The contenders for the prestigious 2022/23 UEFA Champions League title are down to just eight teams after the Round of 16 came to a close this.
Many of Europe's big-hitters are still alive in the competition, including the defending champions of England, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Meanwhile, Italian teams will make up three of the eight quarter-finalists for the first time since 2006.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid continue to be the oddsmakers' leading contenders to lift the famous trophy. However, they could be drawn against one another in the quarter finals.
The Sporting News brought you live coverage from Friday's draw.
MORE: Updated Champions League top scorers for 2022/23
Champions League 2023 bracket: Quarter final and semi final draw in full
Quarterfinals
| Match | Leg 1 Time (GMT / ET) |
Leg 2 Time (GMT / ET) |
| Real Madrid vs. Chelsea | April 11/12 (20:00 / 15:00) | April 18/19 (20:00 / 15:00) |
| Benfica vs. Inter Milan | April 11/12 (20:00 / 15:00) | April 18/19 (20:00 / 15:00) |
| Man City vs. Bayern Munich | April 11/12 (20:00 / 15:00) | April 18/19 (20:00 / 15:00) |
| AC Milan vs. Napoli | April 11/12 (20:00 / 15:00) | April 18/19 (20:00 / 15:00) |
Semifinals
| Match | Leg 1 Time (GMT / ET) |
Leg 2 Time (GMT / ET) |
| AC Milan/Napoli vs. Benfica/Inter | May 9/10 (20:00 / 15:00) | May 16/17 (20:00 / 15:00) |
| Real Madrid/Chelsea vs. Man City/Bayern Munich | May 9/10 (20:00 / 15:00) | May 16/17 (20:00 / 15:00) |
Champions League quarter final draw 2023 as it happened
11:19 a.m GMT/07:18 a.m EDT: Thanks for joining us. The are plenty of mouthwatering storylines ready to play out. City, Bayern and Madrid all landing in the same half of the draw tees up some seriously heavyweight action. Serie A plus Benfica is how the other side looks. There'll be an unexpected finalists and one for the romantics coming out of that quartet.
11:19 a.m GMT/07:18 a.m EDT: That means the winners of quarter-final 3 between Manchester City and Bayern Munich will take on the winner of quarter-final 4. That is a stacked side of the draw. Who ever emerges from all that will be the "home" team in Istanbul on June 10, for whatever that's worth.
11:19 a.m GMT/07:18 a.m EDT: The winner of quarter final 4 - AC Milan vs Napoli will face the winner of quarter final 2 - Benfica vs Inter. ***Potential Milan derby semi final klaxon***
11:18 a.m GMT/07:18 a.m EDT: That leaves us with an all-Italian clash between AC Milan and Napoli. As mentioned, that means a switcheroo for the Inter and Benfica home and away legs.
11:17 a.m GMT/07:17 a.m EDT: Manchester City face Bayern Munich in a heavyweight clash. For narrative fans, on-loan full-back Joao Cancelo will hope to inspire Bayern to glory.
11:16 a.m GMT/07:16 a.m EDT: Inter Milan out next. They will face Benfica.
11:15 a.m GMT/07:15 a.m EDT: Real Madrid are the first team out and will face Chelsea, in a repeat of the quarter final meeting between the two sides last season.
11:13 a.m GMT/07:13 a.m EDT: A reminder from Giorgio that this is an open draw. "No country protection!" which would sound sinister out of context. The only bit of small print relates to the Milan clubs. Given they share San Siro, they can't play home legs on the same match week. If their draws clash, Inter's games will be reversed, given Milan are the reigning Italian champions.
11:11 a.m GMT/07:11 a.m EDT: Patrick Kluivert is also in play. The former Netherlands striker is most associated with Ajax and Barcelona, but also played for AC Milan, who are one of three Serie A teams in the draw alongside their city rivals Inter and Napoli.
