Champions League and Europa League guide: Format, dates and rules on fans attending (2024)

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The Champions League and Europa League group stages get under way this week.

After last season's alterations to both competitions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to affect the game across the globe, what format will the 2020-21 tournaments take, when will the games be played and will fans be allowed in to see them?

BBC Sport answers all your questions in our preview guide...

What are the formats for the tournaments this year?

Uefa's solution to last season's Champions League competition being disrupted was to stage a "final eight" knockout tournament played across 12 days in Lisbon, German side Bayern Munich emerging as winners.

A similar format was used for the remaining Europa League ties, which were staged in Germany with the competition won by Spanish side Sevilla.

This season sees a return to the more familiar format for both tournaments.

In the Champions League, 32 teams from 14 countries have already been drawn into eight groups of four and will play each other twice (home and away), with the top two from each group qualifying for the knockout rounds. The eight third-place teams drop into the Europa League at the last-32 stage.

The Europa League has 12 groups of four, with home and away games to decide who qualifies for the knockout rounds courtesy of a top-two finish.

The last-32 stage to semi-final of each tournament will consist of home and away legs.

When are the rounds played?

With delays to the 2019-20 season meaning the Champions League and Europa League finals were not played until late in August, fixtures for the 2020-21 competitions were delayed.

The Champions League group stage gets under way on Tuesday, with Europa League group-stage fixtures commencing on Thursday.

Here is a breakdown of the fixtures and when they take place...

Champions League and Europa League fixtures

Champions League

Europa League

Group matchday 1

20/10/2020-21/10/2020

Group matchday 1

22/10/2020

Group matchday 2

27/10/2020-28/10/2020

Group matchday 2

29/10/2020

Group matchday 3

03/11/2020-04/11/2020

Group matchday 3

05/11/2020

Group matchday 4

24/11/2020-25/11/2020

Group matchday 4

26/11/2020

Group matchday 5

01/12/2020-02/12/2020

Group matchday 5

03/12/2020

Group matchday 6

08/12/2020-09/12/2020

Group matchday 6

10/12/2020

Last 16

16/02/2021-17/03/2021

Last 32

18/02/2021-25/02/2021

Quarter-finals

06/04/2021-14/04/2021

Last 16

11/03/2021-18/03/2021

Semi-finals

27/04/2021-05/05/2021

Quarter-finals

08/04/2021-15/04/2021

Final

29/05/2021

Semi-finals

29/04/2021-06/05/2021

Final

26/05/2021

When do matches kick off?

Group-stage fixtures in both competitions will kick-off at either 17:55 BST/GMT or 20:00.

You can see the full list in our fixtures pages for the Champions League and Europa League.

What is the situation with fans?

When they returned after a five-month absence in 2019-20, Europe's premier club competitions were played out behind closed doors in bio-secure environments.

At the start of October, Uefa announced that fans would be allowed into stadiums for Champions League and Europa League games, but only in those areas where local law permits it.

So, as it stands, fans can attend games in France and Germany, who have started to let supporters return in restricted numbers, but not in England, where all fixtures continue to be played behind closed doors.

Where permitted, stadiums can be filled to a maximum of 30% capacity for this season's European games. Away supporters will not be allowed at games as it stands.

Uefa's decision came after a successful pilot, which saw 15,000 fans attend the European Super Cup match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.

Where are this year's finals?

This season's two final venues are the same as those originally scheduled to host the 2020 deciders.

The Champions League final will be played in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.

The 70,000-capacity venue is used for Turkish national team fixtures and has, at various points, been the temporary home for Istanbul clubs Galatasaray, İstanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas.

Famously, it hosted the 2005 Champions League final, which saw Liverpool come back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with AC Milan, before beating them on penalties.

The Europa League final will take place at Poland's 41,620-capacity Gdansk Stadium, home to Lechia Gdansk.

Who are the favourites to win?

Holders Bayern Munich are the frontrunners again for this season's Champions League, after they so ruthlessly tore apart the competition in 2019-20's mini-tournament.

Unsurprisingly, Manchester City and Liverpool lead the English challenge, with Chelsea and Manchester United behind Paris St-Germain, Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid with the odds-makers.

