The UEFA Champions League schedule for the 2024-25 league phase is now finalized and supporters can start earmarking games and booking travel and tickets to see their favorite club in action. The UCL's new format draw has thrown plenty of fans but there can be no arguing with the exciting nature of some of these early matchups.
With big games from the opening round of games that would have been highlight fixtures from the group stages of the past, there are just a few weeks until these busy slates are put into effect. Before we get into the weeds regarding the early games to know, though, there are a few obvious things to note about the structure of the brand new league phase.
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Let's get into it.
New format changes
- The UCL league phase now lasts longer than the group stage did and therefore runs until the end of January 2025.
- The opening round of UCL league phase games will be staggered over Tuesday, Wednesday but now also Thursday.
- The final round of UCL league phase games will play out at exactly the same time in the final round of games on Wednesday, Jan 29 2025 at 3 p.m. ET.
Notable early UCL league phase games
Matchday 1: Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven, Milan vs. Liverpool and Manchester City vs. Inter. A mouthwatering feast of opening games is headlined by the historic 2005 Champions League final rematch between Milan and Liverpool which wrote Istanbul into soccer history after a 3-3 draw from 3-0 down was won 3-2 on penalties by the Reds. If that was not enough, Italian giants Juventus face Dutch juggernaut PSV while Serie A titleholders Inter face English champions Manchester City.
Matchday 2: Arsenal vs. Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Milan and Aston Villa vs. Bayern Munich. All eyes will be drawn to Arsenal hosting Paris Saint-Germain which is a meeting between two trophyless clubs in this competition while Bayer Leverkusen against Milan is steeped with continental tradition. However, Aston Villa welcoming Bayern Munich and top-level European soccer back to Villa Park is actually a rematch of the 1982 final which saw the Villans put Birmingham on the European soccer map with one of the seven shared titles between these two.
Matchday 3: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool. Another round of games, another former final -- this time a reunion between last year's two finalists when Real Madrid welcome Borussia Dortmund to Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona at home to Bayern is another huge matchup as well as RB Leipzig hosting Liverpool but Los Blancos against the Germans should prove to be another fascinating encounter with Kylian Mbappe now added to the mix.
Matchday 4: Liverpool vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid vs. Milan and Inter vs. Arsenal. The undoubted star attraction in the fourth round of games is Xabi Alonso's return to Anfield with Leverkusen to take on former club Liverpool in what could eventually be an audition for the top job as the Reds' boss. If that was not exciting enough, Real at home to Milan is titanic in every sense at this level while Inter being visited by Arsenal is a matchup that we have not seen enough over the years. Once this round is in the books, the League Phase will be at the halfway stage of its inaugural run and the games to keep an eye on across Matchdays 5-8 will be clearer.
Here's the full schedule
All times Eastern
Matchday 1
Tuesday, Sept. 17
12:45 p.m.
BSC Young Boys vs. Aston Villa FC
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven
3 p.m.
AC Milan vs. Liverpool FC
FC Bayern München vs. GNK Dinamo
Real Madrid C.F. vs. VfB Stuttgart
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. LOSC Lille
Wednesday, Sept. 18
12:45 p.m.
AC Sparta Praha vs. FC Salzburg
Bologna FC 1909 vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk
3 p.m.
Celtic FC vs. SK Slovan Bratislava
Club Brugge KV vs. Borussia Dortmund
Manchester City vs. FC Internazionale Milano
Paris Saint Germain vs. Girona FC
Thursday, Sept. 19
12:45 p.m.
Feyenoord vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. SL Benfica
3 p.m.
AS Monaco vs. FC Barcelona
Atalanta BC vs. Arsenal FC
Atlético de Madrid vs. RB Leipzig
Stade Brestois 29 vs. SK Sturm Graz
Matchday 2
Tuesday, Oct. 1
12:45 p.m.
FC Salzburg vs. Stade Brestois 29
VfB Stuttgart vs. AC Sparta Praha
3 p.m.
Arsenal FC vs. Paris Saint Germain
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. AC Milan
Borussia Dortmund vs. Celtic FC
FC Barcelona vs. BSC Young Boys
FC Internazionale Milano vs. FK Crvena Zvezda
PSV Eindhoven vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
SK Slovan Bratislava vs. Manchester City
Wednesday, Oct. 2
12:45 p.m.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta BC
Girona FC vs. Feyenoord
3 p.m.
Aston Villa FC vs. FC Bayern München
GNK Dinamo vs. AS Monaco
Liverpool FC vs. Bologna FC 1909
LOSC Lille vs. Real Madrid C.F.
RB Leipzig vs. Juventus
SK Sturm Graz vs. Club Brugge KV
SL Benfica vs. Atlético de Madrid
Matchday 3
Tuesday, Oct. 22
12:45 p.m.
AC Milan vs. Club Brugge KV
AS Monaco vs. FK Crvena Zvezda
3 p.m.
Arsenal FC vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Aston Villa FC vs. Bologna FC 1909
Girona FC vs. SK Slovan Bratislava
Juventus vs. VfB Stuttgart
Paris Saint Germain vs. PSV Eindhoven
Real Madrid C.F. vs. Borussia Dortmund
SK Sturm Graz vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
Wednesday, Oct. 23
12:45 p.m.
