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The 2024–25 UEFA Champions League season concluded with Paris Saint-Germain defeating Inter Milan 5–0 in the final held at Allianz Arena, Munich, on 31 May 2025. This secured PSG’s first European Cup title and was the second time a French club claimed victory in the competition, following Marseille’s win in 1993. The margin of victory set a new record for the largest in a main European men’s club competition final. With this win, PSG completed a continental treble—the first by a French club—and manager Luis Enrique became only the second to win two trebles, after Pep Guardiola. This victory qualified PSG for the 2025 UEFA Super Cup, the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. The match also marked the end of Simone Inzaghi’s tenure as Inter Milan manager[1].

The 2024–25 season was also notable for marking the first year of a major format change in the Champions League. The group stage was replaced with a single league phase featuring 36 clubs—up from 32. Each team played eight matches (four home, four away) against eight different opponents, rather than facing three teams twice as in previous seasons. The results determined the rankings in a unified league table[4].

The top eight teams from this league phase automatically qualified for the round of 16, while teams placed 9th to 24th entered a two-legged knockout play-off round. Winners of these play-offs filled the remaining eight spots in the round of 16. Teams finishing below 24th were eliminated from European competition for the season. This new structure aimed to provide more competitive fixtures and opportunities for clubs, while allowing fans to see marquee matchups earlier in the competition[2][4][6].

Looking ahead, the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League will continue with this format and is scheduled to start on 8 July 2025, culminating with the final in Budapest, Hungary, on 30 May 2026. Notably, it will be the first UEFA Champions League season to feature more than five teams from one country, with England entering six clubs. Paris Saint-Germain will defend their title in this edition[3][5].

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