Galatasaray will participate in the Champions League from the play-off round! Here are the possible opponents of the Lions.

Galatasaray, who finished the 2023-2024 season as champions in the Super League, will represent Turkey in the Champions League. The yellow-reds will enter the Champions League from the play-off round. Here are the possible opponents of the Lions.

DRAW IN AUGUST

The draw for the play-off round in the Champions League will take place on August 5, 2024. The first matches of the play-off round will be played on August 20-21, and the second matches will be played on August 27-28. 14 teams will compete in the play-off round, and 7 teams will secure their place in the Champions League groups.

The possible opponents of the Lions are as follows:

Alongside Galatasaray, Red Star, Swiss League Champion, and Ukrainian League Champion will compete in the play-off round.

Important teams awaiting Galatasaray from the lower rounds are as follows:

• Ferencvaros (Hungary): Will start in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
• Qarabag (Azerbaijan): Will start in the first qualifying round of the Champions League.
• Bodo/Glimt (Norway): Will start in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
• Benfica (Portugal): Will start in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

FORMAT CHANGE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Last year, UEFA announced that the number of teams in the Champions League will increase from 32 to 36 as of 2024. Starting from the 2024-25 season, 34 teams will qualify based on their league achievements, and 2 teams will receive special invitations based on their past performances. The traditional group stage will be replaced by a league format. In the new model called the Swiss system, the tournament will be played in a league format. Teams will play 8 matches instead of 6. The top 8 teams in the 36-team league will advance to the next round. Teams ranked 9-24 will play in the play-off round, and the winners will compete in the round of 16. A similar format will be applied in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League. Both tournaments will have 36 teams in the group stage.