Which teams are in the 2024/25 Youth League?

The UEFA Youth League has a new format for its 11th edition, adapting to the format change of the senior UEFA club competitions, meaning a larger entry than ever before in 2024/25.

As before, the contenders are split into two paths, the UEFA Champions League path and the Domestic Champions path, both of which are played through the rest of the year, before they come together for the knockout phase in 2025.

The UEFA Champions League path will include the 36 youth teams of the clubs that qualified for the league phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. The league stage will mirror the Champions League league phase (the fixtures decided by the same draw) but is limited to the first six matchdays, with the same matches played in both competitions (three at home and three away).

The domestic champions path is restructured to include the domestic youth champions of all UEFA member associations of which 52 have entered; previously participation was limited to the top 32 associations of the ranking list. Consequently there will be three rounds of two-legged ties instead of two, with some clubs starting directly in the second round.

If a club qualified for both the Champions League path and the domestic champions path, they automatically participate in the Champions League path and the vacancy in the domestic path was filled by the runners-up of the same association.

Who is in this season's UEFA Youth League?

UEFA Champions League path

• Played in the same format as the senior UEFA Champions League with one league of 36 teams. The fixture list will follow the same schedule as the first six matchdays of the UEFA Champions League.
• The top 22 clubs after the six matchdays progress to the round of 32.

England: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atlético de Madrid
Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern München, Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund
Italy: Inter, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Brest, LOSC Lille
Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
Portugal: Sporting CP, Benfica
Belgium: Club Brugge
Scotland: Celtic
Austria: Sturm Graz, Salzburg
Serbia: Crvena Zvezda
Switzerland: Young Boys
Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
Czechia: Sparta Praha
Croatia: GNK Dinamo
Slovakia: Slovan Bratislava

Domestic champions path

• Played as three rounds of two-legged ties, all drawn at 10:00 CET on Tuesday 3 September.
• The 24 clubs from the lowest-ranked entering associations will begin in the first round.
• Clubs from the 28 top-ranked entering associations will begin their campaigns in the second round.
• The ten third-round winners will progress to the round of 32.

Enter in second round
Holders/Greece: Olympiacos
England: Manchester United
Spain: Real Betis*
Germany: Hoffenheim
Italy: Sassuolo
France: Auxerre*
Netherlands: AZ Alkmaar
Portugal: Braga
Belgium: Genk
Scotland: Aberdeen
Austria: SK Rapid*
Serbia: FK IMT
Türkiye: Trabzonspor
Switzerland: Basel
Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv
Czechia: Zbrojovka Brno*
Norway: Strømsgodset
Denmark: Midtjylland
Croatia: NK Lokomotiva*
Israel: Maccabi Petah Tikva
Cyprus: Pafos
Sweden: IFK Göteborg
Poland: Legia Warszawa
Hungary: Puskás Akadémia
Romania: Farul Constanța
Bulgaria: CSKA-Sofia
Slovakia: Trenčín
Azerbaijan: Sabah

*As Atlético, Paris, Salzburg, Sparta Praha and GNK Dinamo qualified for the senior UEFA Champions League, they are replaced respectively in the Domestic Champions path by domestic youth runners-up Real Betis, Auxerre, Rapid, Zbrojovka and NK Lokomotiva.

Enter in round 1
Kazakhstan: Kairat
Slovenia: Maribor
Moldova: Academia Rebeja
Kosovo: Football Club 2 Korriku
Latvia: BFC Daugavpils
Republic of Ireland: UCD FC
Finland: Honka Espoo
Lithuania: Žalgiris
Armenia: Pyunik
Belarus: Dinamo Minsk
Bosnia and Herzegovina: FK Sarajevo
Luxembourg: Progrès Niederkorn
Faroe Islands: HB
Northern Ireland: Cliftonville
Malta: Valletta
Georgia: Dinamo Tbilisi
Estonia: Tallina Kalev
Iceland: Stjarnan
Albania: Futboll Klub Bylis
Wales: The New Saints
Gibraltar: Lincoln Red Imps
North Macedonia: AP Brera Strumica 
Andorra: FC Santa Coloma
Montenegro: Budućnost Podgorica

Team guide

• Along with holders Olympiacos, other past champions involved are joint-record two-time winners Barcelona, plus AZ Alkmaar, Benfica, Real Madrid and Salzburg.

• Last season's beaten finalists AC Milan are involved along with past runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk.

• Atlético, Barcelona, Bayern, Benfica, Manchester City, Paris and Real Madrid maintain their perfect record of having entered all 11 editions of this competition, which began in 2013/14 (the 2020/21 edition was cancelled).

• France and Germany now share the record for having the number of different entrants at 14 due to debuts for Auxerre, Brest and Stuttgart.

• Along with Auxerre, Brest and Stuttgart, also making their debuts are Aberdeen, Academia Rebeja, Aston Villa, Bologna, Brera Strumica, Budućnost Podgorica, Bylis, Cliftonville, CSKA-Sofia, FC 2 Korriku, FC Santa Coloma, Girona, HB, IFK Göteborg, IMT, Lincoln Red Imps, Progrès Niederkorn, Rapid, Real Betis, Sabah, Sassuolo, Strømsgodset, Sturm Graz, Tallina Kalev, TNS, Valletta and Zbrojovka Brno

• Andorra, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Malta and Wales are represented for the first time.

Knockouts & final four

A single knockout phase will be played with one-leg ties starting with the round of 32. The clubs ranked 1 to 6 (Champions League path) will play against the clubs ranked 17 to 22. The clubs ranked 7 to 16 will face the ten clubs that qualify via the domestic champions path.

A further open draw will be held for the round of 16 onwards.

The tournament will, as before, conclude with a final four (semi-finals and final) played at a neutral venue.

Draw and match dates

UEFA Champions League path: league phase
Draw: 29 August, Monaco
Matchday 1: 17/18/19 September
Matchday 2: 1/2 October
Matchday 3: 22/23 October
Matchday 4: 5/6 November
Matchday 5: 26/27 November
Matchday 6: 10/11 December

Domestic champions path
Draw: 3 September, Nyon
First round first leg: 18 September
First round second leg: 2 October
Second round first leg: 23 October
Second round second leg: 6 November
Third round first leg: 27 November
Third round second leg: 11 December

Knockout phase
Round of 32 draw: 20 December, Nyon 
Round of 32: 11/12 February
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 14 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 4/5 March
Quarter-finals: 1/2 April
Semi-finals: 25 April (single venue)
Final: 28 April (single venue)