In the knockout stage, the away goal rule is used if a tie ends in an aggregate draw. In the group stage and the last 16, teams from the same nation cannot face each other. This includes the round of 16, the quarter-finals, and the semi-finals. The knockout stage occurs in a two-legged format. Each team faces their group-stage opponents twice – both home and away – and the two highest-ranked clubs from each group move on to the knockout stage. The annual tournament typically kicks off in June with the preliminary round, which was introduced in the 2009/10 season, and wraps up in late May or early June with the final.Ī total of 32 teams compete in the group stage – 26 teams qualify automatically from the domestic leagues while the remaining six emerge from the preliminary round – with the participants being drawn into eight groups of four.
The UEFA Champions League, previously known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or simply the European Cup until 1992, is UEFA’s premier and most prestigious club competition.
