After a summer jam-packed with international football action in Euro 2020, Copa America and the Olympics, Europe's showpiece domestic club competition returns with the Champions League .
The group stage draw will determine which clubs will face each other in the opening stage of the competition, potentially shaping the trajectory of the tournament as a whole.
Chelsea are current defending champions after defeating Premier League rivals Manchester City in the last season's final, adding a second Champions League trophy to their collection.
Other European heavyweights in Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Manchester United will also be gunning for this year's continental prize.
Goal has everything you need to know about Champions League group stage draw for 2021-22, including when it is, how to watch it, which teams are involved and more.
Contents
- When is the Champions League 21-22 group stage draw?
- Which teams are involved in the Champions League 21-22 group stage?
- When does the Champions League 21-22 group stage start?
- How can I watch the Champions League group stage draw?
When is the Champions League 21-22 group stage draw?
The Champions League 2020-21 group stage draw will take place on Thursday August 26, 2021 .
It will be held in Istanbul, Turkey.
Draw proceedings will commence at 5pm BST (12pm ET).
As is tradition, UEFA will also use the occasion to present awards to the best players, teams and coaches of the 2021-22 competition.
Which teams are involved in the Champions League 21-22 group stage?
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | Real Madrid | Porto | Besiktas |
| Villarreal | Barcelona | Ajax | Dynamo Kyiv |
| Atletico Madrid | Juventus | Shakhtar Donetsk | Club Brugge |
| Manchester City | Manchester United | RB Leipzig | Young Boys |
| Bayern Munich | Paris Saint-Germain | Red Bull Salzburg | AC Milan |
| Inter | Liverpool | Benfica | Malmo |
| Lille | Sevilla | Atalanta | Wolfsburg |
| Sporting | Borussia Dortmund | Zenit St Petersburg | Sheriff Tiraspol |
The Champions League group stage draw will involve a total of 32 teams - 26 automatic qualifiers and six from the qualification path.
Qualified teams are divided into four pots: Pot 1 contains the title holders, the Europa League winners and the champions of the top six national leagues based on UEFA country coeffients. The remaining three pots are populated according to a team's UEFA club coefficient.
You can see the confirmed teams that will be part of the draw in the table above.
When does the Champions League 21-22 group stage start?
The Champions League 2020-21 group stage begins with matches on Tuesday September 14 and Wednesday September 15.
There will be a total of six gameweeks in the group stage, with the last series of matches taking place on Tuesday December 7 and Wednesday December 8.
How can I watch the Champions League group stage draw?
UEFA's official website will broadcast the draw ceremony live and that can be accessed here.
If you can't watch the draw, Goal is also running a live blog containing all the biggest moments and key information from the draw as it takes place.