This week marked the beginning of the very first preliminary rounds of the qualifications for the European club championships. Starting today, teams can earn points to try to qualify for the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
Qualifications
The first qualifications were played on Tuesday, July 9, and additional matches were held on Wednesday, July 10. Starting this week, the teams that played on these days will play their return matches. These qualifications will continue until August, and the group stages will begin in September.
European Club Championships
Since 1955, with the first edition of the European Champions Clubs’ Cup, the championships have been constantly adapted and changed. Starting this year, the tournaments will feature a new format. The current Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League had 32 participants divided into eight groups of four teams, but the new format will feature 36 teams in the ‘league phase’ or former group stage. The teams will play eight matches in this league phase, with half of them at home and the other half away. They will no longer play home and away matches against the same opponent.
The league phase of the Champions League begins on September 17. Over eight matchdays, the teams that will advance to the knockout stage will be determined, with the last matchday on January 29. The knockout stage will begin on February 11, culminating in the final on May 31, 2025, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
The league phase of the Europa League begins a week later than that of the Champions League, on September 25. Here too, matches will be played over eight matchdays, with the last match on January 30. The knockout stage begins on February 13, and the final will be played on May 21, 2025, at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.
A week later than the Europa League, the league phase of the Conference League begins on October 3. The last match will be played on December 19, and the knockout stage begins on February 13. The final will be played on May 28, 2025, at the Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw, Poland.
Familiar Teams
This week, teams such as Dinamo Minsk, Slovan Bratislava, and Sparta Prague are playing in the Champions League. Slovan Bratislava already took the lead against their opponent on the first matchday, while Dinamo Minsk had a 0-0 draw at home. Sparta Prague will play next week.
In the Europa League, matches are also being played today. The Moldovan team Sheriff Tiraspol, which played against AS Roma last season, is playing this week. In the Conference League, there are not many well-known teams, but Dinamo Tbilisi is playing this week.
Qualified Teams
Of course, some teams have already secured direct qualification for the tournaments. These are teams that earned a spot in a European championship based on their domestic league positions. Here are all the teams that are already assured of their place:
- In the Champions League: AC Milan, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atalanta, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, Brest, Celtic, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Girona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Monaco, PSG, PSV, RB Leipzig, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP, Sturm Graz, Stuttgart. Union will play in the third qualifying round.
- In the Europa League: AZ Alkmaar, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, Lazio, Lyon, Manchester United, Nice, Olympiakos, Porto, Real Sociedad, AS Roma, Tottenham. Anderlecht will play in the playoff round, and Cercle Brugge will play in the second qualifying round.
- In the playoff round of the Conference League: Chelsea, Lens, Real Betis, Fiorentina, Heidenheim. Gent will try to qualify during the second qualifying round.
Last season, Real Madrid won the Champions League for the 15th time. This strengthened their position as record holders with the most titles, having eight more than AC Milan and their sixth title in eleven years. It’s no surprise that Real Madrid will be aiming for the title again next season. As the top seed in Spain, they received an immediate ticket to the European tournament.
In the Europa League, it was Atalanta who took the trophy home. The Italian football club defeated German titleholder Bayer Leverkusen in the final. It was Bayer Leverkusen’s first loss of the season, but it was a crucial one. As the winner of the Europa League, they advance to the Champions League.
Greek team Olympiakos Piraeus won the Conference League trophy for the first time. They had to defeat Italian team Fiorentina, which had previously reached the final. In extra time, it was a narrow 1-0 victory for the Greeks, earning them a direct spot in the Europa League.
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