How to watch 2024/25 UEFA Champions League – new TV rights deal and format change explained
Bringing together the biggest teams from across European men's football, the UEFA Champions League's 2024/25 season is halfway through its new-format league phase.
Champions League title-holders Real Madrid are back, of course, with an all-star lineup including Jude Bellingham – who else?! – and Kylian Mbappé.
And there are four Premier League clubs, plus Celtic of the Scottish Premiership, featuring in a huge 36-team league of the great and good from across Europe that also includes clubs from Ligue 1 in France, Spain's La Liga, the German Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A.
Related: Best streaming services UK 2024
In-form Liverpool are not only top of the Premier League table, but top of the Champions League table – they're the only one of its 36 clubs to have played four and won four.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa sit eighth on nine points in the last of the automatic qualification spots. Manchester City, Arsenal and Celtic, all on seven points each, have a good chance of making the play-offs, too.
A new format also means a new TV rights deal (of course), so keep reading to find out more about where you can watch – plus an explainer of how the tournament's changed.
Watch and stream Champions League football in the UK
Two TV and streaming broadcasters now share the UEFA Champions League live rights in the UK, in a new deal that runs until the end of the 2026/27 season. We'll update this piece throughout the league phase with further information about who's broadcasting which fixtures.
TNT Sports will still air most matches and retains exclusive rights to the UEFA Europa League and Europa Conference League competitions, plus the annual UEFA Super Cup game between the Champions League and Europa League winners.
It broadcasts its games on linear channels and via streaming on the discovery+ app, with coverage on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights in another change for viewers.
Watch UEFA Champions League with TNT Sports
Meanwhile, Amazon's streaming service Prime Video will air 17 exclusive games in the UK this season under the new agreement.
It has first rights to Tuesday night games "up to and including the semi-final stage" and will feature Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City at least once each before the end of November.
Watch UEFA Champions League with Prime Video
Champions League football on Prime Video – fixtures, cost and how to sign up
Prime Video airs its first Champions League fixture to feature Manchester City on Matchday 5.
The reigning Premier League champions welcome Feyenoord to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, November 26, with Gabby Logan leading live coverage from 6.30pm.
Gabby will be joined by Stuart Pearce, Gael Clichy and Josephine Henning, with Jon Champion and Alan Shearer teaming up in the commentary box.
Watch Manchester City v Feyenoord with Prime Video
Prime Video's Champions League matchday coverage includes features that its live-sports audience is already familiar with, such as X-Ray stats and alternate stadium-only audio without commentary.
The presenters often move around the stadium during the build-up, and they've even spent time with the players in the tunnel just before they walk out onto the pitch.
Prime Video has also launched a "rapid recap" feature for those of you coming to a match late, which then seamlessly rejoins the live feed at the end of the highlights reel.
Digital Spy tested this feature out during the first league phase game between Liverpool and AC Milan, and as you'd expect, there was a strong focus on goals scored in the game.
Watch Champions League football on Prime Video
Further sports coverage on Prime Video includes selected Premier League fixtures, plus sports documentaries including Federer: Twelve Final Days, the recently released Sven, featuring the late Sven-Göran Eriksson, and '99, a three-part retrospective of Manchester United's treble-winning season including their own famous Champions League win.
Prime Video is available as part of Prime membership, which is priced at £8.99 per month or £95/year in the UK.
Prime membership also gets you access to a wide range of Prime Video TV series and movies, plus member-only discounts for sales events such as Prime Day and Black Friday.
Free trials are available for new members and those who haven't been signed up for a long time – so if you're in one of these two groups, you could watch some of the early matches (and any other content airing on Prime Video in the next 30 days, until the usual subscription price kicks in).
Prime Student offers are also available, along with discounts for those aged 18-22 years old.
Champions League football on TNT Sports – fixtures, cost and how to sign up
TNT Sports' live broadcasting during the Champions League's league phase continues this Tuesday, November 26.
If you're looking for coverage of Arsenal's trip to Sporting CP (under new boss João Pereira), that will start at 7pm on TNT Sports 1.
