The Champions League is a club competition for the best teams in Europe. Originally called the European Cup, it debuted in 1955 and has become a staple of the soccer calendar. In the first edition the sixteen top clubs from major national leagues competed in four rounds of knockout play to determine a champion. Real Madrid won the first five titles and established an enduring legacy that allows winning clubs to keep the trophy (which must be displayed in their stadium).
In 2024-25 the tournament was overhauled to add a league phase and the format was changed from a single round-robin group stage to a double-round-robin group stage. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the knockout phase play-offs, which consisted of two-legged matches between the teams ranked 9th to 24th in each pot, a system that aimed to promote competitive balance.
In the new system, a maximum of 32 teams will qualify for the league phase of the Champions League. Then, a draw will be conducted to establish the groups. Each group will contain one team from each national association. Then the teams will be seeded for the quarterfinal and semifinal draws based on their performances in the group stage. A re-seeding is done for the final eight and the draw takes place on Feb. 21. The top four teams from the league phase advance to the quarterfinals and semifinals, and a draw is held to establish which will play which.