The UEFA Champions League's inaugural league phase concluded on January 29 with dozens of sides jockeying for their positions in the expanded knockout stages.In the new format for 2024/25, the 36-team ladder granted the top eight sides an automatic route to the Round of 16 as seeded teams.

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.