Champions League is the world’s most prestigious club competition, played by the champions (and, in some cases, runners-up) of Europe’s top domestic leagues. It is regarded as the most important competition in European football and features some of the continent’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Juventus, and Ajax.
The competition has a long and storied history. It was a major catalyst for the rapid growth of soccer in Europe, and helped bring together the game’s greatest players and most celebrated coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Rafael Benitez, Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel, and Zinedine Zidane.
After the group stage, the tournament begins its knockout phase and follows a traditional format with quarterfinals, semi-finals (both two legged), and the final at a neutral venue. Ties are broken by goal difference, and a team can be knocked out by a single away goal.
The top eight teams from the group phase are seeded for the quarterfinals and will be drawn against each other. During the draw, clubs may not be drawn against each other if they competed in the same group, play in the same association, or have a similar coefficient. From the quarterfinals onwards, there is no association protection in the draw, meaning any club can be drawn against any other. This allows for the introduction of new rivalries and creates an interesting dynamic in the knockout phase. All remaining ties are two legged. UEFA rules state that the team that scores more goals over the course of the two matches advances to the next round.