The season
The 2024/25 competition used the format we call “the league phase”. One table of thirty-six; each club plays eight different opponents. 36 clubs from 16 countries took part, and Paris Saint-Germain won it, beating Inter Milan in the final.
By our squad ratings, Manchester City had the strongest squad in the field, with a best eleven averaging 89. Paris Saint-Germain had only the ninth strongest squad of 36, so their title was a genuine upset on paper. Their opponents in the final, Inter Milan, rated 84.
Germany and Italy sent the most clubs, 5 each. 8 of the 16 nations in the field had a single representative.
The highest-rated player in the competition, by our estimates, was Rodri of Manchester City, a CDM rated 92.
Thirty-six clubs play eight different opponents each, four at home and four away, in a single league table. The top eight go straight to the round of sixteen, the clubs from ninth to twenty-fourth play a two-legged knockout play-off, and the bottom twelve are out. There was no away-goals rule: ties level on aggregate went to extra time and penalties.
The strongest squads
Our rating for each club is the average of its best eleven players that season, on the scale the game uses.
- 1Manchester CityEngland89
- 2Real MadridSpain89
- 3LiverpoolEngland87
- 4ArsenalEngland86
- 5Bayer 04 LeverkusenGermany86
- 6FC BarcelonaSpain86
- 7FC Bayern MunichGermany86
- 8Atlético MadridSpain85
The best players in the field
- 1 RodriManchester City · CDM92
- 2Erling HaalandManchester City · ST92
- 3Kylian MbappéReal Madrid · ST92
- 4Harry KaneFC Bayern Munich · ST91
- 5Jude BellinghamReal Madrid · CAM91
- 6Kevin De BruyneManchester City · CM91
- 7Vini Jr.Real Madrid · LW91
- 8 AlissonLiverpool · GK90
- 9Gianluigi DonnarummaParis Saint-Germain · GK90
- 10Marc-André ter StegenFC Barcelona · GK90
The field
36 clubs took part, by country:
- Germany: Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart
- Italy: AC Milan, Atalanta BC, Bologna FC 1909, Inter Milan, Juventus
- England: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City
- France: AS Monaco, Lille OSC, Paris Saint-Germain, Stade Brestois 29
- Spain: Atlético Madrid, FC Barcelona, Girona, Real Madrid
- Austria: FC Red Bull Salzburg, SK Sturm Graz
- Netherlands: Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven
- Portugal: SL Benfica, Sporting CP
- Belgium: Club Brugge
- Croatia: GNK Dinamo Zagreb
- Czech Republic: AC Sparta Prague
- Scotland: Celtic
- Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
- Slovakia: ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- Switzerland: BSC Young Boys
- Ukraine: FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Replay 2024/25 in Magic Nights
In Magic Nights you can take charge of any of these 36 clubs, with the squad they had that season, and play the competition in this exact format. Win it with the favourites, or try the hardest job in the game: lifting the trophy with a club from the bottom half of the field.