UEFA Champions League group stage draw: everything you need to know | UEFA Champions League
When is the draw?
The 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony will start at 6:00 p.m. CET on Thursday 26 August. It takes place in Istanbul, Turkey and will be broadcast live on UEFA.com.
Who participates in the draw?
Twenty-six teams automatically qualified for the group stage:
ESP: Atlético, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal
FR: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea
ALL: Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund, Wolfsburg
ITA: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
ENG: LOSC, Paris
POR: Sporting CP, Porto
RUS: Zenith
BEL: Club Brugge
UKR: Dynamo Kiev
NED: Ajax
TUR: Beşiktaş
The final six places in the group stage will be decided via the play-offs.
Did you know?
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to overtake Iker Casillas as the best UEFA Champions League player in the 2021/22 group stage. Check out the full list.
How does the draw work?
The teams will be divided into four seed pots. Pot 1 will include the champions, UEFA Europa League winners and champions from the six top-ranked nations who did not qualify through any of the 2020/21 continental titles; Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by the club coefficient ranking.
No team can play a team of its own association. Any other restrictions will be announced before the raffle ceremony.
In the case of associations with two representatives, the clubs will be twinned in order to divide their matches between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In the case of associations with four (or more) representatives, two pairings will be made. These pairs must be based on televised audiences and will be confirmed before the raffle ceremony.
Do we know the draw pots?
These will be confirmed before the draw.
When are the group stage matches?
The full list of group stage matches will be communicated after the draw. The dates are as follows:
Day 1: September 14/15
Day 2: September 28/29
Day 3: October 19/20
Day 4: 2/3 November
Day 5: 23/24 November
Day 6: December 7/8
Full calendar 2021/22
What about the 2020/21 winners?
The following winners will also be announced during the raffle ceremony:
UEFA Player of the Year
UEFA player of the year
UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year
UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year
UEFA Champions League goalkeeper for the 2020/21 season
UEFA Champions League Defender of the 2020/21 Season
Mid-season 2020/21 UEFA Champions League season
Ahead of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League season
UEFA Women’s Champions League 2020/21 goalkeeper
UEFA Women’s Champions League Defender for the 2020/21 Season
Midfielder of the 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League season
Ahead of the 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League season
The 2021/22 campaign will end on Saturday, May 28, with the final taking place at the St Petersburg Stadium in Russia.