What time is Champions League group stage draw? Teams, pots and 2022/23 details
The 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage takes shape when the draw takes place on Thursday 25 August.
Real Madrid won the competition last season after beating Liverpool 1-0 in the final. The two powerhouses could potentially face off in the group stage as they are placed in different pots.
After the qualifying rounds that took place over the summer, the new Champions League campaign officially begins with the group stage draw, adding 26 automatic qualifiers to the six teams that emerged from qualifying.
Before the draw, the 32 clubs are divided into four pots based on different UEFA rankings as explained below. They will be drawn into eight groups, each consisting of four teams.
Full details of the draw including date, time, TV and streaming follow below.
MORE: Who will win the 2022-23 Champions League?
When is the Champions League group stage draw?
The 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw will take place on 25 August at 18:00 local time in Istanbul, Turkey.
The bottom three spots in the group stage will be decided just 24 hours before the draw when the playoffs conclude.
| 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 | TUDN | fuboTV, Vix+, Paramount+, CBS sports headquarters |
Champions League teams and pots for group stage draw
Pot 1 consists of the defending champions of the defending Champions League (Real Madrid) and Europa League (Eintracht Frankfurt) and the reigning league champions of each of the top six nations according to the UEFA country coefficient rankings.
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.
Each club’s UEFA club coefficient rankings are included below for pots 2-4, as the seeding of clubs in these pots is based on the coefficient rankings.
| pot 1 | pot 2 | pot 3 | pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| real Madrid (Champions League) |
2 Liverpool | 19-Borussia Dortmund | 33 rangers |
| Eintracht Frankfurt (European League) |
5-Chelsea | 21-RB Salzburg | 34-Dinamo Zagreb |
| Manchester City (1st, England) |
6-Barcelona | 22-Shahtar Donetsk | 38-Olympique Marseille |
| AC Milan (1st, Italy) |
8-Juventus | 23-Inter Milan | 41-FC Copenhagen |
| Bayern Munich (1st, Germany) |
9-Atlético Madrid | 25-Napoli | 44 Club Brugge |
| PSG (1st, France) |
12-Seville | 27 Benfica | 51-celtic |
| postage (1st, Portugal) |
13-RB Leipzig | 28 Sporty CP | 55-Victoria Pilsen |
| ajax (1st, Netherlands) |
14-Tottenham | 30-Bayer Leverkusen | 169-Maccabi Haifa |
One club is selected from each pot to form the eight groups of four teams each.
Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn into the same group and must be moved to the next available group.
MORE: Champions League qualifying results and highlights
| number of societies |
nation | societies |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Germany | Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 4 | England | Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham |
| 4 | Italy | AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Juventus |
| 4 | Spain | Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Seville |
| 3 | Portugal | Benfica, Porto, Sporting CP |
| 2 | France | PSG, Olympique Marseille |
| 2 | Scotland | Celtic, Rangers |
| 1 | Austria | RB Salzburg |
| 1 | Belgium | Club Brugge |
| 1 | Croatia | Dynamo Zagreb |
| 1 | Czech Republic | Victoria Pilsen |
| 1 | Denmark | FC Copenhagen |
| 1 | Israel | Maccabi Haifa |
| 1 | Netherlands | ajax |
| 1 | Ukraine | Shakhtar Donetsk |
Champions League matches 2022/23
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage will take place on August 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
| 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 Stage Schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League Round of 16 will take place on November 7, 2022.
The draw for the remaining rounds (quarter-finals and semi-finals) of the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stages will take place on 17 March 2023.
| 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 | |