The Champions League qualifying rounds wrap up with the playoff second legs this week, and with that, the group stage is just a few weeks away.
The group stage will consist of a total of 32 teams: 26 of Europe’s top teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG, and Liverpool entering the fray alongside the six teams that emerge from the playoffs.
Before play begins, the groups will need to be constructed. That will take place at the group stage draw, where the 32 teams will be split up into groups of four with only the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockouts.
The Sporting News brings you everything you need to know to take in the 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw to find out who your team will be paired up against.
MORE: Champions League qualifier results and matchups so far
How to watch 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw
Viewers in all countries will be able to watch the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw.
Champions League broadcasters in several countries will carry the draw. For the rest of the world, fans can watch live on UEFA’s YouTube channel.
| Country | Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Fri, Aug. 26 | 02:00 AEST | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 12:00 ET | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 HKT | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| India | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 21:30 IST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Malaysia | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 MYT | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| New Zealand | Fri, Aug. 26 | 04:00 NZST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Singapore | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 SST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| UK | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 17:00 BST | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport site/app |
| USA | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 12:00 ET | — | Paramount+, CBS Sports HQ |
How does the Champions League group stage draw work?
The draw will see 32 teams split into eight groups of four. During the draw, UEFA will select one team from each of four pots to make up each group.
Pot 1 will consist of the defending Champions League and Europa League title winners, plus the reigning league champions from each of the top six nations as ranked by UEFA country coefficient list.
Since Real Madrid are the Spanish league champions (a top-six nation) as well as defending UEFA Champions League holders, the Pot 1 spot reserved for the Spanish champions is assigned to the next best nation in the coefficient list. In this case, the Netherlands and its reigning Eredivisie champion Ajax were elevated to Pot 1.
As for Pots 2, 3, and 4, those are based on the UEFA club coefficient list, which is a mathematical formula to evaluate a specific club’s performance in domestic and continental competitions over the past five years.
MORE: Who will win the 2023 UEFA Champions League? Betting odds
Teams in the Champions League group stage draw
Each club’s UEFA club coefficient ranking is included for Pots 2-4 since club seeding in those pots is based on the ranking. Olympique Marseille could yet be bumped into Pot 4 depending on the results of the six playoff matchups.
Pot 1 includes the Champions League winners (Real Madrid), the Europa League winners (Eintracht Frankfurt), and the champions from the top six nations in the UEFA country coefficient rankings. Since Real Madrid are both Champions League winners and Spanish league champions, the Pot 1 seed designated for Spanish league champions is taken by the Netherlands (Dutch champions Ajax), which is the next country on the UEFA country coefficient list.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid (Champions Lg) | 2-Liverpool | 19-Borussia Dortmund | 44-Club Brugge |
| Eintracht Frankfurt (Europa Lg) | 5-Chelsea | 21-RB Salzburg | 51-Celtic |
| Manchester City (1st, England) | 6-Barcelona | 22-Shakhtar Donetsk | 169-Maccabi Haifa or 36-Red Star |
| AC Milan (1st, Italy) | 8-Juventus | 23-Inter Milan | 41-FC Copenhagen or 226-Trabzonspor |
| Bayern Munich (1st, Germany) | 9-Atletico Madrid | 25-Napoli | 94-Bodo/Glimt or 34-Dinamo Zagreb |
| PSG (1st, France) | 12-Sevilla | 28-Sporting CP | 64-Qarabag or 55-Viktoria Plzen |
| Porto (1st, Portugal) | 13-RB Leipzig | 30-Bayer Leverkusen | 33-Rangers or 50-PSV Eindhoven |
| Ajax (1st, Netherlands) | 14-Tottenham | 38-Olympique Marseille | 39-Dynamo Kyiv or 27-Benfica |
One club is selected from each pot to make up the eight groups of four teams. Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn in the same group and must be moved to the next available group.
Olympique Marseille currently occupies Pot 3, but it could be bumped down to Pot 4 if a team ranked higher in the coefficient table qualifies for the group stage (Benfica, Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb, and Red Star Belgrade currently rank higher).
Champions League playoff round qualifiers
The winners of the following aggregate-goal playoff series will join the 26 other clubs in the Champions League group stage draw.
| Match | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) | 3-2 | Aug. 23 |
| FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. Trabzonspor (Turkey) | 2-1 | Aug. 24 |
| FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) | 1-0 | Aug. 24 |
| Qarabag (Azerbaijan) vs. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Rep.) | 0-0 | Aug. 23 |
| Rangers (Scotland) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) | 2-2 | Aug. 24 |
| Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) vs. Benfica (Portugal) | 0-2 | Aug. 23 |
MORE: Where is the 2023 Champions League final?
Champions League schedule 2022/23
After the six teams emerge from the playoffs, the 2022/23 Champions League will commence in earnest with the 32-team group stage. All six group matchdays will wrap up before the World Cup break with the knockout rounds kicking off in February 2023.
Qualifying schedule
| Round | Draw | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round | June 7, 2022 | June 21, 2022 | June 24, 2022 |
| First qualifying round | June 14, 2022 | July 5-6, 2022 | July 12-13, 2022 |
| Second qualifying round | June 15, 2022 | July 19-20, 2022 | July 26-27, 2022 |
| Third qualifying round | July 18, 2022 | Aug. 2-3, 2022 | Aug. 9-10, 2022 |
| Playoff round | Aug. 1, 2022 | Aug. 16-17, 2022 | Aug. 23-24, 2022 |
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage will take place on Aug. 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockouts.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 6-7, 2022 |
| 2 | Sept. 13-14, 2022 |
| 3 | Oct. 4-5, 2022 |
| 4 | Oct. 11-12, 2022 |
| 5 | Oct. 25-26, 2022 |
| 6 | Nov. 1-2, 2022 |
Knockout schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League Round of 16 will take place on Nov. 7, 2022. The draw for the remainder of the 2022/23 Champions League knockout bracket (quarterfinals and semifinals) will take place on March 17, 2023.
The final will be held at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10, 2023.
| Round | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Feb. 14-22, 2023 | Mar. 7-15, 2023 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 11-12, 2023 | Apr. 18-19, 2023 |
| Semifinals | May 9-10, 2023 | May 16-17, 2023 |
| Final | June 10, 2023 | |
Hits: 0
