GUIDE: How to Watch the UEFA Champions League on TV & Streaming
For soccer fans, it doesn’t get much better than the UEFA Champions League (UCL). Europe’s best teams, across some of the world’s most prestigious leagues, battle it out to crown a champion of the continent. The annual tournament features matchups between teams that rarely compete against one another, treating fans to unique and fascinating contests. From stalwart champions like Real Madrid to unsuspecting dark horses like Dortmund, you never know what to expect in the Champions League.
In this article, we will run through all the broadcasting information you need to ensure you don’t miss a single kick, in addition to running through the leading contenders and changes to the structure.
Tournament Overview
Format
The 2024 edition of the Uefa Champions League is bringing a brand new structure, replacing the 32-team group stage with a new league-style format. Starting with this year’s tournament, Europe’s 36 best teams will participate in a league phase, in which they will play eight matches, against eight different opponents. These will be split equally so that each team plays 4 at home and 4 away.
To determine the fixtures, the 36 teams will be split into four seeding pots, and each team will play two teams from each pot, one at home and one away. The benefit of this new, and completely different structure, is that teams will face a wider variety of quality, and fans will be treated to more high-profile clashes during the early stages of the tournament. Also, every single game will be crucially important to a team's chances of progressing, which was not always the case before.
3 points will be awarded to the winner of each game, and one for both teams in a draw. The top 8 teams at the end of the league phase will automatically qualify for the last 16, with the teams placed 9th to 24th participating in two-leg knock-out games to fill the remaining 8 spots. These knock-out play-offs will be determined by seeding, with the higher seeded teams (9th to 16th) getting the return fixture in their home stadium.
The round of 16 and further rounds will then follow the same format as before, with a series of knockout games leading up to the final at a neutral venue.
Teams
The UEFA Champions League brings together the elite clubs of European football, guaranteeing automatic qualification to the top finishers of each domestic league and qualification rounds for those who just miss out. The top leagues in England (Premier League), Spain (La Liga), Germany (Bundesliga), and Italy (Serie A), all get automatic inclusion for their top 4 teams, with fewer places available for the other European leagues.
The Champions League's new European Performance Spots add two additional guaranteed places in the tournament. These spots are awarded to the two countries whose teams collectively perform the best across European competitions. This year, Italy and Germany earned these bonus qualification spots, allowing Bologna and Dortmund to qualify despite finishing 5th in their respective leagues. The final spots, bringing the total to 36 teams, are filled through a qualifying stage.
Schedule
- 9th July - 28th August: Qualifying
- 29 August 2024: Draw for league phase
- 17th September - 29th January: League phase matches
- 31st January: Draw for knockout round play-offs
- 11th - 19th February: Knockout round play-offs
- 21st February: Draw for round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final
- 4th - 12th March: Round of 16
- 8th - 16th April: Quarter-finals
- 29th April - 7th May: Semi-finals
- 31st May, 2025: Final
Tournament Predictions
Over the years, we have become accustomed to seeing a few familiar names battling it out in the latter stages of the Champions League. It will be fascinating to see if the new league format mixes things up at all, but it’s hard not to fancy either Manchester City or Real Madrid as favorites. Madrid are the reigning champs, and City have been arguably the best club team in the world over the last decade.
Harry Kane will be desperate to finally lift a trophy after failing to do so in his first year with Bayern Munich, with the Germans benefitting from the signings of Michael Olise and Joao Palhina. Finally, it would be silly to count out Arsenal, who are expecting to be hot on City’s heels in the Premier League once again.
How to Watch the Tournament
Cable & Satellite
For people in the States who want to tune into the Champions League, it is kept relatively simple. You either need access to CBS or Paramount+. CBS is available through most major cable and satellite providers, as part of their vast channel packages. For example, the likes of Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Optimum, and more, will give you CBS, alongside a wide range of other exciting sports channels, such as NFL Network, Golf Channel, and NHL Network. You will also be able to tune into a whole host of other entertainment, news, and movie channels. These options are a significant upgrade to your television viewing experience, but they come with long-term contracts.
- Cox: $61.00–$152.00/mo.
- DirecTV: $69.99–$159.99/mo
- Dish: $84.99-$114.99
- Verizon Fios: $85.00–$129.00/mo
- Optimum: $35.00 - $125.00/mo
- Spectrum: $39.99 - $74.99/mo
Streaming services
For people who want to remain a bit more flexible with their TV package, streaming services are also a great option. These tend to come in around the $70 per month mark, offering slightly fewer channels, but with the benefit of no contract tying you in. Most importantly, these will all include CBS, to give you the major Champions League clashes.
- fuboTV: $79.99 per month
- YouTube TV: $72.99 per month
- Hulu with Live TV: $76.99 per month.
- SlingTV: $55 per month
However, CBS alone won’t provide you with every single Champions league game. For unrivaled access, fans will need a Paramount+ subscription, which costs $7.99 per month with ads and $12.99 per month without ads. This subscription will give you access to every single game, plus additional analysis and on-demand content. On top of this, despite the lower price, you still get a wide array of entertainment, ranging from Young Sheldon and Love Island to top-tier movies such as 1917.
Paramount+ comes with a very handy app, that will keep you tuned in while on the move via mobile and tablet devices.
Author: Venuse, Inc.