When is Champions League group stage draw 2022/23? Date, time, teams, pots, TV and live stream
All eyes will soon be on the UEFA Champions League as Europe’s biggest competition prepares for the group stage.
The 32 clubs taking part in the group stage include all European heavyweights including Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and holders Real Madrid.
Among the 32 entrants are the six clubs emerging from five rounds of summer qualifying, culminating in a crucial playoff round. Winners of the six playoff series earn a spot in the lucrative group stage, which comes with guaranteed cash prizes for each participating club.
Sporting News brings you everything you need to know about the 2022/23 Champions League draw, including the date, time, location, the teams involved and how they will be drawn.
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When is the Champions League group stage draw?
The group stage of the Champions League takes place on 11:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM BST on Thursday, August 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey, the venue for the 2023 Champions League Final.
The draw will split 32 teams into eight groups of four. During the draw, UEFA selects one team from each of the four pots to form the four teams in each group.
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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Here’s how to watch the 2022/23 Champions League
| country | TV channel | stream |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BT Sport 1/BT Sport Ultimate | BT Sport app, BTSport.com |
| United States of America | CBSSN, Univision, TUDN | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX+ |
| Australia | — | Stan sports |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
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Draw of the teams in the group stage of the Champions League
| pot 1 | pot 2 | pot 3 | pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| real Madrid | Liverpool | Borussia Dortmund | Club Brugge |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Chelsea | RB Salzburg | Celtic |
| Manchester City | Barcelona | Shakhtar Donetsk | Playoff Qualifying Round |
| AC Milan | juventus | Inter Milan | Playoff Qualifying Round |
| Bayern Munich | Atlético Madrid | Naples | Playoff Qualifying Round |
| PSG | Seville | Sporty CP | Playoff Qualifying Round |
| postage | RB Leipzig | Bayer Leverkusen | Playoff Qualifying Round |
| ajax | Tottenham | Olympique Marseille | Playoff Qualifying Round |
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.
Pot 1 contains the winners of the UEFA Champions League (Real Madrid) and the Europa League (Eintracht Frankfurt).
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.
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.
way of the champions
| Fit | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
| FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. Trabzonspor (Turkey) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
| FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
| Qarabag (Azerbaijan) vs. Viktoria Pilsen (Czech Republic) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
league way
| Fit | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|
| Rangers (Scotland) vs. PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
| Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) vs. Benfica (Portugal) | 16-17 August | 23-24 August |
Champions League matches 2022/23
Schedule of preliminary and qualifying rounds
| Round | To draw | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Qualifying 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 2, 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.
| 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 | |