The previous system with four-team groups and double matches has been scrapped. Instead, a basic series with 36 teams will be played, where each team meets eight different opponents. Four of the matches are played at home and four away.
When the series has been completed, the top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16. Teams in 9th-24th place will play a playoff in a double match to advance to the round of 16. The remaining teams – those who finish between 25th and 36th – are eliminated.
Now that the series has been drawn, it's clear that there will be several hot matches. These include replays of the last three seasons' finals: Liverpool-Real Madrid, Manchester City-Inter, and Real Madrid-Borussia Dortmund.
In addition, there will be other top matches like Barcelona-Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain-Manchester City.
The first matches will be played on September 17. Real Madrid is the reigning champion, and the final will be played in Munich on May 31 next year.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, Milan, Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Dinamo Zagreb, Salzburg, Lille, Red Star, Young Boys, Celtic, Slovan Bratislava, Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest.