Atalanta BC vs. Celtic FC
Stade Brestois 29 vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
3 p.m.
Atlético de Madrid vs. LOSC Lille
BSC Young Boys vs. FC Internazionale Milano
FC Barcelona vs. FC Bayern München
FC Salzburg vs. GNK Dinamo
Manchester City vs. AC Sparta Praha
RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool FC
SL Benfica vs. Feyenoord
Matchday 4
Tuesday, Nov. 5
12:45 p.m.
PSV Eindhoven vs. Girona FC
SK Slovan Bratislava vs. GNK Dinamo
3 p.m.
Bologna FC 1909 vs. AS Monaco
Borussia Dortmund vs. SK Sturm Graz
Celtic FC vs. RB Leipzig
Liverpool FC vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
LOSC Lille vs. Juventus
Real Madrid C.F. vs. AC Milan
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. Manchester City
Wednesday, Nov. 6
12:45 p.m.
Club Brugge KV vs. Aston Villa FC
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. BSC Young Boys
3 p.m.
AC Sparta Praha vs. Stade Brestois 29
FC Bayern München vs. SL Benfica
FC Internazionale Milano vs. Arsenal FC
Feyenoord vs. FC Salzburg
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. FC Barcelona
Paris Saint Germain vs. Atlético de Madrid
VfB Stuttgart vs. Atalanta
Matchday 5
Tuesday, Nov. 26
12:45 p.m.
AC Sparta Praha vs. Atlético de Madrid
SK Slovan Bratislava vs. AC Milan
3 p.m.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Salzburg
BSC Young Boys vs. Atalanta BC
FC Barcelona vs. Stade Brestois 29
FC Bayern München vs. Paris Saint Germain
FC Internazionale Milano vs. RB Leipzig
Manchester City vs. Feyenoord
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. Arsenal FC
Wednesday, Nov. 27
12:45 p.m.
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. VfB Stuttgart
SK Sturm Graz vs. Girona FC
3 p.m.
AS Monaco vs. SL Benfica
Aston Villa FC vs. Juventus
Bologna FC 1909 vs. LOSC Lille
Celtic FC vs. Club Brugge KV
GNK Dinamo vs. Borussia Dortmund
Liverpool FC vs. Real Madrid C.F.
PSV Eindhoven vs. FC Shakhtar
Matchday 6
Tuesday, Dec. 10
12:45 p.m.
Girona FC vs. Liverpool FC
GNK Dinamo vs. Celtic FC
3 p.m.
Atalanta BC vs. Real Madrid C.F.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. FC Internazionale Milano
Club Brugge KV vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
FC Salzburg vs. Paris Saint Germain
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. FC Bayern München
RB Leipzig vs. Aston Villa FC
Stade Brestois 29 vs. PSV Eindhoven
Wednesday, Dec. 11
12:45 p.m.
Atlético de Madrid vs. SK Slovan Bratislava
LOSC Lille vs. SK Sturm Graz
3 p.m.
AC Milan vs. FK Crvena Zvezda
Arsenal FC vs. AS Monaco
Borussia Dortmund vs. FC Barcelona
Feyenoord vs. AC Sparta Praha
Juventus vs. Manchester City
SL Benfica vs. Bologna FC 1909
VfB Stuttgart vs. BSC Young Boys
Matchday 7
Tuesday, Jan 21
12:45 p.m.
AS Monaco vs. Aston Villa FC
Atalanta BC vs. SK Sturm Graz
3 p.m.
Atlético de Madrid vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bologna FC 1909 vs. Borussia Dortmund
Club Brugge KV vs. Juventus
FK Crvena Zvezda vs. PSV Eindhoven
Liverpool FC vs. LOSC Lille
SK Slovan Bratislava vs. VfB Stuttgart
SL Benfica vs. FC Barcelona
Wednesday, Jan 22
12:45 p.m.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Stade Brestois 29
RB Leipzig vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal
3 p.m.
AC Milan vs. Girona FC
AC Sparta Praha vs. FC Internazionale Milano
Arsenal FC vs. GNK Dinamo
Celtic FC vs. BSC Young Boys
Feyenoord vs. FC Bayern München
Paris Saint Germain vs. Manchester City
Real Madrid C.F. vs. FC Salzburg
Matchday 8
Wednesday, Jan 29
All games 3 p.m.
Aston Villa FC vs. Celtic FC
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. AC Sparta Praha
Borussia Dortmund vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk
BSC Young Boys vs. FK Crvena Zvezda
FC Barcelona vs. Atalanta BC
FC Bayern München vs. SK Slovan Bratislava
FC Internazionale Milano vs. AS Monaco
FC Salzburg vs. Atlético de Madrid
Girona FC vs. Arsenal FC
GNK Dinamo vs. AC Milan
Juventus vs. SL Benfica
LOSC Lille vs. Feyenoord
Manchester City vs. Club Brugge KV
PSV Eindhoven vs. Liverpool FC
SK Sturm Graz vs. RB Leipzig
Sporting Clube de Portugal vs. Bologna FC 1909
Stade Brestois 29 vs. Real Madrid C.F.
VfB Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint Germain