The UEFA Champions League play-off draw for the 2024/25 season has set the stage for a series of high-stakes matches, as teams vie for a spot in the prestigious tournament’s group stage. Announced on August 5, 2024, the draw promises intense competition with key fixtures involving prominent clubs from across Europe.
In the Champions Path, seeded teams such as GNK Dinamo, FK Crvena zvezda, and BSC Young Boys will face off against unseeded challengers including Qarabağ FK, Galatasaray, and AC Sparta Praha. Meanwhile, in the League Path, matchups like FC Dynamo Kyiv or Rangers versus FC Salzburg or FC Twente highlight the draw’s potential for dramatic encounters.
This year’s draw is particularly notable due to UEFA’s decision to expand the group stage to a single 36-team league phase, replacing the traditional group format. Each team will play eight matches against different opponents, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16, while those finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs.
The play-off fixtures are scheduled to take place on August 20/21 and August 27/28, with the successful teams joining the likes of defending champions Real Madrid in the main draw on August 29, 2024.
