After a short break over the festive period, the UEFA Champions League returns this week, with the league stage of the competition coming to a climax in January.
The new format of the UEFA competition has divided the crowd, with some fans believing it is too complicated and others bemoaning the extra two matches that need to be played.
However, it has produced some major surprises and shocks, with some big clubs in danger of missing out on the latter stages.
The Sporting News runs through where things stand regarding those teams who cannot progress to the knockout phase.
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Teams out of the UEFA Champions League: Every team eliminated
As of Tuesday, January 21, the first day of Matchweek 7, six teams were confirmed as eliminated from the competition completely. They are:
- RB Leipzig
- Slovan Bratislava
- BSC Young Boys
- Bologna
- Red Star Belgrade
- Sturm Graz
All six are unable to pick themselves up out of the bottom 12 given their remaining possible points.
With the teams placed from ninth to 24th securing a spot in the playoff round, it means there is still a chance for some teams below the cut line to recover their position, most notably PSG who are in dire straits. The likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Girona, and Diinamo Zagreb are also still alive, though barely so.
📅 Mark your calendars for the 2025 UEFA club competition finals. pic.twitter.com/udKTu4Wbex
— UEFA (@UEFA) January 13, 2025
How do the Champions League knockout rounds work?
The teams who finish in the top eight of the group phase will automatically reach the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
The teams who finish from ninth to 24th will be drawn against each other in the playoff round, playing two-legged ties. The eight winners of those ties will complete the Round of 16.
The competition will then work as it previously did, with two-legged knockout ties all the way until the one-off final, which will take place in Munich.
MORE: All the latest Champions League news | How does the 2024/25 Champions League work? | Full UCL match schedule
UEFA Champions League fixture schedule
Here are the key dates for the Champions League for the rest of the 2024/25 season:
- January 21-22: Group phase matchday 7
- January 29: Group phase matchday 8
- February 11-12 & 18-19: Playoff round
- March 4-5 & 11-12: Round of 16
- April 8-9 & 15-16: Quarterfinals
- April 29-30 & May 6-7: Semifinals
- May 31: Final
How to watch Champions League around the world
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| India | Sony TEN | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| UK | TNT Sports | discovery+ |
| USA | CBS, TUDN, UniMas | Fubo, Paramount+, ViX |
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