The 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw is edging closer and will soon take place to decide fixtures in Europe’s elite club competition this season.
The current champions are Real Madrid, who beat Liverpool in last season’s final in Paris, and both sides will be among the favourites for this year’s trophy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the group stage draw which will see Europe’s best teams fight it out for a knockout stage place.
The draw will be broadcast and streamed live by UEFA around the world.
Yearly UEFA awards, such as Men’s Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year will also be awarded to players from the 2021/22 season during the ceremony before the draw.
Which teams are involved in the Champions League 2022/23 group stage?
26 sides qualify automatically for the Champions League through their 2021/22 league finish – aside from Eintracht Frankfurt, who won the Europa League.
A further six teams then reached the group stages with victory in play-off qualifiers.
The draw will then take place on 25 August with the 32 teams set and ordered into four separate pots. Pot 1 is made up of the Champions League and Europa League holders and the league title winners of the six top-ranked countries. Pots 2 to 4 are then determined by club coefficient rankings.
Champions League 2022/23 group stage draw seeding pots
Pot 1
Pot 2
Pot 3
Pot 4
Teams cannot draw another side from their own association.
The 2022/23 Champions League group stage will begin on Tuesday 6 September. This season, the matchdays will be condensed into eight weeks to allow for the winter World Cup in Qatar.
