Champions League play-offs: date and time of the draw, teams, and when the matches begin

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League play-offs draw will take place on Friday, January 31, at 6:00 AM ET / 3:00 AM PT. This event will determine the matchups among the teams ranked between ninth and twenty-fourth in the league phase. It will be a pivotal moment in this edition, which introduces a new format designed to increase competitiveness from the early stages. Below, we detail everything you need to know about the draw, the play-offs mechanism, and the teams involved.

When is the Champions League play-offs draw, and where will it take place?

The draw will take place on Friday, January 31, 2025, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, an iconic venue for UEFA events. This ceremony will establish the matchups marking the beginning of the tournament's knockout phase. The significance of this draw lies in how teams will aim to leverage their league phase standings to secure key advantages, such as hosting the second leg at home.

• Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
• Time: 5:00 AM (Mexico City time)
• Location: House of European Football, Nyon, Switzerland

Where can the Champions League play-offs draw be watched?

For fans, watching the draw live is essential to discover their favorite teams' matchups. The event will be streamed on UEFA.com, ensuring global access for all interested viewers. Additionally, platforms such as UEFA’s YouTube channel are expected to broadcast the draw on their official accounts.

Spectators can enjoy comprehensive coverage, including real-time analysis and commentary, providing insights not only into the matchups but also into their implications within the context of the new format.

• Broadcast platforms: UEFA.com and UEFA’s YouTube channel

How does the Champions League play-offs draw work?

The draw uses a seeding system that organizes teams based on their final standings in the league phase. This mechanism is designed to pair higher-ranked teams against lower-ranked ones, creating competitive but balanced matchups. Teams ranked 9th to 16th will be seeded, granting them the advantage of playing the second leg at home. Teams ranked 17th to 24th will be unseeded.

The pairing follows a strict structure, aligning matchups according to final positions:

• 9th vs. 24th
• 10th vs. 23rd
• 11th vs. 22nd
• 12th vs. 21st
• 13th vs. 20th
• 14th vs. 19th
• 15th vs. 18th
• 16th vs. 17th

This new format also allows matchups between teams from the same federation or teams that previously competed against each other during the league phase.

When will the Champions League play-offs be played?

The play-off matches will be held over two legs, ensuring that each team has the opportunity to showcase their quality both at home and away. These eliminations will determine the final eight qualifiers who will join the top eight teams from the league phase in the round of 16.

• First leg matches: February 11 and 12, 2025
• Second leg matches: February 18 and 19, 2025

Clubs with higher league phase standings will host the second leg, a strategic advantage that could be decisive in closely contested games.

What are the key dates after the play-offs?

The Champions League continues with an intense schedule after the play-offs, advancing to the tournament's most exciting stages. Following this round, the round of 16 will kick off the road to the grand final in Munich, scheduled for May 31, 2025.

• Round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals draw: February 21, 2025
• Round of 16: March 4/5 and 11/12, 2025
• Quarter-finals: April 8/9 and 15/16, 2025
• Semi-finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
• Final: May 31, 2025, in Munich

Which teams will play in the Champions League play-offs?

Based on the latest standings, the teams currently positioned to participate in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 play-offs include a diverse mix of clubs, ranging from those aiming to secure their strong performance to others fighting to stay in the competition. At the same time, some big names have been left out, surprising fans worldwide.

The teams currently set to take part in the play-offs are as follows:

• Aston Villa
• Monaco
• Feyenoord
• LOSC Lille
• Stade Brestois
• Borussia Dortmund
• Bayern Munich
• Real Madrid
• Juventus
• Celtic F.C.
• PSV Eindhoven
• Club Brugge
• Benfica
• PSG
• Sporting Lisbon
• Stuttgart

On the other hand, the following teams, although they participated in the league phase, have been eliminated from the play-offs, causing disappointment and surprise due to their performance:

• Manchester City (25th place, 8 points)
• Dinamo Zagreb (26th place, 8 points)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (27th place, 7 points)
• Bologna (28th place, 5 points)
• Sparta Praha (29th place, 4 points)
• RB Leipzig (30th place, 3 points)
• Girona (31st place, 3 points)
• Red Star Belgrade (32nd place, 3 points)
• Sturm Graz (33rd place, 3 points)
• RB Salzburg (34th place, 3 points)
• Slovan Bratislava (35th place, 0 points)
• Young Boys (36th place, 0 points)

The eliminated teams include prominent names such as Manchester City, surprisingly outside the top 24, reflecting the intensity and competitiveness of the new Champions League format.