Wednesday, November 27 sees in-form Liverpool taking on Real Madrid at Anfield. Celtic welcome Club Brugge to Ibrox, and Aston Villa also have a home fixture against Juventus.
Coverage of all three of these pivotal games starts at 7pm. Liverpool's game is on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports UHD, with Aston Villa on TNT Sports 2 and Celtic on TNT Sports 3.
The full schedule is here, and a new roundup show called UEFA Champions League Goals Show Xtra airs each night from 7.30pm. You'll find it on TNT Sports 3 tonight (November 26) and TNT Sports 4 tomorrow (November 27).
Watch Champions League football with TNT Sports
TNT Sports membership costs £30.99 per month for 30 days of access. You'll be looking to subscribe to the "discovery+ Premium (including TNT Sports)" plan when you sign up.
Your TNT Sports membership will also get you coverage of selected Premier League matches and Serie A football from Italy along with Moto GP, Formula E, WRC rallying, Major League Baseball and NBA basketball.
The discovery+ Premium package also includes Eurosport programming, from coverage of Australian Open and French Open grand slam tennis to WEC motor racing – including the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Subscribers can replay selected events from the recent Olympics in Paris for a limited time, too.
Champions League 2024/25 new format explained
The UEFA Champions League's 2024/25 competition looks very different from previous years – at least for the first few months.
In short, everyone goes into a massive league table of 36 clubs (that's almost double the size of most men's European top-flight league tables, for context) and this is known as the "league phase".
See the Champions League 2024/25 League Phase table
For the draw, the clubs were divided into four pots of nine teams, seeded by their UEFA "club coefficient", which is a ranking system based on each team's performance in recent years.
Reigning champions Real Madrid got a bye through this system and were named top seed, automatically going into pot 1 along with Manchester City, PSG, Liverpool and Inter, to name a few. Arsenal were in pot 2, Celtic were in pot 3 and Aston Villa were in pot 4.
Champions League 2024/25 league phase explained
Now, here's where it gets a bit more complicated. Each team plays eight times in total during the league phase and will face two opponents from each pot (with one home game and one away game per pair of pot opponents).
However, teams can't face a club from their own domestic leagues – so Manchester City and Liverpool can't play each other at this early stage, for example.
Clubs also can't play more than two sides from the same country or national association during this stage. This rule means that, for example, Aston Villa couldn't be drawn against Ligue 1's Brest and Monaco in their pot (playing one at home and one away, per the rules), and then face Lille from Pot 3 or PSG from Pot 1 as well.
Check out the latest table and standings on UEFA's website as the league phase progresses.
Champions League 2024/25 knockout stage changes
Still following? At the end of January 2025, everyone should have played eight fixtures. The top eight teams in the massive league go straight through to the Round of 16.
Then, those ranked 9th to 24th enter a two-leg playoff round in mid-February to determine who joins them (teams from 9th to 16th get home advantage in the second leg).
The winners of these play-offs also get to host the second leg of the Round of 16 at home in March. From that point onwards, it's the Champions League knockout stages you are already familiar with up to the final, booked for Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Unlike previous seasons, teams ranked 25th or lower in the new-look Champions League will be out of European football, with no second-chance passage to the Europa League knockout rounds.
UEFA Champions League fixtures – league phase matchdays
To keep up to date with all the Champions League results and upcoming fixtures, the best resource is the UEFA website.
However, with the format change, here's the list of league phase matchdays (eight in total), with fixtures noted for Celtic and the four competing Premier League sides.
Matches will be played over three evenings (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays), and the league phase will conclude at the end of January 2025.
