Champions League draw: Revamped format stuffed with marquee rematches for Europe's main golf equipment

The UEFA Champions League is again, and world soccer’s most prestigious membership competitors has a drastically completely different look this season.

Gone is the World Cup-style group stage format that for many years has decided which of Europe’s brand-name groups advance to the event’s knockout stage. In is a brand new 36-team desk, wherein every membership performs eight video games in opposition to eight completely different opponents as an alternative of the acquainted three first spherical foes dwelling and away.

There’s nonetheless a draw, although, which passed off on Thursday on the Grimaldi Discussion board in Monaco. A slickly produced video that preceded the draw itself each defined and poked enjoyable on the change.

“What was mistaken with the previous format?” requested former Inter Milan and Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, who was joined by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin and fellow former stars Gigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Luis Figo, Zlatan Ibrahimović and others within the clip.

“Now the followers are getting extra aggressive video games, so that each match, each purpose, each level issues,” Ibrahimović mentioned. “They’re about to see that one of the best membership competitors on this planet simply obtained higher.”

The event’s league stage begins Sept. 17 and concludes in January, with the knockout rounds set to observe later in 2025.

Listed below are the three fast takeaways following Thursday’s draw.

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UEFA Champions League

Closing rematches galore …

The primary spherical options repeats of 5 of the final seven Champions League finals, together with every of the final three. Defending champ a document 15-time European titlist, Real Madrid, will face Borussia Dortmund at dwelling and Liverpool in England in maybe the marquee match of the league section. Actual Madrid may even host the continent’s second most profitable membership in seven-time winner AC Milan.

Bayern Munich, host of the 2025 title sport on Could 31, will welcome Paris Saint-Germain and face Barcelona away. In the meantime, Manchester City drew Inter Milan, which it beat within the 2023 ultimate to win the competitors for the primary time, at dwelling. Pep Guardiola’s facet additionally obtained PSG and Juventus, each on the street.

… and many different high-profile video games, too  

PSG misplaced Kylian Mbappé to Madrid over the summer time, however they nonetheless boast one of many deepest rosters in all of membership soccer. Even sans Mbappé, the Parisians are decided to hoist the Champions League trophy for the primary time. However their path towards glory is suffering from obstacles popping out of the draw, which noticed Luis Enrigue’s group scheduled in opposition to a assassin’s row of all-world opponents. Along with Bayern and Man City, PSG may even play Atlético Madrid and PSV Eindhoven (each at dwelling) and Arsenal (in London). PSG rounds out its slate versus Austria’s FC Salzburg, Spain’s Girona and German facet Stuttgart.

Liverpool will welcome Bundesliga champ Bayer Leverkusen to Anfield in a homecoming for Leverkusen supervisor Xabi Alonso. Alonso famously helped the Reds win the 2005 Champions League title over AC Milan — one other foe Liverpool was paired with on Thursday. And Barcelona is well-positioned to return to the knockout stage regardless of tough contests in opposition to fellow former champs Bayern, Dortmund and Portuguese titans Benfica.

A blended bag for the 11 People

5 U.S. males’s nationwide group gamers might function in a single first spherical match, when Tim Weah and Weston McKennie’s Juventus cross paths with Richie Ledezma, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman of PSV. It might’ve been six, however PSV’s Sergino Dest is anticipated to be sidelined till late January with the ACL damage he suffered final spring. Juve may even journey to Aston Villa, which McKennie rejected a switch two earlier this summer time. That provides some further intrigue, particularly with that sport in Birmingham.

AC Milan duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah will make journeys to Leverkusen and Actual Madrid and likewise tackle Liverpool on the San Siro.

Three different People are additionally taking part within the Champions League this season: Folarin Balogun will make his tourney debut for Monaco, which visits his former membership Arsenal and likewise performs Villa and Bologna.

Lastly, Cameron Carter-Vickers‘ Celtic additionally drew Villa, a match already being dubbed the “Battle of Britain,” and Gio Reyna’s Dortmund. The complete match schedule will likely be introduced on Saturday.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports activities. He was a workers author with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, and he has coated United States males’s and girls’s nationwide groups at FIFA World Cups on 5 continents. Observe him @ByDougMcIntyre.

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