UEFA Champions League league phase - this is what you need to know

Compared to previous years, the UEFA Champions League has not only grown by four teams. It has also changed in shape. What used to be known as the group stage is now known as the league stage. Instead of groups with four teams, all 36 teams form on league pool. This league phase will also take longer than the previous group stages. With all teams playing eight games in the league phase, six match days will take place in autumn and two in the new year.

How they choose eight teams from thirty-six

The league phase draw on 29 August 2024 is a long-awaited event. But the new format would have made the traditional draw procedure too complicated. UEFA at one point claimed that a draw from balls in the new format would have required more than 1000 balls. Now, an UEFA executive will just draw the club's names from a bowl - but from there on, a computer software will take over and allocate the teams randomly to a schedule. Still, the teams are allocated into four pots for the draw in Monaco. The allocations are made by club coefficient (with the title holder automatically being placed in pot 1). These are the teams in the four pots:

Pot 1

Real Madrid (ESP, title holder)

Manchester City (ENG)

Bayern Munich (GER)

Paris St-Germain (FRA)

Liverpool FC (ENG)

Inter Milan (ITA)

Borussia Dortmund (GER)

RB Leipzig (GER)

FC Barcelona (ESP)

Pot 2

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)

Atlético Madrid (ESP)

Atalanta Bergamo (ITA)

Juventus Turin (ITA)

SL Benfica (POR)

Arsenal FC (ENG)

Club Brugge (BEL)

Shakhtar Donezk (UKR)

AC Milan (ITA)

Pot 3

Feyenoord Rotterdam (NED)

Sporting CP (POR)

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

Celtic Glasgow (SCO)

FC Salzburg (AUT)

BSC Young Boys (SUI)

Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)

Lille OSC (FRA)

Red Star Belgrade (SRB)

Pot 4

AS Monaco (FRA)

Aston Villa (ENG)

Bologna (ITA)

Girona (ESP)

VfB Stuttgart (GER)

SK Sturm Graz (AUT)

Brest (FRA)

Sparta Prague (CZE)

Slovan Bratislava (SVK)

For the match calendar, each team gets allocated two opponents from each pot. They will play against four of those opponents at home and against for opponents away. Each home or away match will be against a team from a different pot. The draw is extremely complex as teams cannot be drawn against opponents from the same country and only two opponents out of eight can come from the same country. To work out the exact schedule, also in view of UEFA Europa League and Conference League games, UEFA will take until 31 August when the exact fixture lists will get revealed. Fans aiming to secure UEFA Champions League tickets will therefore have to be patient until then.

Chelsea FC fans arriving at Munich in May 2012 for the Champions League final

When will the UEFA Champions League matches be played?

As has been the case until now, matches will mostly take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The first week of the new competition will be an "exclusive week" however, with matches taking place on Thursday too. Taking into account the travel needs of the various teams, this will mean a lot of action in the stadiums, but also on airports at least from Monday to Friday. This exclusive Champions League week will be played on 17, 18 and 19 September 2024. Five more match weeks in the traditional Tuesday/Wednesday format will take place until mid-December 2024. Two more weeks of league phase competition are scheduled for January 2025.

The Final of the 2024-25 Champions League has been to Munich. 31 May 2025 will be just over 13 years since the biggest single club fixture in football has been held in Munich and just under ten years since the last final in Germany (FC Barcelona beat Juventus in Berlin on 6 June 2005). The 2012 final in Munich was famous for FC Bayern Munich having a home game, but losing against Chelsea on penalties. 

One more step until the league phase - UEFA Champions League Play-Off Round return leg 27/28 August 2024

The UEFA Champions League qualifiers are going down the final straight and seven teams will join the 29 clubs that are already in the main draw for the league phase. While some of the ties have already gone quite clearly in one team's direction, some others are still wide open after the first leg matches on 20 and 21 August. The games on 27 and 28 August will provide some prime action and surely some interesting charter flights too.

27 August 2024

Sparta Prague vs. Malmö FF 

21.00h, Stadion Letna, Prague

(first leg 2-0)

The Czech champions Sparta will take a handy lead into their home game against the Swedish champions. They could qualify for the main event for the first time in 19 years as long as they will not lose by more than one goal. Malmö travel in rather discrete style, using a Saab 2000 of Frost Air for the trip to Prague.

FRO040 MMX 1100-1225 PRG SB20 OY-FSC (26/08/24)

FRO041 PRG 1200-xxxx MMX SB20 (28/08/24)

FC Salzburg vs. Dynamo Kyiv

21.00h, Red Bull Arena, Salzburg

(first leg 2-0)

Once again, Dynamo Kyiv will arrive from their exile in Poland for the away game in Salzburg. Interestingly, there were two flights planned for this trip, one on what is supposed to be FlyOne's sole Boeing 737-800 UR-PSF and the other one on an Enter Air Boeing 737-800. Equally interesting is the return trip to Kishinev. On the sports side, Salzburg will start with a two-goal lead in the tie - enough to take them to the Champions League league phase?

