<
>
Menu
ESPN
- scores
Barça sneak into Pot 1 for Champions League draw
3dDale Johnson
Man City Keep or Dump: Big decisions around De Bruyne, Silva for next season
6hMark Ogden, Gabriele Marcotti
Barça hire ex-Germany boss Flick on 2-year deal
3hSam Marsden and Moises Llorens
Mbappé: I'd love to play for AC Milan one day
6hAdriana Garcia
Sources: Hierro set to join Ronaldo at Al-Nassr
9hCesar Hernandez
Klopp aims digs at Prem rivals at farewell event
6hESPN
Betis player thankful for support after head injury
3hAdriana Garcia
Courtois 'ready' to start UCL final after ACL tear
5hAdriana Garcia
Bellingham voted LaLiga Player of the Season
8hReuters
Smith says 'legend' Hayes has 'trust' of USWNT
16h
All around the world: Lionel Messi's 2024 odyssey for Inter Miami and Argentina
25mRoberto Rojas
Euro 2024: All the latest squad lists for the finals Germany
2hESPN
Real Madrid are poised for a blockbuster summer of transfers as Kroos exits, Modric uncertain
2hGab Marcotti
LIVE Transfer Talk: Liverpool, Man City, Bayern eyeing Leipzig's Dani Olmo
1mESPN
Top South American players set for big transfers this summer
48mTim Vickery
Ahead of Olympics, can new USWNT coach Emma Hayes avoid struggles in switch from club game?
1dJeff Kassouf
European Team of the Season: Mbappé, Bellingham, Kane star
1dBen McAleer, WhoScored.com
Why Courtois, Lunin dilemma is Ancelotti's biggest Champions League headache
2dGraham Hunter
The non-league Champions League: How FC United conquered Europe again
1dTony Mabert
Breaking down Ten Hag's FA Cup triumph, Barca's poor Xavi treatment, more: Marcotti recaps the weekend
2dGabriele Marcotti
How do Barcelona, Lyon move on from Giraldez, Bompastor?
1dESPN
MLS Power Rankings: Messi-less Miami still top, Atlanta fall
2dMegan Swanick
NWSL Power Rankings: Orlando Pride go top as Portland Thorns dip
2dJoseph Lowery
Why hiring a new manager can be so hard for Europe's top clubs
2dMark Ogden
Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FCMay 26, 2024, 01:49 PM ET
Close
Barcelona will be in Pot 1 for the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League group stage draw after it was confirmed that AS Roma would not be in the competition.
Atalanta needed to finish fifth in Serie A for a place in the Champions League to pass down to Roma in sixth, but Atalanta's 3-0 win at home to Torino on Sunday secured a top-four place. Roma will take up a place in the Europa League.
If Atalanta had finished fifth, they would have qualified for the Champions League as Europa League titleholders, with the extra spot for Italy earned by their clubs' performance in Europe this season passed to sixth. Instead, that additional place will go to the team that did finish fifth, Bologna.
Barcelona would also have been overtaken for a place in Pot 1 by Bayer Leverkusen had the Bundesliga side avoided defeat in the Europa League final, but they lost 3-0 to Atalanta.
As Atalanta won't be using the titleholders' place, Benfica are promoted direct into the empty spot in the group stage as the club with the best coefficient of those in qualifying. If Real Madrid win the Champions League, Shakhtar Donetsk will also not have to qualify.
Under the new format which begins next season, only the Champions League holders are assured of a place in Pot 1, with all other places ordered by coefficient. However, with each team being drawn against two clubs from the four pots to create eight fixtures, the seeding of the pots now has limited relevance -- the teams in Pot 1 are not prevented from playing each other.
- New Champions League format explained
The Champions League is being expanded from 32 to 36 teams, with all placed in one league table. Eight matches will be played, four at home and four away. Teams from the same country should be kept apart, although leagues with 4+ teams may have to play one other from the same association if there's deadlocking in the draw.
As this new system throws up so many alternatives, the majority of the draw will be completed by a computer. A team will be drawn from Pot 1 in traditional style, and then the process of selecting that club's opponents will be performed automatically.
The top eight go straight through to the round of 16, positions eight to 24 play in a two-legged knockout playoff round, and those placed 25th to 36th are eliminated. There is no longer any dropdown into the Europa League.
The draw for the group stage takes place on Thursday, Aug. 29.
POT 1
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain
Liverpool
Internazionale
Borussia Dortmund
RB Leipzig
Barcelona
POT 2
Bayer Leverkusen
Atlético Madrid
Juventus
Atalanta
Benfica
Arsenal
Club Brugge (*subject to securing the Belgian title on Sunday)
Rangers (must come through qualifying)
Shakhtar Donetsk (must come through qualifying)
Pots 3 and 4 will depend upon which clubs come through qualifying, and whether Eintracht Frankfurt qualify by virtue of Borussia Dortmund winning the Champions League.
Pot 4 is the likely destination for Celtic, AS Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona and Brest.