The revamped Champions League has earned plenty of admirers as the 2024-25 edition of the storied competition concludes its league phase.
We have seen a number of exciting games and surprising results so far, with the pressure on a few big teams to secure their place in the knockout phase.
So, when is the draw for the next round and how does it work? GOAL brings you all you need to know, plus how to watch live.
The draw for the 2024-25 Champions League knockout phase playoff will be held on Friday January 31 at 11am GMT (6am ET).
It will take place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland – a traditional venue for many such UEFA draws.
As ever, the Champions League draw will be available to stream live on UEFA’s official website, uefa.com.
UEFA’s official broadcast partners tend to show draws in one form or another too, so expect to see TNT Sports show it live in the UK, while it will be available to watch Paramount+ in the USA.
If you are unable to watch the draw live, GOAL will have all the information in a live blog on the day.
With the top eight teams advancing directly to the last 16 of the Champions League (the draw for which takes place on February 21), the knockout phase playoff draw will feature only the teams that finish from ninth to 24th in the league.
These 16 teams will be divided into two groups of eight – those who place ninth to 16th will be seeded and those who place 17th to 24th will be unseeded. The teams that finish from 25th to 36th are eliminated entirely.
The seeded and unseeded teams will be divided into pairs and placed into eight bowls. For the eight unseeded, this begins with the pair of teams who place 24th and 23rd, working up to the teams who place 18th and 17th. This principle is replicated for the seeded teams, with ninth and 10th paired, up to the pair of teams in 15th and 16th.
While teams are seeded and unseeded, the draw is somewhat predetermined, with positions on either side the bracket reserved for specific ties.
Silver side of bracket:
Blue side of bracket:
You can see the Champions League table here.
The knockout phase playoff games are scheduled to be played over two legs, with the first leg games on February 11/12 and the second leg games taking place on February 18/19.