The new-look UEFA Champions League reaches the end of its league phase on January 29.
Liverpool and Barcelona sealed their spots in the Round of 16 with a game of the preliminaries to spare, with six automatic spots still on the table.
Those top eight finishers must then await the outcome of the new playoff round, where the teams that rank between ninth and 24th in the league phase will contest two-legged ties to earn their place in the knockout rounds proper.
As was the case for each club in the league phase, which increased the burden to eight matches from six in the old round-robin format, the additional play-off round means a full extra round of knockout games.
The Sporting News lays out how this scheduling shakeup plays out on the calendar.
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When is the 2024/25 Champions League knockout stage?
The knockout stage will begin the week of February 11 with the first leg of the playoff phase.
The Round of 16 will take place in March, while the quarterfinals will be contested in April. This will all culminate in the final on May 31 in Munich, Germany.
| Round | Dates | |
| Knockout Playoff | Leg 1 | Feb. 11 & 12 |
| Leg 2 | Feb. 18 & 19 | |
| Round of 16 | Leg 1 | Mar. 4 & 5 |
| Leg 2 | Mar. 11 & 12 | |
| Quarterfinals | Leg 1 | Apr. 8 & 9 |
| Leg 2 | Apr. 15 & 16 | |
| Semifinals | Leg 1 | Apr. 29 & 30 |
| Leg 2 | May 6 & 7 | |
| Final | May 31, 2025 |
When is the Champions League knockouts draw?
The draw for the Champions League Round of 16 takes place on Friday, February 21. There is no confirmed time and venue for the draw yet, but these Champions League ceremonies typically take place at 12:00 CET at UEFA’s base in Nyon, Switzerland.
The top eight from the league phase will be seeded in the draw according to their finishing position and enter as seeded teams. This means they will play the second leg of the last-16 tie at home.
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The tournament bracket is already mapped up to the Round of 16 and beyond. For example, the club that comes first or second in the league phase will face the winner of the playoff between the team that came 17th or 18 and the team that came 15th or 16th. The 10th or ninth-placed sides will face the teams in 23rd or 24th for the right to play the seventh or eighth-place finishers in the last 16.
Once teams are handed their spots in the Round of 16 bracket, their route to the final will be set. There are no restrictions on teams from the same country facing one another at any stage from this point. As such, there will be no more knockout stage draws from February 21 up to and including this season’s final in Munich.
