Champions League berth to fill the remaining spots.
Here are all the teams qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League Phase
Spain
Spain will have their standard four-team slot in the 2024-25 Champions League. Despite Real Madrid winning the competition, it did not hand them an additional berth.
Real Madrid
The record competition winners and holders, Real Madrid clinched a 15th Champions League honour last season by defeating Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley. Los Blancos also secured the La Liga title in a dominating way, losing just one game all season and lifting the Spanish Super Cup too, completing an incredible treble. The team also has the highest participation in the competition with the upcoming edition being their 42nd.
Barcelona
The Catalan giants finished second in La Liga last season thus sealing a direct spot in the League Phase of the 2024-25 Champions League campaign. Barcelona had a season to forget going trophyless including finishing 10 points behind winners Real Madrid in La Liga and being eliminated from the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League. The team hopes to change their fortunes in the new season under new manager Hansi Flick.
Girona
One of the surprise additions to the Champions League, Girona went through a sensational campaign by finishing third in La Liga beating all odds and sealing a place in Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in their history. The team is a part of the City Football Group so with sister club Manchester City participating in the same competition, they had to make structural changes to satisfy UEFA as two clubs with the same ownership cannot compete in the same tournament.
Atletico Madrid
The fourth and final Spanish team to play the 2024-25 Champions League is Atletico Madrid after they grabbed the final qualification spot in their domestic league. Diego Simeone’s side had a disappointing campaign so to speak, losing joint-most matches with 10 among the top-six teams in La Liga table last season. Los Colchoneros could only manage a quarterfinal finish beaten by eventual finalists Dortmund. However, Atletico are optimistic about the new season with some star signings in the summer window.
Germany
Germany will have an additional team in the new Champions League format due to their club’s performance in continental competitions last season thereby boosting coefficient ranking. Bayer Leverkusen's run to the Europa League final and Dortmund's ending as finalists in the Champions League helped in this case.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen scripted a fairytale season by winning their first Bundesliga title in history and becoming the first side to do so without losing a game. Ex-Bayern Munich player turned coach Xabi Alonso broke their decade-long dominance in the league to create a new dawn of champions. Their season also saw them crown DFB Pokal champions and make a sensational run to the Europa League final. Leverkusen will play the Champions League again after a season absence.
VFB Stuttgart
Making another story of wonders, VFB Stuttgart stunned everyone by finishing second in the Bundesliga last season. It was their best campaign ever in the top flight accumulating a club-high 23 victories, the same as Bayern Munich and more than the other Champions League entrants RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund. As a case, Die Roten will be playing Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since the 2007–08 season.
Bayern Munich
A season to forget for Bayern Munich who not only lost their autonomy on the Bundesliga title but finished third in the league after 2010-11. The Bavarians reached the semi-final of the Champions League last season and looked to be on the course of the final until eventual winners Real Madrid stunned them late to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory. By appointing a new manager in Vincent Kompany and making some key additions to the squad, Bayern hopes to change this around this term.
RB Leipzig
Leipzig will be making their seventh appearance in the Champions League and third straight time after finishing fourth in the German top division league. The team has been a mainstay in the competition for some time and will wish to have a memorable campaign after narrowly beaten by Real Madrid in the last-16 stage last time. Marco Rose’s side have to do it without their star player Dani Olmo after he signed for Barcelona this summer.
Borussia Dortmund
Beating all odds, Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the Champions League two months ago but missed out on the title to Real Madrid despite putting in a stellar performance. Their Bundesliga season did not reflect their excellent campaign continentally as they finished fifth on the table. However, the Black and Yellow reaching the showpiece after 2013 allowed them to secure a spot in the Champions League this season with Germany earning more than four registered slots for their performance.
Italy
Like Germany, Italy too received a fifth slot for the Champions League next season following Atalanta’s Europa League triumph. Hence, both nations will have five teams each in the event starting from September 2024.
Atalanta
Atalanta experienced the best campaign in their club history, securing their first-ever European title and the first trophy since 1963 with the Europa League triumph. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team's 3-0 victory in the final was even more remarkable as they were the first team to defeat Xabi Alonso’s unbeatable Bayer Leverkusen in any competition last season. La Dae returns to the Champions League, having also secured their place domestically, after two seasons with this being their fourth participation in the competition.
Inter Milan
Inter clinched their 20th Serie A title in style, finishing a whopping 19 points ahead of their rivals AC Milan at the top and losing just twice in the entire league season. As a result, the Nerazzuri have secured Champions League qualification for the 25th time. Simone Inzaghi’s team reached the final in 2023 but only reached the last-16 stage last season. Inter hopes to improve on the continental stage with the competition going through a major change in its format.
AC Milan
Although AC Milan got no chance in the Serie A title chase, the Rossoneri will secure a berth in the top tier of European football for the fourth consecutive time. The Italian giants failed to make it out of the group stage in the Champions League but finishing third in their group allowed them to enter the Europa League where they made the run to the quarterfinals. Milan would like to make an impact in the new season, beginning a new era with Paulo Fonseca taking the managerial role.
Juventus
After a season's absence, Juventus will play Champions League football again after finishing third in their league. The Old Lady of Turin also secured the Coppa Italia title by beating Europa League winners Atalanta in the final. It was a welcoming campaign for the side that got eliminated from the group stages of the 2022-23 Champions League season and was not made to play the Conference League last season due to a violation of UEFA's financial regulations.
