The highly anticipated 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season kicks off today, September 17, marking the beginning of an exciting journey to crown Europe's top club.

This season promises to be bigger and more thrilling than ever, with an expanded league phase and more matches to enjoy.

The competition starts tonight with the curtain raiser seeing two matches kicking off at the same time with Juventus v PSV and Young Boys v Aston Villa.

Clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool are also in action this evening. On Wednesday, Manchester City take on Inter Milan in a blockbuster fixture. Other clubs competing tomorrow include Celtic and Paris St-Germain.

The revamped Champions League format increases the number of matches from 125 to 189, with each team playing a minimum of eight and a maximum of 17 games. The league phase, which previously concluded in December, will now finish at the end of January.

Here are the important dates to keep in mind:

League Phase:

Matchday 1: September 17-19

Matchday 2: October 1/2

Matchday 3: October 22/23

Matchday 4: November 5/6

Matchday 5: November 26/27

Matchday 6: December 10/11

Matchday 7: January 21/22

Matchday 8: January 29

Knockout Stage:

Knockout round play-offs: February 11/12 & 18/19

Round of 16: March 4/5 & 11/12

Quarter-finals: April 8/9 & 15/16

Semi-finals: April 29/30 & May 6/7

Final: May 31

Draws:

First qualifying round: June 18, 2024

Second qualifying round: June 19, 2024

Third qualifying round: July 22, 2024

Play-offs: August 5, 2024

League phase: August 29, 2024

Knockout round play-offs: January 31, 2025

Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final: February 21, 2025

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season will culminate at the iconic Munich Football Arena in Germany, marking the first time the city has hosted the final since 2012.