11:08 a.m GMT/07:08 a.m EDT: Former Turkey midfielder Hamit Altintop will be helping out with the draw, what with this season's final being in Istanbul. Altintop reached the 2010 final with Bayern Munich. They were beaten by Inter Milan in Madrid. A rematch of that tie is one of today's draw possibilities.
11:07 a.m GMT/07:07 a.m EDT: Here's the main fella for these occasions, deputy secretary general of UEFA Giorgio Marchetti aka. that little dude with the glasses who does Champions League draws.
11:02 a.m GMT/07:02 a.m EDT: Right then, the show is underway at The House of European Football in Nyon. Is that what they actually call it? Is that the mailing address? It always sounds absurd to me.
11:00 a.m GMT/07:00 a.m EDT: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Champions League quarter final draw
Let's do this! 👊#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/IwvUyk0HWu
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 17, 2023
What are the rules for the Champions League quarter final draw 2023?
The nature of the draw on March 17 means that we know each team's path to the final in Istanbul, as the semifinals were also drawn at the same time.
And it was an open draw — unlike the one that was done for the Round of 16 —meaning there was no seeding of teams or other restrictions. For example, there were no issues with the AC Milan vs Napoli tie coming out of the pot.
MORE: Where is the Champions League final in 2023?
Teams in Champions League quarter finals
| Country | Club | Champions League titles (last) |
|---|---|---|
| England | Chelsea | 2 (2021) |
| England | Man City | — |
| Germany | Bayern Munich | 6 (2020) |
| Italy | AC Milan | 7 (2007) |
| Italy | Inter Milan | 3 (2010) |
| Italy | Napoli | — |
| Portugal | Benfica | 2 (1962) |
| Spain | Real Madrid | 14 (2022) |
Champions League quarter final fixtures 2023
The first legs of the quarter finals will be played on April 11-12 with the second legs a week later on April 18-19, meaning a very quick turnaround between the home and away matches for the teams. There will be two quarter finals played on each day.
The semifinal first legs will take place on May 9-10, with the return legs set for May 16-17, before the showpiece final on June 10.
Back next week 😀#UCL pic.twitter.com/V3QNPoX5IL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 10, 2023
Champions League Round of 16 results
Below are the eight teams that made it to the quarter finals.
Three German clubs (Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Eintracht Frankfurt), two English clubs (Tottenham and Liverpool), and French champions PSG were among those eliminated.
| Round of 16 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Benfica def. Club Brugge (7-1 agg.) | BRU 0-2 BEN | BEN 5-1 BRU |
| Chelsea def B. Dortmund (2-1 agg.) | DOR 1-0 CHE | CHE 2-0 DOR |
| Bayern Munich def. PSG (3-0 agg.) | PSG 0-1 BAY | BAY 2-0 PSG |
| AC Milan def. Tottenham (1-0 agg.) | MIL 1-0 TOT | TOT 0-0 MIL |
| Man City def. RB Leipzig (8-1 agg.) | RBL 1-1 MCI | MCI 7-0 RBL |
| Inter Milan def. Porto (1-0 agg.) | INT 1-0 POR | POR 0-0 INT |
| Napoli def. Frankfurt (5-0 agg.) | FRA 0-2 NAP | NAP 3-0 FRA |
| Real Madrid def. Liverpool (6-2 agg.) | LIV 2-5 RMA | RMA 1-0 LIV |
Who made Champions League quarter finals 2021/22?
Benfica, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid made it back to the Champions League last eight in consecutive seasons, which is no simple feat.
Spanish duo Villarreal and Atletico Madrid were the other two sides in the quarter final draw a year ago, with Villarreal stunning Bayern over two legs in the final eight, while Atletico were edged out by City.
City, of course, fell to eventual winners Real Madrid in a dramatic semifinal second leg. Pep Guardiola's side are looking to win the trophy for the first time in their history, against a backdrop of financial charges leveled by the Premier League.
Madrid are looking to defend their crown and stretch their record Champions League haul to 15 trophy wins.
