The 2024/25 Champions League season is about to get underway, marking the start of a ground-breaking era in Europe’s most prestigious competition. The names of the 36 teams that will take part in the group stage will be confirmed on Wednesday 28 August, with the draw determining the groups to be held the following day.
Before knowing the final pairings, it is important to analyse FC Barcelona’s possible rivals in this new phase of the Champions League, which debuts a renewed format.
Instead of the traditional six-team groups, the 2024/25 Champions League will feature a group stage with an innovative format. The 36 teams will compete in a single league, playing against eight different opponents: four at home and four away. The teams will be divided into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient, with each team playing two matches against teams from each of the four pots, one at home and one away.
FC Barcelona, being in Pot 1 together with other teams with a high UEFA coefficient, has a clear profile of possible rivals. Below is an analysis of the teams that could be drawn in the different pots:
Pot 1 Possible Rivals
- Manchester City (England)
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- PSG (France)
- Liverpool (England)
- Inter Milan (Italy)
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- RB Leipzig (Germany)
Pot 2 Possible Rivals
- AC Milan (Italy)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
- Witches (Belgium)
- Arsenal (England)
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Juventus (Italy)
- Atalanta (Italy)
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Pot 3 Possible Rivals
- Feyenoord (Netherlands)
- Sporting CP (Portugal)
- PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
- Celtic (Scotland)
Pot 4 Possible Rivals
- Monaco (France)
- Aston Villa (England)
- Bologna (Italy)
- Stuttgart (Germany)
- Storm Graz (Austria)
- Brestois Stadium (France)
While not all the participating teams are known, the remaining places for the group stage will be filled through a series of qualifying rounds that will be played before the start of the competition:
Teams from the same country: In the group stage, teams from the same federation cannot play each other. This rule aims to prevent clubs from the same country from playing against each other at this stage, promoting diversity and ensuring that each team plays against opponents from different countries.
Teams from the same national league: A team cannot face more than two rivals from the same national league. For example, FC Barcelona cannot play against more than two Premier League teams if it is in the group of an English team.
More news about the Champions League
#Barcelonas #rivals #Champions #League #group #stage
