bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Andrew Cesare Richardson

The final Uefa Champions League match day will see 18 games played simultaneously, with 25 of the 36 teams still fighting for something.
It is the debut season for this new league format, which features four extra teams and two guaranteed extra matches.
Finishing in the top eight means automatic qualification to the last 16 – where the competition reverts to its traditional knockout format – while teams finishing ninth to 24th go into a play off, and those from 25th to 36th are eliminated.
So who needs what? What’s the difference between finishing first and eighth? And what happens next?
Here’s a look at everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League bonanza.

Who is fighting for what?
Well, only two clubs – Liverpool and Barcelona – are guaranteed automatic qualification to the next stage, while the bottom nine are already eliminated.
Arsenal and Inter both need a point to confirm their places in the next round, while wins for Atletico Madrid, Milan and Atalanta would see them through.
Eighth-place Bayer Leverkusen are joined on 13 points by five teams, with only three points separating them from 24th-place Stuttgart.
Shakhtar Donetsk in 27th place are the lowest-ranked side who could still make the play-offs, but they would need to win away at Borussia Dortmund, for other results to go in their favour and a minimum five-goal swing.

Any big sides in danger of elimination?
Manchester City, champions in 2023, are outside the play-off places, with only victory at home to Club Brugge guaranteed to see them through.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain are 22nd and face a tough-looking trip to 24th-place Stuttgart, where defeat for either would mean elimination if City win.
Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus are level on 12 points – one outside automatic qualification – but with so many teams ahead of them, a top-eight finish is unlikely. The play-offs are guaranteed for all three, though.
Goal difference rather than head-to-head will be used first when two sides finish level.
Any surprise packages?
French duo Brest and Lille – who have beaten Real Madrid and Atletico – as well as Aston Villa and Feyenoord make up the sextet on 13 points and victory for any would put them in serious contention for automatic qualification.
A win for Dinamo Zagreb against AC Milan could see them sneak into a play-off spot.
Celtic, who travel to Villa, are also guaranteed a place in the top 24.

Any benefit to finishing first?
Other than financial gains, there are no tangible differences between finishing first or eighth.
Each place is worth an extra €275,000 (HK$2.2 million) but, as well as qualifying automatically, the top eight sides will be seeded for the last-16.
Similarly, in the play-offs, teams placed ninth to 16th will play the second legs of their ties at home.
Where can I watch the Champions League?
Those in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia can follow all the games on beIN Sports, with the action kicking off at 4am local time.
Viewers in the United States can tune in to CBS from 5pm ET, with TNT Sports your go-to for those in the UK at 8pm GMT.
Full fixture list
Aston Villa v Celtic, Barcelona v Atalanta, Leverkusen v Sparta Prague, Bayern v Slovan Bratislava, Dortmund v Shakhtar, Brest v Real Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb v Milan, Girona v Arsenal, Inter v Monaco, Juventus v Benfica, Lille v Feyenoord, Man City v Club Brugge, PSV v Liverpool, FC Salzburg v Atletico, Sporting CP v Bologna, Sturm Graz v RB Leipzig, Stuttgart v PSG, Young Boys v Red Star Belgrade.
Full league table

One matchday to go! 😲#UCL pic.twitter.com/jEYfEM9kTC
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 22, 2025



Mjallby, a team from tiny fishing village, win Swedish league title on shoestring budget

Asian Champions League: ex-English Premier League players set to star as new season starts

Holders PSG and rivals await Champions League draw

TikTokkers watch Champions League final for free after 27 hours in stadium toilet

Uefa Champions League

Where to watch Champions League group-stage finale; why Man City, PSG risk elimination

Erling Haaland and Manchester City sit outside the play-off places ahead of the final set of Uefa Champions League group-stage matches. Photo: dpa

Liverpool have won every match in the Champions League so far and are guaranteed a top-eight spot. Photo: AFP

PSG’s recent win over Manchester City put them in a play-off spot, which is not yet guaranteed. Photo: Xinhua

Celtic are the lowest-ranked side guaranteed at least a play-off spot in the Uefa Champions League. Photo: EPA

Liverpool leave stars at home, famed F1 Mercedes in US$50 million sale, England stay alive

A streamlined Mercedes raced by Stirling Moss and five-time Formula One world champion Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955 will be sold in Stuttgart on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for this foul on Wolves’ Matt Doherty. Photo: AP

The Trafford Council has added its voice to those supporting the renovation of the area surrounding Old Trafford. Photo: DPA

China’s football chiefs ridiculed after Fifa vetoes its ‘global’ ban on South Korea’s Son

South Korea’s Son Jun-ho can play football outside China after Fifa declined to endorse a global ban. Photo: Reuters

Son Jun-ho played for CSL side Shandong Taishan before he was detained for 10 months. Photo: Getty Images

Sport

Football

Everything you need to know as the new format of Europe’s premier competition reaches a potentially thrilling first-phase climax


Everything you need to know as the new format of Europe’s premier competition reaches a potentially thrilling first-phase climax.


Where to watch Champions League group-stage finale; why Man City, PSG risk elimination

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Everything you need to know as the new format of Europe’s premier competition reaches a potentially thrilling first-phase climax

Who is fighting for what?

Everything you need to know as the new format of Europe’s premier competition reaches a potentially thrilling first-phase climax