The Bundesliga travel group will face the promised top opponents in the new multi-million-dollar Champions League. FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund will face FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick in the league phase, while BVB will also have a quick reunion with Real Madrid. Champions Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig will have to compete with FC Liverpool and Inter Milan. VfB Stuttgart will also play against defending champions Real – and like Bayern, against Paris Saint-Germain.
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In total, the five Bundesliga clubs were each drawn against eight opponents at the ceremonial draw in Monaco. Bayern will also face Benfica Lisbon, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa. Leverkusen will also face Atlético Madrid, RB Salzburg, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Sparta Prague and Stade Brest.
The new format with a league instead of a group phase guarantees several top games for the clubs. Real, for example, also has to play against Liverpool, Paris and Manchester City. “I think the draw is good, I’m really looking forward to this new format. I’m really excited,” said BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke on Sky. The goal is initially to reach the round of 16.
“Exciting format” also for Bayern
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl acknowledged the draw for the record champions with a smile. The final will take place on May 31, 2025 in Munich, which is why Bayern are going into the competition with particularly high motivation. The last winning coach of the Munich team in the Champions League was: their upcoming opponent Hansi Flick. The exact schedule will be published next Saturday.
“It’s a very interesting and exciting format that can be exciting right up to the end,” said Eberl. “We are very happy to meet a former Bayern coach in Barcelona, Hansi Flick. We also have a great game at home against Paris Saint-Germain. We have positive statistics against all teams, except Bratislava, who we have never played against, and Aston Villa, because we lost the final against them in 1982.”
New league format
Each of the 36 clubs – there were 32 so far – will play four times in their own stadium and four times away. Bayern, who will face their former coach Flick in Barcelona, and Leipzig and Dortmund, who will have to travel to Madrid, will have tough away games. BVB lost the 2024 final 2-0 to Real.
More information:
The opponents of the German teams in the Champions League:
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Bayern Munich: Paris St. Germain – Home FC Barcelona – Auswärts Benfica Lissabon – H Schachtar Donetsk – A Dinamo Zagreb – H Feyernoord Rotterdam – A Bratislava – H Aston Villa – A
Borussia Dortmund: FC Barcelona (H), Real Madrid (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Brügge (A), Celtic Glasgow (H), Dinamo Zagreb (A), Sturm Graz (H), FC Bologna (A)
RB Leipzig: FC Liverpool (H), Iner Milan (A), Juventus Turin (H), Atlético Madrid (A), Sporting Lissabon (H), Celtic Glasgow (A), Aston Villa (H), Sturm Graz (A)
Bayer Leverkusen: Inter Milan (H), FC Liverpool (A), AC Milan (H), Atlético Madrid (A), RB Salzburg (H), Feyenoord Rotterdam (A), Sparta Prague (H), Brest (A)
FC Augsburg: Paris St. Germain (H), Real Madrid (A), Atalanta Bergamo (H), Juventus Turin (A), Young Boys Bern (H), RS Belgrad (A), Sparta Prag (H), Bratislava (A)
The top eight teams in the table at the end of the league phase are qualified for the round of 16. The clubs in positions 9 to 24 play in a new knockout round to advance. There is no longer a second chance in the European Cup with relegation to the Europa League – whoever is knocked out is really out for the season.
More games, much more money
UEFA expects a significant increase in revenue after the reform. The clubs are to receive a total of 2.47 billion euros. Critics fear that the large amount of money for the top-flight clubs will lead to a further, significant distortion of competition in the national leagues. The Bundesliga clubs had earned the fifth starting place (for Borussia Dortmund) through the successful last international season.
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There will be a lot of German football in the coming months, with eight match days in the preliminary round instead of six. The last match day of the league phase on January 29, 2025 is an example: Similar to the last Bundesliga match day, all 36 clubs will play in 18 matches in parallel. UEFA hopes that progress will still be at stake in a number of stadiums.
From the round of 16 onwards, the Champions League will run as usual, with home and away matches. However, the path to the final in Munich will be determined during the draw for the round of 16.