CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Real Madrid’s possible rivals in the 2024/25 Champions League league phase
The defending champions already know all of their potential rivals. It could potentially face two of the four finalists from the last three editions...
Real Madrid already know their potential rivals for this initial phase of the 2024-25 Champions League with a renewed format and that changes the traditional groups for a kind of league, although the holders will only face eight of the 35 rival teams in Thursday’s draw, as they begin their quest for their sixteenth title.
In a departure from tradition, the draw will be made electronically in which the defending champions lose all of their privileges of the past and will not be protected in this initial phase against other top seeds. They will surely be pitted against two strong rivals from the following list: Man City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund or Leipzig...
Madrid cannot meet other Spanish clubs in the opening phase
What hasn’t changed is the traditional condition of not being able to face teams from the same country at the first opportunity, so Madrid will not come up against Barcelona, Atlético Madrid or Girona during the first phase. Madrid are therefore left with a long list of 32 possible opponents from which the final eight will be chosen, in a format in which the computer system will also determine which ties will be played at home and which will be played away.
Madrid will be drawn against two rivals from Pot 1, which includes Manchester City, Bayern, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Dortmund and Leipzig. The other two teams are Real Madrid and Barcelona, which, as previously mentioned, cannot be paired with the Whites and vice versa.
Which teams could Madrid draw from Pot 2?
In Pot 2, Madrid only avoids Atlético and will also be paired with two other rivals from the following: Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Bruges, Shakhtar and Milan.
The final composition of Pots 3 and 4 depended on the results of the Champions League qualifying round ties which were completed this evening.
Potential rivals include two teams from Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting Clube, PSV, Celtic, Lille, Young Boys, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb and Salzburg. Plus two teams from Pot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava.
The 2024/25 Champions League draw will take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 29 at 12 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m PT. The event starts at 18:00 hours local time (CEST) and will be aired in the United States by Paramount+. Alternatively, you can follow it right here on AS USA.