UEFA’s Champions League is the world’s most lucrative sports media commodity, and its popularity has made it one of the top ten most-watched sporting competitions. The tournament has come a long way since its inception in 1955, when it was first called the European Cup.
The Champions League underwent a major revamp before the 2024-25 season. The group stage was replaced with a so-called league phase, in which teams are ranked individually, and a draw system using four seeding pots determines matchups. Each team plays eight different opponents — four at home and four away — in the league phase. The top eight sides automatically qualify for the last sixteen, while those finishing ninth through 24th compete in a two-legged knockout play-off to earn their place.
Throughout this new league phase, every result counts, and the results of each matchday could dramatically change the position of a side in the standings. We’ve put together a table to give you an idea of how close the positions are and what might still be at stake right up until the final matchday of the league phase.