The newly revamped 2024/25 Champions League league phase calendar has been officially released by UEFA. Teams previously learned which eight clubs they will face in the competition during a draw on Thursday. The exact fixture list, however, was not initially announced. Instead, the governing body waited until Saturday to reveal the schedules.
Previous Champions League group stage matchdays involved eight games played each day. Nevertheless, format changes to the competition have changed this schedule. Instead, Matchday One of the tournament will be just six games.
Two of the matchups will kick off at 12:45 PM ET and the remaining four are then set to begin at 3 PM ET. The move will allow fans to follow the important games a little easier.
Matchdays Two through seven then have nine games per day, with two fixtures remaining in the 12:45 PM time slot. Matchday Eight, the final round of league phase games, will feature all 18 games at the same time. These last matches will take place at 3 PM ET on Wednesday, January 29th.
Matchday One to feature multiple USMNT stars
Headlining the opening time slot of Champions League games on Tuesday, September 17th is a fixture between Juventus and PSV Eindhoven.
Juve is historically the most successful Serie A club, as they have collected a league-best 36 Italian titles. PSV, on the other hand, won the most recent Eredivisie title under head coach Peter Bosz.
The Dutch side also completed permanent summer deals for USMNT stars Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman.
Immediately following this fixture will be four games, including a top matchup between Liverpool and AC Milan. The Reds will travel to Italy to face Christian Pulisic’s team at 3:00 PM ET. The American star scored against Liverpool the last time he played against them in Premier League play while with Chelsea.
The League phase will see a repeat of the 2005 final between AC Milan and Liverpool
Wednesday, September 18th’s round of Champions League games is highlighted by a game between Manchester City and Inter Milan. The fixture is a rematch of the 2023 Champions League Final in 2023. Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig then feature in the marquee matchup in the same time slot the following day.
Top matchups scattered throughout league phase
Outside of Matchday One, there will be plenty of top matchups in the tournament up until January. Premier League title contenders Arsenal host perennial European powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, October 1st.
Matchday Three then includes a pair of big fixtures. Real Madrid will face off against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, October 22nd. The game is a rematch of last season’s Champions League Final. Barcelona also hosts Bayern Munich on the following day as well.
Liverpool will take on their former midfielder Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, November 5th. The Spaniard previously rejected the chance to become the English club’s new manager. Real Madrid also hosts Milan in the same time slot.
PSG will then try to get revenge when they face Bayern Munich on Tuesday, November 26th. The German giants previously topped the Parisians in the 2020 Champions League final. The following day, another former final matchup is set between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Liverpool lost the 2022 final against the Spaniards thanks to goal by Vinicius Junior.
A game between Juventus and Manchester City highlights Matchday Six on Wednesday, December 11th. The reigning English champions also headline the following Matchday on Wednesday, January 22nd when they travel to PSG. The league phase will then finish with all 18 fixtures played at the same time on Wednesday, January 29th.
Paramount+ will continue to be the home of the Champions League throughout the 2024/25 season. Every league phase fixture will be shown on the streaming service.
Photo credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC : IMAGO / Ulmer.
