After a thrilling finish to the UEFA Champions League's first-ever league phase, the competition will gear up to hold its inaugural knockout phase playoffs with Friday's draw. The teams that finished from ninth through 24th in the league phase will take part in the knockout phase playoffs,

Friday morning, UEFA conducted the draw for the Champion League's new playoff phase, which essentially adds one more round to the previous format's knockout stage. 16 teams were sorted, with pairings influenced (but not entirely determined) by order of finish in the group stage.

The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 playoffs are set, introducing a revamped format that replaces the traditional group stage with a league phase, ensuring high-intensity matchups from the start. Top European clubs will now battle in a knockout-style playoff round to secure a place in the Round of 16,