Real Madrid have only just won the Champions League but the journey to next season’s competition is already upon us.
Qualifying rounds will take place throughout the summer, though a number of teams already know their potential opponents with pots beginning to take shape.
Here’s all you need to know.
There are four pots for the Champions League group stage draw. They are then allocated into eight groups of four in the draw on August 25.
Pot 1 is made up of the league champions from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga as well as the Champions League and Europa League winners.
Pots 2, 3 and 4 and then determined by UEFA club coefficient, which is determined by how well each side has done in Europe over the past five seasons.
As Real Madrid won both La Liga and the Champions League, the spare spot in Pot 1 will go to the winner of the seventh-ranked league in Europe, which is the Netherlands’ Eredivisie – Ajax won that division in 2022/23.
For teams who haven’t automatically qualified through league positions, qualifying rounds will determine who makes it into the Champions League.
Champions Path
All league champions who do not qualify directly for the group stage go into the Champions Path.
It includes:
Teams eliminated from this path enter either the Europa League or Europa Conference League at different stages, depending on when they were knocked out.
Play-off round
Third qualifying round
Second qualifying round
First qualifying round
Preliminary round
League Path
The League Path includes non-champions who did not qualify directly for the group stage.
It includes:
Two losers from the second qualifying round enter the Europa League’s Main Path qualifiers, while the four losers from the third qualifying stage and the two play-off round losers enter the group stage.
Third qualifying round
Second qualifying round
Qualifying matches will take place throughout the summer, with the final play-offs set to be played on 16/17 and 23/24 August.
