What happens to eliminated UEFA Champions League teams? Will they drop to Europa League? Who's in danger of elimination?
Published 10/12/2024 at 11:20 GMT
The inaugural league phase of the UEFA Champions League is nearing its conclusion with plenty still to play for. Which big-name teams could be facing elimination from the competition and what happens to teams if they are knocked out of the Champions League? Do they drop to the UEFA Europa League? You can watch and live stream the UEFA Champions League live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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With just three rounds remaining of the inaugural UEFA Champions League league phase, there are some big names in danger of missing out on the knockout rounds.
Paris Saint-Germain are in the elimination zone, Real Madrid are just above it, and Manchester City, Celtic and Juventus are not far clear.
What are the key remaining fixtures that could decide who is eliminated? And what happens to teams if they are knocked out of the Champions League?
No second chance in Europe
The new 36-team league phase has three segments.
The top eight teams in the league phase after eight rounds will advance into the round of 16.
The teams from ninth to 24th will go into two-legged play-offs, with the eight winners moving into the last 16.
The teams that finish from 25th to 36th in the league phase will be eliminated from Europe this season.
Unlike in the previous Champions League format, teams will not drop down to the UEFA Europa League.
The teams that lose in the play-offs will also be out of Europe and will not fall to the Europa League.
Which teams are in danger of elimination?
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are the two biggest names in jeopardy at the moment.
PSG occupy the final elimination spot after taking just four points from their first five games.
Defending champions Real Madrid are one place and two points above them.
Manchester City, Celtic and Juventus are all on eight points, just two points outside the top eight, but also only four points above the elimination zone.
Three teams are on zero points: RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.
UEFA Champions League danger zone
| Team | Points |
| 17. Man City | 8 |
| 18. PSV | 8 |
| 19. Juventus | 8 |
| 20. Celtic | 8 |
| 21. Feyenoord | 7 |
| 22. Club Brugge | 7 |
| 23. Dinamo Zagreb | 7 |
| 24. Real Madrid | 6 |
| 25. Paris Saint-Germain | 4 |
What are the tie-breakers?
If two or more teams finish level on the same points, then their rankings will first be decided by goal difference.
If the goal differences are the same, then the following tie-breakers will be used in descending order:
- Goals scored
- Away goals scored
- Wins
- Away wins
- Combined points of opponents
- Goal difference of opponents
- Goals scored by opponents
MAN City face Juve, PSG
Manchester City have struggled for results in Europe and in the Premier League over the last month.
They have won just one of their last nine games in all competitions and last time out in the Champions League blew a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord.
They next face Juventus on Wednesday, December 11 before taking on PSG on January 22.
Pep Guardiola’s side finish against Club Brugge on January 29.
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PSG’s remaining fixtures see them play RB Salzburg (December 11), Man City (January 22) and Stuttgart (January 29).
Real Madrid face a trip to Atalanta this week before finishing against RB Salzburg (January 22) and Brest (January 29).
Celtic will be hopeful of securing their spot in the knockout rounds as their final three games are against Dinamo Zagreb (December 10), Young Boys (January 22) and Aston Villa (January 29).
How to watch UEFA Champions League on TNT Sports and discovery+
UEFA Champions League action from the 2024/25 season is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder Tool.
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TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
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