The UEFA Champions League schedule for the 2024-25 competition phase has now been finalized and supporters can start booking matches and booking travel and tickets to see their favorite club in action. The new UCL draw has brought in a lot of fans, but there’s no arguing with the exciting nature of some of these early matches.
With big opening round matches that would have been highlights of the group stages of the past, there are only a few weeks left before these busy schedules get underway. However, before we get into the weeds about the early matches, there are a few obvious things to note about the structure of the brand new competition stage.
Don’t miss any Champions League action. As always, you can view all of our coverage Biggest+, CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network all season.
Let’s get into it.
New format changes
- The UCL competition phase now lasts longer than the group phase and therefore runs until the end of January 2025.
- The opening round of the UCL competition phase matches will be spread over Tuesday, Wednesday and now also Thursday.
- The final round of the UCL league stage matches will be played at exactly the same time in the final round of matches on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 3:00 PM ET.
Notable early matches in the UCL competition phase
Play day 1: Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven, Milan vs. Liverpool and Manchester City vs. Inter. A The mouth-watering feast of opening matches is headlined by the historic 2005 Champions League final between Milan and Liverpool, which wrote Istanbul into football history after a 3-3 draw was won 3-2 on penalties by the Reds. As if that wasn’t enough, Italian giants Juventus face Dutch side PSV, while Serie A title holders Inter take on English champions Manchester City.
Play day 2: Arsenal vs. Paris Saint Germain, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Milan and Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich. All eyes will be on Arsenal as they host Paris Saint-Germain, a meeting between two trophyless clubs in this competition, while Bayer Leverkusen against Milan is steeped in continental tradition. But Aston Villa welcomes Bayern Munich and top European football back to Villa Park and is essentially a rematch of the 1982 final, in which the Villans put Birmingham on the European football map with one of seven shared titles between the two.
Play day 3: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool. Another round of matches, another former final – this time a reunion between last year’s two finalists as Real Madrid welcomed Borussia Dortmund to the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona at home against Bayern is another big match, as are RB Leipzig hosting Liverpool, but Los Blancos against the Germans should prove to be another fascinating encounter, with Kylian Mbappe now added to the mix.
Play day 4: Liverpool vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid vs. Milan and Inter vs. Arsenal. The undisputed star attraction of the fourth round will be Xabi Alonso’s return to Anfield with Leverkusen to take on former club Liverpool in what could ultimately be an audition for the top job as Reds boss. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, Real at home to Milan is titanic in every way at this level, while Arsenal’s visit of Inter is a match we haven’t seen enough of in recent years. Once this round is in the books, the competition phase will be halfway through the first series and the matches to keep an eye on on matchdays 5-8 will be clearer.
Here is the full schedule
Always Oriental
Play day 1
Tuesday September 17
12:45 pm
BSC Young Boys vs Aston Villa FC
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven
3:00 PM
AC Milan vs Liverpool FC
FC Bayern Munich vs GNK Dinamo
Real Madrid CF vs VfB Stuttgart
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. LOSC Lille
Wednesday September 18th
12:45 pm
AC Sparta Prague vs. FC Salzburg
Bologna FC 1909 vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk
3:00 PM
Celtic FC vs SK Slovan Bratislava
Club Brugge KV vs. Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City vs FC Internazionale Milan
Paris Saint Germain vs Girona FC
Thursday September 19th
12:45 pm
Feyenoord vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
FK Crvena Zvezda vs SL Benfica
3:00 PM
AS Monaco vs FC Barcelona
Atalanta BC vs Arsenal FC
Atlético de Madrid vs. RB Leipzig
Stade Brestois 29 vs. SK Sturm Graz
Play day 2
Tuesday October 1
12:45 pm
FC Salzburg vs. Stade Brestois 29
VfB Stuttgart vs. AC Sparta Prague
3:00 PM
Arsenal FC vs Paris Saint Germain
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. AC Milan
Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic FC
FC Barcelona vs BSC Young Boys
FC Internazionale Milano vs FK Crvena Zvezda
PSV Eindhoven vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
