Chelsea Champions League group draw 2022/23: Potential teams, fixtures, schedule, history and odds to advance

Chelsea will be hoping for a better UEFA Champions League showing in 2022/23 as they get set to discover their group stage fate. 

The 2020/21 champions failed to defend their title last season as they were knocked out by eventual champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

The Blues have generally performed well in the Champions League group stages and the only time they failed to progress to the knockout stages was in 2012/13. 

They will be one of 32 teams in the pots at the Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul, Turkey on August 25. Their adventure will begin with an opening group match on Sept. 6/7.

MORE: Who will win the 2022/23 Champions League? Betting odds and favorites

Chelsea’s Champions League group in 2022/23

Chelsea secured an automatic berth to the group stage of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League by virtue of finishing in the Premier League’s top four during the 2021/22 season.

Since Chelsea do not meet the criteria to be included in Pot 1 — they did not win the most recent Premier League, the Champions League, or Europa League — they have been placed in Pot 2 for the Champions League draw.

They’ll therefore have to play a side from Pot 1, but tournament rules say they can’t be pitted against a fellow English club which rules out Manchester City. (Teams from the same country can only face off beginning in the quarter-final stage.)

It’s also worth noting that in order to maximize the TV audience, Chelsea and Tottenham will not be permitted by UEFA to play at the same time during the group stage.

As such, if Chelsea or Tottenham are drawn into groups A-D, then the other team will automatically be assigned to one of the groups E-H, and vice-versa (groups A-D and E-H typically play on different days).

Potential group stage draw for Chelsea

Here’s how Chelsea’s group stage draw could play out. 

Pot 1

The Blues will be hoping to avoid reigning champions Real Madrid from this pot. PSG would make for an interesting matchup and see Tuchel come up against his former side. A friendly draw for Chelsea would see them pitted against Porto or Ajax. 

Pot 3

A pot full of wildcards, Chelsea could find themselves faced with tough fixtures against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Napoli depending on who they draw here. 

Pot 4

Despite being the weakest pot, the Blues may still be challenged if they draw the likes of Celtic, Rangers or Marseille. 

Best possible draw:

• Pot 1: Ajax
• Pot 2: Chelsea
• Pot 3: Benfica
• Pot 4: Maccabi Haifa

Worst possible draw:

• Pot 1: Real Madrid
• Pot 2: Chelsea
• Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund
• Pot 4: Celtic 

MORE: Group stage draw time, date and procedures

Chelsea Champions League fixtures

Once Chelsea’s Champions League group is confirmed, UEFA will finalise every club’s fixtures in the competition with some rough dates already locked in.

The Blues will play each team in their group twice with one game at home and one away. 

Should Chelsea finish as one of the top two teams in their group at the conclusion of the six group-stage matches, they would advance to the knockout stages beginning with the Round of 16.

Here’s the road through the knockout rounds to the final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Chelsea history in the Champions League

Chelsea have won the UEFA Champions League twice in their history with their two triumphs both coming in the past 11 years. 

The Blues regularly feature in the knockout stages of the competition, only once failing to get out of the group stage (2012/13).