Bologna
Scripting a remarkable story, Bologna will be playing Champions League football for the first time in history after Italy secured a fifth berth in the new format due to scoring a higher coefficient ranking. It will be Rossoblu’s first continental competition in any capacity since 1965, a remarkable success managed by ex-national team player Thiago Motta. The team wishes to produce more fairytales on the European front now.
France
France has three direct entry slots for the 2024-25 Champions League. Lille are also making their place in the group stage coming through the playoffs. Hence, France will have four representatives in the competition for the new season.
Paris Saint-Germain
With little surprise, PSG made it to the Champions League again after securing a record-extending 12th Ligue 1 title. However, the team failed to win Europe’s premier club competition again after being eliminated from the semi-final stage by eventual runners-up Dortmund. The Parisians also lost their star man Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid leaving the team to find a new hero. The upcoming season looks to be more challenging for the French side.
AS Monaco
For the first time since 2018-19, Monaco qualified for the main tournament of the Champions League after finishing second in Ligue 1. The Principality club were the second-best team in the division last season regarding points, wins and goals scored. This was the second-best achievement by the side managed by Adi Hütter since winning the league in the 2016-17 season.
Stade Brest
Joining them will be Stade Brest who created a perfect underdog story by finishing third in the league and grabbing the final spot for direct Champions League qualification ahead of Nice, Lyon or Marseille. The Pirates will experience European competition for the first time in the club's history and are among the five teams making their debut in the Champions League.
Lille
Lille took the qualifier spot of the Champions League by ending in fourth place in Ligue 1 last season. The 2020-21 league winners began in the third qualifying round beating Fenerbahce and then Slavia Prague in the playoff round, both 3-2 on aggregate, to make it into the main tournament. The Mastiffs will appear in the group stages for the 10th time returning after three years.
England
England has no additional slots for the 2024-25 Champions League so they will maintain their standard four-team direct qualification.
Manchester City
Manchester City created an unprecedented record in the Premier League by winning the title for the fourth consecutive time. It was also their sixth title in the last seven years. They clinched the trophy on the final day of the season ahead of close chasers Arsenal once again. However, Pep Guardiola’s team lost their Champions League defence to eventual winners Real Madrid in the quarterfinal stage last season although the 2023 winners will be optimistic to fight for the top honour in the new format.
Arsenal
Despite coming close again, Arsenal failed to seize the Premier League title despite taking the same number of wins as champions Manchester City. The Gunners also drew fewer games but suffering two more defeats left them two points behind the top place. Mikel Arteta’s side returned to the Champions League after six years last season and reached the quarter final stage. Arsenal are making a consecutive appearance in the competition hoping for an impactful campaign this time.
Liverpool
In the last season under legendary manager Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were strongly in the title chase but fell off towards the latter stage of the league. Eventually, the Reds finished third nine points off the top but returned to the Champions League after a season's absence. The German bowed out with a Carabao Cup title to cheer about while their Europa League campaign ended in the quarterfinals. With a new manager Arne Slot on the hot seat, Liverpool are looking at a new era of excitement.
Aston Villa
The surprise representative from England is Aston Villa going through a complete transformation under record Europa League-winning coach Unai Emery. The Spaniard guided the club to a top-four finish in the Premier League ahead of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs. Villa will enjoy Champions League football for the first time after the 1982-83 season when it was known as the European Cup. The team already tasted European football last season, a first in a decade.
Netherlands
The Netherlands received two direct slots in the Champions League League Phase.
PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven won the Eredivisie after five years and it was a season to remember for many reasons. The now 25th-time top-flight winner suffered just one loss in the entire season and scored over 110 goals while conceding just 21. Managed by Peter Bosz, the team also reached the last-16 stage of the Champions League last season. They hope for a successful campaign as they make their 28th appearance in the competition and consecutive fashion since 2018-19.
Feyenoord
Last year’s champions Feyenoord failed to make it out of the Champions League group stage last season and were also knocked out by AS Roma in the knockout playoff stage in the Europa League after they parachuted down to that tournament. The side also lost their domestic league defence and are left with grounds to cover having lost their star manager Arne Slot to Liverpool. Feyenoord will be playing Europe’s Premier club competition consecutively for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Portugal
Portugal carries one direct slot for the League Phase of the 2024-25 Champions League. However, they received a second berth following Europa League holders Atalanta also securing qualification to the competition domestically.
Sporting CP
Sporting CP secured their 20th Primera Liga title in style by finishing 10 points ahead at the top of the table from their closest rivals Benfica and losing just two games. It was Ruben Amorim again behind their starring success and he led the club to a 22nd Champions League appearance, the first since the 2022–23 season.
Benfica
Benfica would have entered the qualifying stage of the competition by finishing second in the Portuguese league last season. Instead, the Eagles will make a place directly in the League Phase following Atalanta securing a Champions League berth domestically in addition to winning the Europa League. Being a club with the highest coefficient ranking, Benfica got the advantage.
Others Direct Qualifiers
Celtic (Scotland)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Sturm Graz (Austria)
Other Entrants from Playoffs
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)
RB Salzburg (Austria)
BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)
Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
