When is the Champions League play-off draw? How it works and where to watch on TV

The next phase of the competition will return to its usual elimination format.

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The revamped Champions League format will feature a new knockout play-off round in February, determining the final teams progressing to the Round of 16 stage.

The top eight teams from the league phase will secure direct entry into the next stage.

They will be joined by the winners of the play-offs, which will consist of eight two-legged ties involving teams that finished between ninth and 24th place in the league standings.

Five British teams are participating in this season’s Champions League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Celtic, and the final will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31 2025.

The knockout draw will be made from the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

When is the Champions League draw?

The play-off draw for the Champions League is scheduled for January 31 2025 at 12pm GMT.

Teams that placed between ninth and 16th in the standings will be seeded, while those finishing between 17th and 24th will be unseeded.

Each seeded team will face an unseeded opponent in the play-offs, with the advantage of playing the second leg at home.

Additionally, teams will be grouped accordingly, meaning the ninth and 10th-placed teams will be drawn against either the 23rd or 24th-placed teams, while the 11th and 12th-placed sides will be paired against those finishing 21st or 22nd, and so on.

The eight victorious teams from the play-offs will advance to the last 16, joining the top eight from the league phase.

The competition will then proceed in a straightforward knockout format through to the final.

How to watch on TV

You can livestream the Champions League knockout round play-off draw on the UEFA website.

Alternatively, you can watch the draw for free on the TNT Sports YouTube channel from 11:30am GMT on January 31.

When will the matches take place?

The play-off round will be contested over two legs, taking place on 11-12th and 18-19th February 2025.

The draw for the last-16 and later knockout rounds is set for 21 February 2025, following the conclusion of the play-offs.

Directly qualified for the last 16

  • Liverpool
  • Barcelona
  • Arsenal
  • Inter Milan
  • Atletico Madrid
  • Bayer Leverkusen
  • Lille
  • Aston Villa

Will feature in the knockout play-off round

  • Atalanta
  • Borussia Dortmund
  • Real Madrid
  • Bayern Munich
  • AC Milan
  • PSV
  • Paris Saint-Germain
  • Benfica
  • Monaco
  • Brest
  • Feyenoord
  • Juventus
  • Celtic
  • Manchester City
  • Sporting
  • Club Brugge

Key Champions League knockout stage dates

  • Play-off Round: 11-12th and 18-19th February 2025
  • Last 16: 4-5th and 11-12th March 2025
  • Quarter-finals: 8-9th and 15-16th April 2025
  • Semi-finals: 29-30th April and 6-7th May 2025
  • Final: 31st May 2025
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Picture of Mitch Fretton

Mitch Fretton

Mitch is a freelance sports journalist with experience working for LiveScore, GOAL and Colchester United. He has experience working from both his desk at home and in the press box at games covering the Champions League and international football.

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