For decades, the UEFA Champions League group stage began annually on the second or third Tuesday in September, and in 2024 ... well, to some degree, here we go again.
Soccer's preeminent club competition returns this week to 12 countries across Europe and billions of screens globally. Real Madrid opens yet another title defense. Liverpool visits AC Milan. Juventus and Aston Villa, back after absences short and long, headline Tuesday's curtain-raisers (12:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+).
But this, the start of the 2024-25 "Champions League proper," is not a group stage — because there are no groups.