ENT588 LUZ xxxx-1510 SZG B738 (25/08/24)

ENT589P SZG 1600-xxxx GRX B738 (25/08/24, ferry flight)

7W7737 LUZ 1835-2015 SZG B738 UR-PSF (25/08/24)

7W7738 SZG 2100-xxxx RMO B738 UR-PSF (25/08/24, ferry flight)

7W7737 RMO xxxx-0910 SZG B738 (28/08/24, ferry flight)

ENT589P POZ xxxx-0930 SZG B738 (28/08/24, ferry flight)

7W7738 SZG 1010-xxxx RMO B738 (28/08/24)

ENT590 SZG 1030-xxxx RMO B738 (28/08/24)

Galatasaray Istanbul vs. BSC Young Boys

21.00h CET (22.00h local time), Rams Park ("Ali Sami Yen"), Istanbul

(first leg 2-3)

The first leg of this champions path tie was an up and down for both side. Joel Monteiro scored two goals in the first half for YB. Michi Batshuayi followed this up by two goals as a substitute in the second half. The Swiss champions then took a late lead from a Filip Ugrinic penalty. Interestingly for this long trip, Young Boys are using a propeller plane in Avanti Air's Dash 8-Q400.

ATV025H GRZ 1740-1905 BRN DH8D D-AASH (25/08/24, ferry flight)

ATV261H BRN 0900-1340 IST DH8D D-AASH (26/08/24)

D-AASH, Avanti Air Dash 8-Q400, seen at London-Gatwick in May 2024

28 August 2024

Red Star Belgrade vs. Bodø/Glimt

21.00h, Rajko Mitic Stadium ("Marakana"), Belgrade

(first leg 1-2)

After some exciting ventures in UEFA's other two club competitions, Bodø/Glimt are on the verge of making Norwegian football history. They could be the next club from this Nordic country to qualify for the main event in the UEFA Champions League if they manage to defend their 2-1 lead successfully in Belgrade. The team will travel South one day earlier than usual, flying out with Global Reach Aviation and their CRJ-900 OY-MIT.

GAV325 BOO 1500-xxxx BEG CRJ9 OY-MIT (26/08/24)

GAV325 BEG xxxx-1840 BOO CRJ9 OY-MIT (29/08/24)

Slavia Prague vs. Lille OSC

21.00h, Eden Arena, Prague

(first leg 0-2)

In a league path clash, LOSC beat Slavia Prague 2-0 in the first leg. This lead should come in handy for the return leg. But with no away goals rule these days, even two goals' deficit are not that much to overcome actually. So, Slavia are still in with a chance - and they play at home in the second leg. LOSC's charter flight shows up with an AirExplore flight number, but should actually be operated by KlasJet and one of their Boeing 737-500 aircraft.

AXE8131 LIL xxxx-1815 PRG B735 LY-KLT (27/08/24)

AXE8132 PRG 0000-xxxx LIL B735 LY-KLT (29/08/24)

Qarabag Agdam vs. Dinamo Zagreb

18.45h CET (20.45h local time), Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Baku

(first leg 0-3)

Three goals up from the first leg, Dinamo Zagreb have a healthy lead to defend in Azerbaijan against Qarabag. The journey down there is a long one though and the Croatian champions depart one day early, on Monday with Croatia Airlines to Baku.

OU9520 ZAG 1410-2005 GYD A319 9A-CTG (26/08/24)

OU9521 GYD 2055-2255 ZAG A319 9A-CTG (26/08/24, ferry flight)

Slovan Bratislava vs. FC Midtjylland

21.00h, Narodny Futbalovy Stadion, Bratislava

(first leg 1-1)

90 or even 120 minutes await these two teams who are tied at one goal apiece after the first leg. The champions of Denmark can count on some supporters who will even fly down to Slovakia on a charter flight on the match day itself - rather unusual for a qualifier game.

ZQ1999 BLL 1225-1420 BTS E190 (27/08/24)

AP1235 BLL 1020-1215 BTS B738 (28/08/24)

Widebodies for the play-off round - UEFA Champions League Play-Off First Leg 20/21 August 2024

Lille OSC vs. Slavia Prague

Once again, Slavia travel early for their away game in Lille. Having comprehensively beaten Union Saint-Gilloise in the previous round, Lille OSC may be a different caliber of an opponent. The French team beat Fenerbahçe in extra time to get through to the play-off round.

QS2448 PRG 1830-xxxx LIL B738 (18/08/24)

QS2449 LIL 0130-0250 PRG B738 OK-TVJ (21/08/24)

Malmö FF vs. Sparta Prague

The Czech champions Sparta will once again travel with the competition's main travel sponsor Turkish Airlines. After the away win at FCSB in Bucharest, spirits will be flying high. But Malmö are tough opponents themselves, having gone the long way through extra time to beat PAOK Saloniki.

