UEFA Champions League draw: Time, TV channel, live stream for group stage 2022/23
With the Champions League qualifying rounds coming to an end this week with the play-off second legs, the group stage is just a few weeks away.
The group stage will feature a total of 32 teams: 26 of Europe’s top teams such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, PSG and Liverpool enter the fray alongside the six teams emerging from the playoffs.
Before the game starts, the groups must be formed. This takes place at the group stage draw, where the 32 teams are split into groups of four, with only the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout rounds.
Sporting News brings you everything you need to know to attend the 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw and find out who your team will be up against.
MORE: Champions League qualifiers results so far and matchups
How to watch the 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw
Viewers in all countries can follow the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw.
Champions League channels in several countries will broadcast the draw. For the rest of the world, fans can watch live on UEFA’s YouTube channel.
| country | date | time | TV channel | stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Friday 26 August | 02:00 CEST | — | Stan sports |
| Canada | Thursday 25 August | 12:00 p.m. ET | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Friday 26 August | 00:00 CEST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| India | Thursday 25 August | 21:30 CET | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Malaysia | Friday 26 August | 00:00 CET | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| New Zealand | Friday 26 August | 04:00 NZST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Singapore | Friday 26 August | 00:00 SST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| United Kingdom | Thursday 25 August | 17:00 CET | BT sport 1 | BT Sport site/app |
| United States of America | Thursday 25 August | 12:00 p.m. ET | — | Outstanding+, CBS sports headquarters |
How does the Champions League group stage draw work?
The draw will split 32 teams into eight groups of four. During the draw, UEFA selects one team for each group from each of the four pots.
Pot 1 consists of the defending champions of the Champions League and Europa League and the reigning champions of the top six nations according to the UEFA country coefficient list.
As Real Madrid are Spanish champions (a top 6 nation) as well as the holders of the UEFA Champions League, the place in Pot 1 reserved for the Spanish champions is allocated to the next best nation in the coefficient list. In this case, the Netherlands and their reigning Eredivisie champions Ajax were lifted into Pot 1.
Pots 2, 3 and 4 are based on the UEFA Club Coefficients List, a mathematical formula used to assess a given club’s performance in domestic and continental competitions over the past five years.
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Draw of the teams in the group stage of the Champions League
Each club’s UEFA club coefficient ranking is included in Pots 2-4 as the seedings of clubs in these pots are based on the ranking. Olympique Marseille could still be pushed into Pot 4 depending on the results of the six play-off matches.
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. As Real Madrid are both Champions League winners and Spanish La Liga champions, Pot 1 destined for the Spanish champions is taken by the Netherlands (Dutch champions Ajax), the next country on the UEFA countries’ coefficient list.
| pot 1 | pot 2 | pot 3 | pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid (Champions Lg) | 2 Liverpool | 19-Borussia Dortmund | 44 Club Brugge |
| Eintracht Frankfurt (Europe Lg) | 5-Chelsea | 21-RB Salzburg | 51-celtic |
| Manchester City (1st, England) | 6-Barcelona | 22-Shahtar 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-Atlético Madrid | 25-Napoli | 94-Bodo/Glimt or 34-Dinamo Zagreb |
| PSG (1st, France) | 12-Seville | 28 Sporty CP | 64-Qarabag or 55-Viktoria Pilsen |
| 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 form the eight groups of four teams. Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn into the same group and must be moved to the next available group.
Olympique Marseille currently occupy Pot 3 but could be downgraded to Pot 4 if a team higher in the coefficient table qualifies for the group stage (Benfica, Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade are currently ranked higher).
Champions League Playoff Round Qualifying Round
The winners of the following play-off series on aggregate goals join the 26 other clubs in the Champions League group stage draw.
| Fit | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) | 3-2 | Aug. 23 |
| FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. Trabzonspor (Turkey) | 2-1 | August 24th |
| FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) | 1-0 | August 24th |
| Qarabag (Azerbaijan) vs. Viktoria Pilsen (Czech Republic) | 0-0 | Aug. 23 |
| Rangers (Scotland) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) | 2-2 | August 24th |
| 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 starts in earnest with the 32-team group stage. All six group match days end before the World Cup break, the knockout rounds begin in February 2023.
qualification plan
| Round | To draw | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| preliminary round | June 7, 2022 | June 21, 2022 | June 24, 2022 |
| First qualifying round | June 14, 2022 | 5th-6th July 2022 | 12-13 July 2022 |
| Second qualifying round | June 15, 2022 | 19-20 July 2022 | 26-27 July 2022 |
| Third qualifying round | July 18, 2022 | 2nd-3rd Aug 2022 | 9th-10th Aug 2022 |
| playoff round | August 1, 2022 | 16-17 Aug 2022 | 23-24 Aug 2022 |
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage will take place on August 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Only the top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stages.
| Gameday | Events |
|---|---|
| 1 | September 6-7, 2022 |
| 2 | September 13 and 14, 2022 |
| 3 | 4th-5th October 2022 |
| 4 | 11-12 October 2022 |
| 5 | 25-26 October 2022 |
| 6 | 1st-2nd November 2022 |
knockout schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League Round of 16 will take place on November 7, 2022. The draw for the remainder of the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stages (quarter-finals and semi-finals) will take place on 17 March 2023.
The final will be held on June 10, 2023 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
| Round | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|
| round of 16 | 14-22 February 2023 | 7th-15th March 2023 |
| quarter finals | 11-12 April 2023 | 18-19 April 2023 |
| semifinals | 9th-10th May 2023 | 16-17 May 2023 |
| final | June 10, 2023 | |