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THE DRAW WILL HAVE SEVERAL CONDITIONS
Champions League Play-off Draw 24/25: Date, Rules, and Qualified Teams
Published:30/01/2025 - 07:11h
Updated:31/01/2025 - 06:09h
UEFA will hold the draw for the Champions League play-off matches this Friday, January 31. The 16 teams qualified for the play-offs will determine their opponents in the knockout rounds to be held in mid-February.
Everything is ready to find out the matchups for the UEFA Champions League play-offs. With the conclusion of the league phase, the 16 teams ranked between ninth and twenty-fourth place in the overall standings must compete in a play-off between Tuesday, February 11, and Wednesday, February 19, to determine the remaining eight teams qualifying for the round of 16. Already qualified are Liverpool, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atlético de Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, LOSC Lille, and Aston Villa.
When and where is the Champions League play-off draw?
The draw will take place this Friday, January 31, at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, starting at 12:00 CEST. After the Champions draw concludes, the same will be done for the Europa League. Subsequently, on Friday, February 21, a new draw will be held using the same methodology to define the matchups for the round of 16, where FC Barcelona will find out their opponent.
According to the current format and the positions in the overall league table, the Catalans can only face four teams in the next phase. They are: AS Monaco, Stade Brest, Benfica, or Paris Saint-Germain. The same four rivals apply to Liverpool as the leader of the overall standings. Additionally, the English and Catalan teams can only meet in a hypothetical final.
What rules and conditions must the draw comply with?
In this regard, the draw on Friday will work as follows. The ninth and tenth placed teams (Atalanta and Dortmund) must face the two last qualified teams (Bruges and Sporting CP). The draw will only determine which opponent each one faces, with the ninth and tenth teams defining their respective knockout matches at home. Similarly, the 11th or 12th will go against the 21st or 22nd; while the 13th or 14th must cross with the 19th or 20th. Finally, the 15th or 16th will go with the 17th or 18th. The better-ranked team will have the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
Unlike previous seasons, there are no restrictions regarding facing teams from the same country or those they have already met in the league phase. The matchups are determined by the position in the table, and this also applies to the round of 16 and the side of the bracket in which each club is placed for the rest of the knockout rounds.
Matchups in the play-off:
- Monaco or Brest vs PSG or Benfica
- Celtic or Manchester City vs Real Madrid or Bayern Munich
- Feyenoord or Juventus vs AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven
- Sporting CP or Bruges vs Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund
The 16 clubs participating in the play-off draw
- Atalanta
- Borussia Dortmund
- Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- AC Milan
- PSV Eindhoven
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Benfica
- AS Monaco
- Stade Brest
- Feyenoord
- Juventus
- Celtic
- Manchester City
- Sporting CP
- Bruges
Teams that will play the second leg of the play-off at home.