Heidenheim in the Conference League: Chelsea as a big opponent!

Heidenheim in the Conference League: Chelsea as a big opponent!

The UEFA Conference League is opening a new chapter, and the changes are remarkable for both the participating teams and fans. The number of teams that play in this competition is increased from 32 to 36, which improves the possibilities for exciting encounters and new talents.

A highlight is the introduction of a leagueapse instead of the previous group phase. This means that each team meets six different opponents, with the games evenly divided between home and away games. This reform promises more competition and ultimately more excitement, since the top eight teams move in directly into the round of 16, while the teams in ranks 9 to 24 have to fight in an exciting play-off round to move into the knockout phase.

planned encounters for Heidenheim

For the 2024/2025 season, the 1. FC Heidenheim has secured an exciting series of tasks. The games begin on October 3, 2024 with a home game against NK Olimpija Ljubljana and continue with away games against Paphos FC (October 24), Heart of Midlothian (November 7) and Istanbul Başakşehir FK (December 12). Another highlight is the home game against the renowned Chelsea on November 28th, followed by the last group game against FC St.Gallen on December 19th.

The knockout phase will then be a climax in the game calendar, with the play-offs for the knockout round on February 13th and 20th, 2025. The grand finale finally takes place on May 28, 2025 in the Wrocław stadium in Poland.

Financial incentives for the teams

As far as the premiums are concerned, the Conference League offers the participating clubs an incentive to do their best. Each of the 36 teams receives a start -up bonus of 3.17 million euros. There are also further financial remuneration: there is 400,000 euros for each win and 133,000 euros for a tie. In addition, the best teams of the leagueapse receive additional bonuses, depending on their performance in the table.

From the round of 16, the treasure chest rises significantly. The teams that reach the round of 16 can expect 800,000 euros, while 1.3 million euros are planned for the quarter -finals. Even more money is waiting in the semifinals with 2.5 million euros and there is even 7 million euros for the final. The winner is also rewarded with 4 million euros and has the chance to qualify for the Europa League of the next season if he has not qualified through the national league.

The 1. FC Heidenheim, which for the first time acts in the club's history on an international floor, qualified for this competition with its excellent eighth place in the Bundesliga. This is an important step for the club, which has only become the highest German division last season. Trainer Frank Schmidt is optimistic and sees experience -rich games as an important element for the development of his team.

The challenge of competing against a traditional club like FC Chelsea will certainly not only be an experience of a special kind for the players, but also for the fans. Chelsea, one of the top favorites in this competition, has great ambitions to quickly return to the Champions League after a phase of the conversion.

The interest in the UEFA Conference League has grown noticeably, especially with the upcoming games this season. Fans all over the world are excited about how the new formats will have an impact and which teams will collect the extremely lucrative premiums.

The complete details of the upcoming games, the game mode and the premiums can be found on www.zdf.de .