Our U19s are in the Youth League... Here's all you need to know about the competition
They will also experience a return to European competition! Following the second placefinish of our Monégasques in Ligue 1 at the end of the 2023-2024 season, our U19s have automatically qualified for the next edition of the UEFA Youth League, six years after the Club’s last participation. Like the Champions League,UEFA has decided to change its format as this new season approaches. So here is everything you need to know about the new Youth League format. 🇪🇺
A system modeled on the Champions League format 🇪🇺
Before starting, you should know that the competition is divided into two paths: that of the U19 national champions, which concerns for example AJ Auxerre, winner of the league in this category, and that of the Champions League which concerns the Monegasques thanks in second place acquired by Takumi Minamino and his teammates. Frédéric Barilaro’s players will thus be placed in the latter, alongside 35 other teams, who have also qualified via the Champions League. This is called the championship phase.
Six matches to secure a place ⚔️
This is modeled on the new format of the Champions League but will be limited to the first six matchdays, the same matches being played in both competitions (three at home and three away). In other words, if AS Monaco faces Real Madrid, the U19s will also play a match against Los Merengues, as was the case in 2017. We’ll have our answer on August 29, the day of the draw.
The goal: finish among the top 22 🤞
At the end of this initial phase, the 22 best teams from this mini-league will qualify for the round of 16 and will face the 10 best from the national champions path, who will have previously played three knockout rounds. The clubs ranked from first to sixth place will then face those who finished from 17th to 22nd place (1st against 22nd, 2nd against 21st and so on).
As for those who finish between seventh and sixteenth place, they will play against one of the ten teams qualified via the other route, defined after a draw scheduled for the end of December. Finally, those who finish below 23rd place will be eliminated from the competition.
A final four to determine the winner 🏆
The rest of the competition (Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals) will be governed by draws to designate the rest of the fixtures as is already the case today. Finally, note that the semifinals and the final will be played on neutral ground – the location of which has yet to be determined – in a final four format with one objective for all the teams involved: to succeed Olympiakos, who won this season against AC Milan.
HISTORY MADE 🇬🇷🏆#UYL pic.twitter.com/7HgDwz0nuU
— UEFA Youth League (@UEFAYouthLeague) April 22, 2024
Two Rounds of 16 in their last three appearances 🔙
This will obviously be the case for Frédéric Barilaro’s players, whose best performances were achieved in 2017 and 2018, reaching the threshold of the round of 16, losing in a close match against Real Madrid (3-4) then against Tottenham Hotspur on penalties (1-1). In this team, we notably found players who subsequently played professional matches such as Benoît Badiashile, Khéphren Thuram and Moussa Sylla.
📅 The 2024-2025 UEFA Youth League Calendar
> UEFA Champions League Path: League Stage
Draw: Thursday August 29 (Grimaldi Forum, Monaco)
1st matchday: Tuesday 17, Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 September
2nd matchday: Tuesday October 1 and Wednesday October 2
3rd matchday: Tuesday October 22 and Wednesday October 23
4th matchday: Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 November
5th matchday: Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November
6th matchday: Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 December
> Knockout stages
Draw for the first knockout round: Friday December 20 (Nyon)
First knockout round: Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 February
Draw for the round of 16: Friday February 14 (Nyon)
Round of 16: Tuesday March 4 and Wednesday March 5
Quarterfinals: Tuesday April 1 and Wednesday April 2
Semifinals: Friday April 25 (on neutral ground)
Final: Monday April 28 (on neutral ground)