The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League sees the first significant changes to the competition's format for the best part of two decades.
Starting from this season, the opening phase of the competition proper now consists of a "league phase" rather than the traditional group stage. That means all 36 sides are ranked together in a league table, with only the top eight guaranteed to go through to the knockouts.
There will also be eight matchdays in this first stage of the tournament, an increase from the previous six in the old group phase. That means we won't know the precise makeup of the first knockout round until the middle part of February, after the playoffs for the final eight spaces in the Round of 16 have taken place.
What does this changed format mean for kickoff times of individual games? The Sporting News explains.
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UEFA Champions League kickoff times
UEFA Champions League games in 2024/25 generally kick off in one of two time slots, both for the league phase and knockout stage: 6:45 p.m. CET (Central European Time), and 9:00 p.m. CET.
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When do Champions League matches kick off in league phase?
As per UEFA rules, all league-phase games kick off in one of those two regular time slots: 6:45 p.m. CET, and 9 p.m. CET.
In each matchday, two games played on Tuesday and two on Wednesday kick off in the earlier slot. On Matchday 1 of the 2024/25 season, two games will also be played at that time on Thursday. All the other matches fall into the 9 p.m. slot, unless there are particular exceptions granted by UEFA.
On the final matchday of the league phase, all games kick off simultaneously at 9 p.m. CET on Wednesday, January 29, to ensure sporting fairness.
Below is how those time slots translate to some of the major territories.
Champions League league phase kickoff times 2024/25
| 6:45 p.m. CET kickoff time | 9 p.m. CET kickoff time | |
| USA | 12:45 p.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | 12:45 p.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | 5:45 p.m. BST | 8:00 p.m. BST |
| Australia | 2:30 a.m. AEDT* | 5:00 a.m. AEDT* |
| India | 10:15 p.m. IST | 12:30 a.m. IST* |
*The following day
When do Champions League matches kick off in knockout phase?
In the first round of the knockout phase — the Round of 16 — game times follow the same format as they do in the league phase: kickoffs are scheduled for either 6:45 p.m. CET or 9 pm. CET, barring special exceptions granted by UEFA.
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All quarterfinal and semifinal matches, plus the final, kick off in the 9 p.m. slot (again, unless UEFA gives special permission for a change to those times).
Champions League knockout phase kickoff times 2024/25
Round of 16:
| 6:45 p.m. CET kickoff time | 9 p.m. CET kickoff time | |
| USA | 12:45 p.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | 12:45 p.m. ET | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | 5:45 p.m. BST | 8:00 p.m. BST |
| Australia | 2:30 a.m. AEDT* | 5:00 a.m. AEDT* |
| India | 10:15 p.m. IST | 12:30 a.m. IST* |
*The following day
Quarterfinals, semifinals, and final:
| 9 p.m. CET kickoff time | |
| USA | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| Canada | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| UK | 8:00 p.m. BST |
| Australia | 5:00 a.m. AEDT* |
| India | 12:30 a.m. IST* |
*The following day
How to watch Champions League 2024/25 around the world
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| India | Sony TEN | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| UK | TNT Sports | discovery+, Amazon Prime |
| USA | CBS, CBSSN, Univision, TUDN, UniMas | Fubo, Paramount+, ViX or ViX+ |
How to buy Champions League tickets 2024/25
Other than the final itself, tickets cannot be purchased from UEFA directly for European matches.
Instead, the primary ticket sales are conducted by the participating clubs themselves so that fans can access them seamlessly just as they would other matches.
Once the tickets are distributed, fans can still get tickets on the secondary market, with StubHub International as the best place to find tickets to Champions League games.
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