• Matchday 1, September 17-19: AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool, Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa, Celtic 5-0 ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Manchester City 0-0 Internazionale, Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal
• Matchday 2, October 1-2: Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic, Arsenal 2-0 Paris Saint Germain, ŠK Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City, Liverpool 2-0 Bologna, Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich
• Matchday 3, October 22-23: Arsenal 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk, Aston Villa 2-0 Bologna, Atalanta 0-0 Celtic, Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Praha, RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
• Matchday 4, November 5-6: Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP 4-1 Manchester City, Celtic 3-1 RB Leipzig, Club Brugge 1-0 Aston Villa, Internazionale 1-0 Arsenal
• Matchday 5, November 26-27: Manchester City v Feyenoord, Sporting CP v Arsenal, Liverpool v Real Madrid, Celtic v Club Brugge, Aston Villa v Juventus
• Matchday 6, December 10-11: GNK Dinamo v Celtic, Girona v Liverpool, RB Leipzig v Aston Villa, Juventus v Manchester City, Arsenal v Monaco
• Matchday 7, January 21-22: Monaco v Aston Villa, Liverpool v LOSC Lille, Paris Saint Germain v Manchester City, Arsenal v GNK Dinamo, Celtic v Young Boys
• Matchday 8, January 29: PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool, Manchester City v Club Brugge, Aston Villa v Celtic, Girona v Arsenal
Interested in talking about football? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Apple AirPods with charging case (wired)
Get 2 Echo Dot (3rd Gen) for the price of 1 with promo code
Glen Powell Twisters T-shirt
PS5 Slim Disc Console
Audible, 3 months for 99p
iPhone XR
Michelle Keegan's Fool Me Once outfits
Google Pixel 6 (128GB, unlocked)
All-new Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen) | Smart speaker with Alexa | Charcoal
Oral-B Smart 6 6000N CrossAction Electric Toothbrush
Shop Apple iPhone 13 Pro Black Friday deals with Three
Shop Xbox Series S with Very
Nintendo Switch OLED Console & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
PS5 Slim Disc Console
Watch the Fallout TV show for free
Oral-B Pro 3 electric toothbrush double-pack
PlayStation Portal
Samsung Galaxy S10
Richard Osman: We Solve Murders
Nintendo Switch Lite Turquoise with Pokemon Shield
Shop Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G with EE
Xbox Series X
PlayStation Portal
Amazon Entertainment Pack: Fire TV Stick with Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
Shark Anti-Hair Wrap IZ201UKT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Nintendo Switch OLED bundle with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + 3 months' Switch Online
Save on selected Samsung Galaxy S22+ contracts with Sky
3 months of free Apple Music
PlayStation 4 Pro Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Bundle with NOW TV
Apple Airpods with Charging Case (2nd Generation)
Nintendo Switch (Neon Blue/Neon Red) + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Nintendo Switch Online (3 Months)
Nintendo Switch OLED Console & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
PS5 Console & EA Sports FC 24 Bundle
Shop Three's unlimited data, 5G-ready SIM-only deals
Claudia Winkleman’s The Traitors outfits
Google Pixel Buds
All-new Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release) with Alexa
Converse x Wonka Chuck Taylor All Star Easy On
Buy Alison Hammond's outfits
Xbox Series X
All-new Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls) | HD streaming device | 2020 release
Google Pixel Buds
Echo Dot (3rd Generation) Alexa smart speaker
Fitbit Versa 2
Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote
Philips 55OLED806 55" 4K smart Ambilight OLED TV
How to watch Dune: Part 2 at home right now
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
Echo Dot (3rd Generation) Alexa smart speaker
Crockpot CSC031 Slow Cooker, Plastic, 5 liters, Black
BEATS Solo 3 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones - Black
Nintendo Switch OLED bundle with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + 3 months' Switch Online
Nintendo Switch OLED Console & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle
Save on EE's 160GB SIM-only deal
Sony Bravia KD55AG8 OLED HDR 4K Ultra HD Smart Android TV
Dr Martens Blade Runner and Mad Max boots
Apple AirPods (2021)
£184.00 at John Lewis & Partners
2019 Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case
Shop Sky TV, phone and broadband deals
Oral B Genius X Limited Edition Electric Toothbrush - Rose Gold
