Having survived a difficult league phase slate after a less than impressive overall performance, Real Madrid now eye knockout stage success in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side stormed to the title last season, as part of a La Liga trophy double, with victory over Dortmund in the final. Yet they don’t reflect the same luster this season thanks to injuries and a dip in form as they look to integrate Kylian Mbappe into the star-studded attack.
Los Blancos are the most successful club in Champions League history, with nine title wins, and 15 overall including its predecessor the European Cup.
Ancelotti will be looking for his sixth title as a manager in 2025, as part of UEFA’s new and expanded tournament. To do so, Real Madrid must qualify from the league phase, which replaces the more traditional group stage from this season onwards.
Here is how their Champions League schedule looks, with a two-legged playoff matchup against Man City to navigate.
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Real Madrid Champions League knockout stage fixtures, opponents
With the new Champions League format constructing nearly the entire bracket ahead of the knockout phase, we can discern the possible future opponents for each club should they progress through the competition.
The Round of 16 draw will be held on Feb. 21, 2025 and will determine the seeded positions for each top eight finisher from the league phase. After this, the entire bracket will be set in stone and the pathway for every club will be known.
| Date | Time (ET) | Round | Match | Location |
| Tue, Feb. 11 | 3 p.m. | Playoff — First Leg | Man City 2-3 Real Madrid | Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England) |
| Wed, Feb. 19 | 3 p.m. | Playoff — Second Leg | Real Madrid vs. Man City | Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid, Spain) |
Possible Opponents
- Knockout playoff round: Man City
- Round of 16: Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen
- Quarterfinals: Arsenal, Inter, Juventus, PSV
- Semifinals: Liverpool, Barcelona, Lille, Aston Villa, PSG, Brest, Atalanta, Club Brugge
- Finals: All other knockout qualifiers not yet named
Real Madrid league phase fixtures for 2024/25 Champions League
Real Madrid began their trophy defence at home to Stuttgart and wrap up the league phase with a trip to competition newcomers Brest.
- Stuttgart (H): Tuesday, September 17 — W 3-1
- Lille (A): Wednesday, October 2 — L 1-0
- Borussia Dortmund (H): Tuesday, October 22 — W 5-2
- AC Milan (H): Tuesday, November 5 — L 3-1
- Liverpool (A): Wednesday, November 27 — L 2-0
- Atalanta (A): Tuesday, December 10 — W 3-2
- RB Salzburg (H): Wednesday, January 22 — W 5-1
- Brest (A): Wednesday, January 29 — W 3-0
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How to buy Champions League tickets 2024/25
Once dates and times for Champions League fixtures are confirmed, the ticket process will begin. Other than the final itself, tickets cannot be purchased from UEFA directly for European matches.
Instead, the primary ticket sales are conducted by the participating clubs themselves so that fans can access them seamlessly just as they would other matches.
Once the tickets are distributed, fans can still get tickets on secondary market, with StubHub International as the best place to find tickets to Champions League games.
2024/25 UEFA Champions League format explained
The main difference for this season’s Champions League is the group stage has been replaced with a new ‘league phase’, as the number of teams competing increases from 32 to 36.
Previously, 32 teams qualified for the initial phase of the tournament. They were then drawn into eight groups of four, with seedings used to help determine which teams were placed where. This was the ‘group stage’.
From 2024/25 onwards, the first phase of the competition sees all 36 teams placed into a league format. Each team will face eight others (four at home, four away), earning three points for a win and one for a draw in their matches.
Teams finishing in the top eight of the league phase will qualify for the Round of 16 stage automatically, with those placed from 9th to 24th facing a playoff to reach the knockout phase and complete the field for the first elimination round.
The competition then follows its more traditional knockout-stage format (i.e. two-legged ties between two teams, with the winner advancing to the next round) all the way to the final.
How to watch Champions League around the world
Here’s how to watch UEFA Champions League matches across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
