The Champions League 2024 is well underway, with four teams left in the competition. But who are this year’s favourites?
The 2023 tournament was won by Manchester City when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, thanks to a goal from Rodri.
Real Madrid return again this season in a bid to add another title to the 14 they have already won. If they can reign victorious, it will be their sixth win in ten years.
Champions League Semi-Finals 2024
Group stages began in September 2023, and by the time the six rounds were complete, 16 teams had progressed to the next stage.
That is known as the Round of 16 and it had two legs.
That set up the quarterfinals in which Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund all won, sending them all into the semi finals of the Champions League 2024.
The draw was made, and the following teams played each other for a coveted spot in the 2024 Final.
- Borussia Dortmund V Paris Saint-Germain – May 1st & May 7th
- Bayern Munich V Real Madrid – April 30th & May 8th
When Is The Champions League Final 2024 On?
We expect two very dramatic semi-finals to find out which two teams will be playing for the trophy in 2024.
As soon as both games have been played in May, the diaries will be out for June 1st 2024, when the final will take place in Wembley Stadium in London.
So who do the bookies have as favourites and is there any value in the odds?
Champions League 2024 Odds
Odds are from Betfred and are correct as of 13th May 2024.
Real Madrid |
11/8 |
PSG |
5/2 |
Bayern Munich |
11/4 |
Borussia Dortmund |
17/2 |
Which Team Has Won It The Most?
The team that has won the UEFA Champions League the most times is Real Madrid.
They have won the competition a record 14 times, with their victories coming in the following years: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
French footballer Karim Benzema was also the top goalscorer in the tournament in 2022, scoring 15 goals for Real Madrid.
How Much Does A Team Get For Winning?
The prize money on offer is quite staggering, which is just one of the reasons teams want to win it so badly.
Here is the breakdown of prize money for the tournament in 2024:
- Play-off round: €4,290,000
- Base fee for group stage: €18,620,000
- League Phase victory: €2,100,000
- League Phase draw: €700,000
- League phase top 8: €2,000,000
- League phase ranked 9 through 16: €1,000,000
- Knockout round play-offs: €1,000,000
- Round of 16: €11,000,000
- Quarter-finals: €12,500,000
- Semi-finals: €15,000,000
- Runners-up: €18,500,000
- Champions: €25,000,000
Under this structure, a club can potentially earn more than €85 million in prize money alone, excluding shares from qualifying rounds, play-off rounds, or the market pool.
A significant portion of the revenue distribution in the UEFA Champions League is associated with the “market pool.”
This pool’s distribution is based on the value of the television market in each participating nation.
In the 2019-20 season, Paris Saint-Germain, the runners-up, earned a total of nearly €126.8 million, with €101.3 million coming from prize money.
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On the other hand, Bayern Munich, the tournament winners, earned €125.46 million, including €112.96 million in prize money.
How Did The UEFA Champions League Start?
Formerly known as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup, it originated from the idea of creating a competition to determine the best club team in Europe.
The tournament was officially established in 1955, following discussions between French sports journalist Gabriel Hanot, who worked for the French newspaper L’Équipe, and the French Football Federation.
Hanot proposed the concept of a pan-European club competition to UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), the governing body for football in Europe, as a means to determine the true champions of the continent.
UEFA embraced the idea, and the inaugural European Champion Clubs’ Cup was held in the 1955-1956 season.
Initially, participation in the tournament was limited to the champions of each national league from the UEFA member associations. However, over time, the format evolved to include multiple teams from top leagues and incorporate runners-up and other high-ranking clubs as well.
The competition steadily grew in popularity, attracting significant attention and from football fans across Europe.
It underwent various modifications, including the introduction of group stages in the 1992-1993 season and subsequent rebranding as the UEFA Champions League.
Today, the UEFA Champions League remains one of the most prestigious and widely followed club competitions in the world, featuring top clubs from Europe’s national leagues battling it out for the coveted title.
How Does A Team Qualify?
A football team can qualify through several different avenues, depending on the regulations and criteria established by their national football association and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The primary methods of qualification are as follows:
Domestic League Performance:
The most common path to qualification is through a team’s performance in their domestic league.
Each national association receives a specific number of allocated spots in the Champions League based on the UEFA coefficient ranking, which takes into the historical performance of teams from that country.
Typically, the highest-ranked teams in the domestic league, often the champions and sometimes runners-up, secure qualification for the Champions League.
Qualifying Rounds:
Teams that finish below the automatic qualification spots in their domestic league may enter the qualifying rounds.
These rounds consist of knockout matches between teams from various countries, with the winners advancing to the group stage of the tournament.
UEFA Europa League Performance:
If a team does not qualify for the Champions League through their domestic league position, they may have another opportunity by performing well in the UEFA Europa League.
The winners of the Europa League gain automatic entry into the following season’s group stage.
Title Defence:
The team that wins the previous season’s Champions League title automatically qualifies for the next edition of the tournament.
It’s important to note that the specific qualification rules and criteria may vary from season to season, and UEFA periodically reviews and adjusts them.
Additionally, teams must meet certain eligibility requirements related to licensing, financial fair play, and other regulations set by UEFA in order to participate.