Teams dropping down from the Champions League to the Europa League will alter the make-up of the latter after the group stage.

But as it stands Premier League duo Arsenal and Tottenham are among the favourites for the Europa League, ahead of Italian pair AC Milan and Napoli.

Leicester are the other English side in the competition, which also contains Scottish representation with Old Firm pair Celtic and Rangers.

Champions League and Europa League guide: Format, dates and rules on fans attending (2024)

FAQs

What is the format for the Champions League 2024-2025? ›

What is the new Champions League format? The biggest change is to the group stage, which will become a single 36-team League stage. Each side faces eight different teams (four at home, four away).

How does the Champions League format work? ›

Under the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (former group stage). They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away.

How do UCL teams go to Europa League? ›

There is another option, which if you finish 3rd in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, you will qualify for the last 32 in the Europa League, and the 3rd option is when a club which being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League 3rd round (Into the UEFA Europa League Playoff Round).

What is the format for the 24 25 Conference league? ›

Each side faces six different teams (three at home, three away). The top eight overall advance directly to the round of 16; sides finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs, with the victors going through to the last 16. From then on it is a straight knockout.

Where will the 2024 European Championships be held? ›

Article summary. UEFA EURO 2024 is taking place across ten world-class stadiums in Germany from the Olympiastadion Berlin to the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.

Where is the Champions League being played in 2025? ›

It's the 70th season, and they changed the name to UEFA Champions League 33 seasons ago. The final will happen on May 31, 2025, at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

What is the new table format for the Champions League? ›

However, this format will be replaced by one league table where 36 clubs will participate in the new league phase - giving four more sides the chance to compete. Clubs will no longer play three teams twice, but will take on eight different sides with four home games and four away games.

What is the format of the Europa League? ›

Each club faces eight different teams once, four at home and four away. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while sides finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs, with the winners of all eight two-legged ties going through to the last 16.

Can non-European teams play in the Champions League? ›

Teams from outside of Europe, notably Saudi Arabia, will not be invited to participate in the new-look Champions League. In addition to no non-European clubs being involved, there will be no weekend games aside from the final itself which will not be on the move beyond the boundaries of Europe.

What are the new rules for the Champions League? ›

Each team will be guaranteed to play eight matches in the league phase — down from the proposed 10 after talks in Vienna — of which they will play half at home and half away. The top eight sides in the league will qualify for the knockout stage.

Can a team play both UCL and Europa League? ›

The other teams which finish the season in a lower position qualify for the Europa League. The team which ends up at the 3rd position in the Group stages of the Champions League enters the group stages of the Europa League automatically. So hence, a team who is in the 3rd position in the UCL can be in the UEL.

Do Champions League losers go to Europa League? ›

Except for the teams mentioned, all teams eliminated in the Champions League preliminary round, qualifying rounds and play-off round are transferred to the Europa League.

What is the new format for the Europa League 2024? ›

What is the new Europa League format? The biggest change is to the group stage, which will become a single 36-team League stage. Each side faces eight different teams (four at home, four away).

What is the format for the Champions League group stage draw? ›

The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams and play each other in a double round-robin system. The eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June.

How many teams qualify for the Champions League from each country in 2024? ›

Associations 1–5 each have four teams. Association 6 has three teams. Associations 7–15 each have two teams. Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein and Russia) each have one team.

How will the Champions League work in 2024? ›

This will be the first season under a new format, where in the league phase each team plays eight games against different opponents, but all 36 teams are ranked in a joint group. Real Madrid are the defending champions. The Allianz Arena in Munich will host the final.

What is the format of AFC Champions League 2024? ›

Following the contest between the Asian powerhouses in the Group Stage, the 10 group winners along with the three best runners-up of each Zone will book their places in the Knockout Stages, which will take place from February to April before the coveted Final is held over two legs on May 11 and 18, 2024.

How many English teams qualify for the Champions League in 2024? ›

Which Premier League clubs could qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League, Europa League, or Conference Leagues? Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League via top-four finishes.

What stadium is the Champions League final 2024? ›

It was held at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 1 June 2024, between German club Borussia Dortmund and Spanish club Real Madrid. Due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with London instead hosting the 2024 final.

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