Amazon Prime members can save on Britbox - 3 months for 99p
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
Best refurbished phones you can buy in 2024
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
PS5 Slim Consoles
PS5 Console & EA Sports FC 24 Bundle
PlayStation Plus 12-month membership (UK)
PlayStation Plus - 12 month membership
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
Dr Martens Blade Runner and Mad Max boots
eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 11S (Slim) robot vacuum cleaner
Apple AirPods (2021)
£184.00 at John Lewis & Partners
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month membership
Shop Three's unlimited data, 5G-ready SIM-only deals
Fitbit Versa 2
Taskmaster Christmas crackers
Shop Three's unlimited data, 5G-ready SIM-only deals
Apple TV+ 7-day free trial
Shark Anti Hair Wrap cordless stick vacuum (pet model)
Ninja Foodi AF300UK dual zone air fryer
Echo Dot (3rd Generation) Alexa smart speaker
Deadpool & Wolverine's 'best friends' necklace
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 Sonic electric toothbrush (2-pack)
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
All-new Fire 7 Tablet
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote | streaming media player
Dr Martens Blade Runner and Mad Max boots
Shark Anti Hair Wrap cordless stick vacuum (pet model)
Audible free trial
Taskmaster Christmas crackers
Shop Apple iPhone 13 Pro Black Friday deals with Three
Bose wireless Bluetooth NFC headphones
Sign up for Disney+
Save on selected SIM-only deals with EE
PlayStation Plus (UK) 12-month membership
Google Pixel 7 – Unlocked - 128GB
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month membership
PS5 Slim Consoles
Google Pixel 7a
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
Helldivers 2 (PC digital code)
Looking for a PS5? Visit our stock guide
Ninja Foodi AF300UK dual zone air fryer
Apple iPad 10.2
Save on selected SIM-only deals with EE
Shark Anti-Hair Wrap IZ201UKT Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
Apple TV+ 7-day free trial
Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer
Google Pixel 7 – Unlocked - 128GB
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Sign up for Disney+
Bose wireless Bluetooth NFC headphones
Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits
Looking for a PS5? Visit our stock guide
Surface Pro 7 + type cover bundle
Shop Three's unlimited data, 5G-ready SIM-only deals
Google Pixel 7a
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Alexa
Philips 55OLED806 55" 4K smart Ambilight OLED TV
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Apple iPad 10.2
Entertainment Pack: Fire TV Stick (includes TV controls) with Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
Apple AirPods (2nd gen)
Crunchyroll 14-day free trial
Surface Pro 7 + type cover bundle
Entertainment Pack: Fire TV Stick (includes TV controls) with Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
Xbox One X Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle
Google Pixel 7 – Unlocked - 128GB
Crockpot CSC031 Slow Cooker, Plastic, 5 liters, Black
Bluey-themed family dinners launch at Gousto
Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen
Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release)
Google Pixel 7a
Apple AirPods (2nd gen)
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) - Smart speaker with Alexa
Sonos Move Smart Speaker with voice control
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 Sonic electric toothbrush with app(Model HX9914/54)
Anker Power Bank - compact portable charger
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen
Amazon Music unlimited - 4 months for 99p
LEGO Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House
Echo Dot (5th generation, 2022 release)
Xbox One X Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundle
Sonos Move Smart Speaker with voice control
Anker Power Bank - compact portable charger
Oral-B Pro 3 Electric Toothbrush
NOW TV 1 MONTH SKY ENTERTAINMENT PASS
LEGO Disney and Pixar ‘Up’ House
Buy Alison Hammond's outfits
PS Plus Discount With Gift Cards
Oral-B Pro 3 Electric Toothbrush
Anker Power Bank - compact portable charger
The Street of Lies: An Official Coronation Street Interactive Novel
Apple Airpods with Wireless Charging Case (latest Model)
PS Plus Discount With Gift Cards
Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits
Oral-B Pro 3 Electric Toothbrush
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
PS Plus Discount With Gift Cards
Death in Paradise: The Puzzle Book
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
The Death in Paradise: The Puzzle Book
Shop Sky TV, broadband and mobile
You Might Also Like
