The UEFA Champions League draw and group stage is nearly here as the European season slowly gets into full gear. The final qualifying round is taking place this week and next as six final group stage spots will be decided. Real Madrid are the reigning champions after their surprising win over Liverpool, while Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and other massive clubs hope to finish the season at the summit of European soccer.
Here’s everything you need to know:
How to watch
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When is the group stage draw?
August 25 at 12 p.m. ET from Istanbul, Turkey.
Qualified teams
- Real Madrid
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Manchester City
- AC Milan
- Bayern Munich
- PSG
- Porto
- Ajax
- Liverpool
- Chelsea
- Barcelona
- Juventus
- Atletico Madrid
- Sevilla
- RB Leipzig
- Tottenham
- Borussia Dortmund
- Red Bull Salzburg
- Shakhtar Donest
- Inter Milan
- Napoli
- Sporting Lisbon
- BayerLeverkusen
- Marseille
- Club Brugge
- Celtic
How the draw works
The teams will be split into four pots, with Pot 1 consisting of the reigning UCL champs, Real Madrid, the reigning Europa League winners, Eintracht Frankfurt, and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2021-22 titles. The remaining pots are determined by club coefficient rankings.
Group stage matchdays
- Matchday 1: Sept. 6-7
- Matchday 2: Sept. 13-14
- Matchday 3: Oct. 4-5
- Matchday 4: Oct. 11-12
- Matchday 5: Oct. 25-26
- Matchday 6: Nov. 1-2
Knockout stage schedule
Round of 16
- First legs: Feb. 14-15, Feb. 21-22
- Second legs: March 7-8, March 14-15
Quarterfinals
- First legs: April 11-12
- Second legs: April 18-19
Semifinals
- First legs: May 9-10
- Second legs: May 16-17
Final
- June 10
KVSP