TK3270 IST 0910-1040 PRG A321 TC-JSB (20/08/24, ferry flight)

TK3271 PRG 1140-xxxx MMX A321 TC-JSB (20/08/24)

TK3272 MMX 1410-1815 IST A321 TC-JSB (20/08/24, ferry flight)

TK3273 IST 1120-1330 MMX A321 (22/08/24, ferry flight)

TK3274 MMX xxxx-1605 PRG A321 (22/08/24)

TK3275 PRG 1700-2025 IST A321 (22/08/24, ferry flight

BSC Young Boys vs. Galatasaray Istanbul

Apparently size matters for the Turkish champions Galatasaray. They will use an Airbus A330-300 for their trip to Basel-Mulhouse. From there, they will reach Berne by road. The runway of Bern Airport is too short accommodate such flights, which is why the team will first arrive in Basel. Even though both teams entered the competition only at this stage, Galatasaray would count as favourites over the Swiss champions. The loser of the tie is guaranteed a spot in the UEFA Europa League.

TK3235 IST 1205-1410 BSL A333 TC-JOB (20/08/24)

TK3236 BSL 1535-1925 IST A333 TC-JOB (20/08/24, ferry flight)

TK3235 IST 0830-1035 BSL A333 TC-JNL (22/08/24, ferry flight)

TK3236 BSL 1200-1610 IST A333 TC-JNL (22/08/24)

Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300

seen at Basel-Mulhouse in August 2018

Dynamo Kyiv vs. FC Salzburg

Both these teams left it until very late to confirm the play-off spots in this season's UEFA Champions League. Dynamo Kyiv scored twice in the last ten minutes away at Hampden Park against Rangers. At the same time, Salzburg survived a second-half comeback of Twente away in Enschede. Salzburg will travel to Lublin for the game with German Airways.

ZQ200P CGN xxxx-1430 SZG E190 (20/08/24, ferry flight)

ZQ2005 SZG 1600-xxxx LUZ E190 (20/08/24)

ZQ2005 LUZ xxxx-1550 SZG E190 (22/08/24)

ZQ200F SZG 1640-xxxx CGN E190 (22/08/24, ferry flight)

Bodø/Glimt vs. Red Star Belgrade

Norway or Serbia will have a representative in the UEFA Champions League this season. Who it will be will be decided between Bodø/Glimt and Red Star, with the first leg taking place in Bodø. For the trip up North, Red Star will once again fly with AirSerbia.

JU9062 BEG 0930-1300 BOO A319 YU-APD (19/08/24)

JU9063 BOO 0915-1300 BEG A319 YU-APK (21/08/24)

Dinamo Zagreb vs. Qarabag Agdam

The champions of Croatia and Azerbaijan will face off at the Maksimir stadium in Zagreb for the first leg of this tie. Qarabag Agdam will one again travel with Azerbaijan Airlines, using one of their Airbus A319 aircraft.

J2 4005 GYD 1540-1730 ZAG A319 4K-AZ05 (19/08/24)

J2 4006 ZAG 0040-0630 GYD A319 4K-AZ05 (21/08/24)

Midtjylland vs. Slovan Bratislava

It looks as if Slovan Bratislava seem to change their charter aircraft trip by trip. This time round, they are travelling to Billund with Global Reach Aviation, giving the crew of the Danish airline a trip back home so to speak.

GAV326 BTS 1330-1505 BLL CRJ9 OY-MIT (20/08/24)

GAV326 BLL 1100-1230 BTS CRJ9 OY-MIT (22/08/24)

Play-off round in sight - UEFA Champions League Qualifiers R3 14 August 2024

13 August 2024

The UEFA Super Cup on 14 August means that all Champions League qualifiers will take place on 13 August this week. With a maximum of two goals between sides, the majority of the draws is still wide open. In Ludogorets Razgrad and Bodø/Glimt, two sides have a first-leg advantage to defend at home. On the other end of the scale, APOEL Nicosia, Ferencvaros Budapest and Union Saint-Gilloise will have to fight back from two goals down at home. All the winning teams will advance to the play-off round while the losers from the champions' path go into the UEFA Europa League play-off phase. The losers from the league path will directly be admitted to the UEFA Europa League league phase.

Ludogorets Razgrad vs. FK Qarabag Agdam

In a clash between two teams with Champions League experience, Ludogorets managed to get a slim lead away in Azerbaijan. They will look to defend this lead against the only side from Azerbaijan ever to get a Champions League group stage ticket.