SK Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City
Wednesday October 2
12:45 pm
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta BC
Girona FC vs Feyenoord
3:00 PM
Aston Villa FC vs FC Bayern Munich
GNK Dinamo vs AS Monaco
Liverpool FC vs Bologna FC 1909
LOSC Lille vs Real Madrid CF
RB Leipzig vs Juventus
SK Sturm Graz vs. Club Brugge KV
SL Benfica vs Atlético de Madrid
Play day 3
Tuesday October 22
12:45 pm
AC Milan vs. Club Brugge KV
AS Monaco vs FK Crvena Zvezda
3:00 PM
Arsenal FC vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Aston Villa FC vs Bologna FC 1909
Girona FC vs SK Slovan Bratislava
Juventus vs VfB Stuttgart
Paris Saint Germain vs. PSV Eindhoven
Real Madrid CF vs Borussia Dortmund
SK Sturm Graz vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
Wednesday October 23
12:45 pm
Atalanta BC vs Celtic FC
Stade Brestois 29 vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
3:00 PM
Atlético de Madrid vs. LOSC Lille
BSC Young Boys vs. FC Inter Milan
FC Barcelona vs FC Bayern Munich
FC Salzburg vs GNK Dinamo
Manchester City vs. AC Sparta Praha
RB Leipzig vs Liverpool FC
SL Benfica vs Feyenoord
Play day 4
Tuesday November 5
12:45 pm
PSV Eindhoven vs. Girona FC
SK Slovan Bratislava vs GNK Dinamo
3:00 PM
Bologna FC 1909 vs AS Monaco
Borussia Dortmund vs SK Sturm Graz
Celtic FC vs RB Leipzig
Liverpool FC vs Bayer 04 Leverkusen
LOSC Lille vs Juventus
Real Madrid CF vs AC Milan
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Manchester City
Wednesday November 6
12:45 pm
Club Brugge KV vs Aston Villa FC
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs BSC Young Boys
3:00 PM
AC Sparta Prague vs. Stade Brestois 29
FC Bayern Munich vs SL Benfica
FC Internazionale Milan vs Arsenal FC
Feyenoord vs FC Salzburg
FK Crvena Zvezda vs FC Barcelona
Paris Saint Germain vs Atlético de Madrid
VfB Stuttgart vs Atalanta
Play day 5
Tuesday, November 26
12:45 pm
AC Sparta Prague vs. Atlético de Madrid
SK Slovan Bratislava vs. AC Milan
3:00 PM
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Salzburg
BSC Young Boys vs Atalanta BC
FC Barcelona vs Stade Brestois 29
FC Bayern Munich vs Paris Saint Germain
FC Internazionale Milano vs RB Leipzig
Manchester City vs Feyenoord
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Arsenal FC
Wednesday November 27
12:45 pm
FK Crvena Zvezda vs VfB Stuttgart
SK Sturm Graz vs. Girona FC
3:00 PM
AS Monaco vs SL Benfica
Aston Villa FC vs Juventus
Bologna FC 1909 vs LOSC Lille
Celtic FC vs Club Brugge KV
GNK Dinamo vs Borussia Dortmund
Liverpool FC vs Real Madrid CF
PSV Eindhoven vs. FC Shakhtar
Play day 6
Tuesday December 10th
12:45 pm
Girona FC vs Liverpool FC
GNK Dinamo vs Celtic FC
3:00 PM
Atalanta BC vs Real Madrid CF
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Inter Milan
Club Brugge KV vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
FC Salzburg vs Paris Saint Germain
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs FC Bayern Munich
RB Leipzig vs Aston Villa FC
Stade Brestois 29 vs. PSV Eindhoven
Wednesday December 11th
12:45 pm
Atlético de Madrid vs SK Slovan Bratislava
LOSC Lille vs SK Sturm Graz
3:00 PM
AC Milan vs FK Crvena Zvezda
Arsenal FC vs AS Monaco
Borussia Dortmund vs FC Barcelona
Feyenoord vs. AC Sparta Praha
Juventus vs Manchester City
SL Benfica vs Bologna FC 1909
VfB Stuttgart vs BSC Young Boys
Play day 7
Tuesday January 21
12:45 pm
AS Monaco vs Aston Villa FC
Atalanta BC vs SK Sturm Graz
3:00 PM
Atlético de Madrid vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bologna FC 1909 vs Borussia Dortmund
Club Brugge KV vs. Juventus
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. PSV Eindhoven
Liverpool FC vs LOSC Lille
SK Slovan Bratislava vs VfB Stuttgart
SL Benfica vs FC Barcelona
Wednesday January 22
12:45 pm
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs Stade Brestois 29
RB Leipzig vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
3:00 PM
AC Milan vs Girona FC
AC Sparta Prague vs. FC Internazionale Milano
Arsenal FC vs GNK Dinamo
Celtic FC vs BSC Young Boys
Feyenoord vs FC Bayern Munich
Paris Saint Germain vs Manchester City
Real Madrid CF vs FC Salzburg
Play day 8
Wednesday January 29
All matches 3 p.m
Aston Villa FC vs Celtic FC
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. AC Sparta Praha
Borussia Dortmund vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk
BSC Young Boys vs FK Crvena Zvezda
FC Barcelona vs Atalanta BC
FC Bayern Munich vs SK Slovan Bratislava
FC Internazionale Milan vs AS Monaco
FC Salzburg vs Atlético de Madrid
Girona FC vs Arsenal FC
GNK Dinamo vs AC Milan
Juventus vs SL Benfica
LOSC Lille vs Feyenoord
Manchester City vs. Club Brugge KV
PSV Eindhoven vs Liverpool FC
SK Sturm Graz vs RB Leipzig
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs Bologna FC 1909
Stade Brestois 29 vs Real Madrid CF
VfB Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint Germain
