The UEFA Champions League in football will see a change in its format starting from the next edition in the 2024-2025 season, marking the first with the participation of 36 teams. So, who are the qualifiers so far?
25 clubs qualify automatically based on their standings in domestic leagues, with the holder of the Champions League title and the equivalent Europa League title guaranteed a spot in the upcoming edition. The principle of "rebalancing" is adopted if both titleholders secure their positions based on their domestic league ranking.
Two leagues will earn two spots based on their performance in the previous season's continental competitions (Italy, Germany), while the remaining seven spots will be determined through the qualifying rounds, with 5 from the champions' path and 2 from the league path.
In the upcoming group stage, the 36 teams will participate in a single group. Each team will play against 8 opponents, facing two teams from each of the four levels, for a total of four home games and four away games, without facing the same opponent in both home and away fixtures, but rather in a single match.
The top eight teams will directly qualify for the Round of 16, while the teams ranked between 9th and 24th will meet in a qualifying playoff for the Round of 16. Clubs ranked between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from all continental competitions.
In the knockout rounds, teams will play home and away matches, except for the final which is a single match.
The clubs that are provisionally set to participate in the next edition, according to UEFA (UEFA) based on their standings in domestic leagues, are:
- England (4 clubs): Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
- Spain (4 clubs): Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid
- Germany (4 clubs): Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, Leipzig
- Italy (4 clubs): Inter, Milan, Bologna, Juventus
- France (3 clubs): Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Brest
- Netherlands (2 clubs): PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
- Portugal (1 club): Sporting
- Belgium (1 club): Brugge
- Scotland (1 club): Celtic
- Austria (1 club): Sturm Graz
League performance spots: Atalanta (Italy), Borussia Dortmund (Germany).
Rebalancing in the Champions League: Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine).
Rebalancing in the Europa League: Benfica (Portugal).