AHY4001 GYD 1630-1830 VAR A319 4K-AZ05 (12/08/24)

AYH4002 VAR 1930-2300 GYD A319 4K-AZ05 (12/08/24, ferry flight)

AHY4002 VAR 0130-xxxx GYD (14/08/24)

Bodø/Glimt vs. Jagiellonia Bialystok

Neither of these two sides have ever made it to the group stage of Europe's premier club football competition. With an away win in the pocket, Bodø/Glimt are surely looking forward to sealing a spot in the next round. For their trip up North to Bodø, Jagiellonia Bialystok count on LOT Polish Airlines.

LO7299 WAW 0940-1225 BOO E195 SP-LNL (12/08/24)

LO7300 BOO 1315-1545 WAW E195 SP-LNL (12/08/24, ferry flight)

LO7300 BOO 1325-xxxx WAW E195 (14/08/24)

FCSB vs. Sparta Prague

A rather unusual travel arrangement for the Czech champions, with Turkish Airlines taking them from Prague to Bucharest. For the return flight however, they will be able to count on their home carrier Smartwings and one of their Boeing 737-800 aircraft. 

TK3281 PRG 1200-1440 OTP A321 TC-JRM (12/08/24)

QS4313 OTP xxxx-1515 PRG B738 (14/08/24)

Union St-Gilloise vs. Slavia Prague

Taking two goals' advantage into the return leg, Slavia Prague travel on Sunday evening already. In this league phase tie, the loser will at least be playing in the UEFA Europa League in the next few months. This means less pressure on the teams. A win could definitely be seen as a massive bonus though.

QS4374 PRG 1825-2015 BRU B737 OK-SWW (11/08/24)

Twente Enschede vs. FC Salzburg

For the first time in some years, the Red Bull club from Salzburg is not playing as a league champion, but as the Austrian league's runner-up. They led 2-0 at home in the first leg against Twente, but then conceded a late goal that just about keeps the Dutch runners-up in the tie. Salzburg will fly directly to the former airbase of Enschede, using one of the two Avanti Air Dash 8-400 turboprops.

ATV012H GRZ 1240-1330 SZG DH8D (12/08/24, ferry flt)

ATV121H SZG 1500-1645 ENS DH8D (12/08/24)

ATV141H ENS xxxx-1535 SZG DH8D (14/08/24)

ATV041H SZG 1630-xxxx GRZ DH8D (14/08/24, ferry flt)

Avanti Air Dash 8-Q400 D-AASH

arriving at London-Gatwick in May 2024

APOEL Nicosia vs. Slovan Bratislava

A KlasJet Boeing 737-500 will fly under an AirExplore flight number from Bratislava to Larnaca with the Slovak national champions on board. Slovan Bratislava will look to consolidate or at least defend the 2-0 lead from the first leg. The winner from this tie will face the winner of the tie between Ferencvaros and Midtjylland in the play-off round. All in all, this seems to be a rather easy way to the main round of the UEFA Champions League. But all matches have to be played and won of course.

ED8103 BTS 1330-1720 LCA B735 LY-FLT (12/08/24)

PAOK Saloniki vs. Malmö FF

In rather discrete manner, Malmö FF will travel to their away assignment in Greece. Just an Embraer EMB-145 is enough for them to fly to Thessaloniki. In this tie, everything seems wide open after Malmö FF twice took the lead and PAOK twice equalised in the first leg for a 2-2 draw.

TLJ818M LBG 0645-0830 MMX E145 F-HFKF (12/08/24, ferry flt)
TLJ818M MMX 1000-1350 SKG E145 F-HFKF (12/08/24)

Fenerbahçe Istanbul vs. Lille OSC

In the league path, Lille have a tricky trip ahead to Sükru Saracoglu, traditionally a difficult venue for away teams. At least LOSC will have one goal's advantage to defend against the Turkish runners-up. Boeing 737-500 LY-KDT is another well-known feature on the football charter circuit.

KLJ2094 LPA 0730-1220 LIL B735 LY-KDT (12/08/24, ferry flt)
KLJ2101 LIL 1415-1840 IST B735 LY-KDT (12/08/24)

Glasgow Rangers vs. Dynamo Kyiv

As has been the case in the past couple of years, Dynamo Kyiv have set up camp in Poland. They will arrive in Glasgow directly from Lublin with Comlux Aviation Malta and their Boeing 737-500, a rare feature these days with its retro-fitted winglets. The winners of this clash will face the winners of the tie between Salzburg and Twente Enschede.

MLM712 NCE 0600-0805 LUZ B735 9H-MAC (12/08/24, ferry flt)
MLM712 LUZ 1000-1155 GLA B735 9H-MAC (12/08/24)

Ferencvaros vs. Midtjylland

One of two teams to travel by turboprop aircraft in this round, Midtjylland take a 2-0 lead with them to Budapest. Frost Air provides a Saab 2000 for this trip. 

FRO084 BLL 1210-1415 BUD SB20 OY-FSB (12/08/24)