Europe's elite will soon be battling it out again as the Champions League returns for another season following a brief break.
Thanks to coronavirus pandemic-related delays, the 2020-21 and 2019-20 editions were actually running concurrently for a period, but UEFA will hope that things return to normal sooner rather than later.
Bayern Munich are defending champions, having seen off Paris Saint-Germain in last season's final, and they'll no doubt face challenges from the likes of Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
MORE: Watch the Champions League draw on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
With excitement building, here's everything you need to know about the Champions League group stage draw for 2020-21, including when it is, the teams involved, seeding pots and more.
Contents
- When is the Champions League 20-21 group stage draw?
- Which teams are involved in the Champions League 20-21 group stage?
- When does the Champions League 20-21 group stage start?
- How can I watch the Champions League group stage draw?
When is the Champions League 20-21 group stage draw?
The Champions League 2020-21 group stage draw will take place on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020.
It will be held at the RTS studios in Geneva.
Draw proceedings will commence at 11 a.m. ET.
As well as the Champions League group stage draw, UEFA will use the event to distribute awards to the best players and coaches of the 2019-20 competition.
Which teams are involved in the Champions League 20-21 group stage?
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | Barcelona | Dynamo Kiev | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Sevilla | Atletico Madrid | Red Bull Salzburg | Marseille |
| Real Madrid | Manchester City | RB Leipzig | Club Brugge |
| Liverpool | Manchester United | Inter | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| Juventus | Shakhtar Donetsk | Olympiacos | Istanbul Basaksehir |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Borussia Dortmund | Lazio | FC Midtjylland |
| Zenit | Chelsea | Krasnodar | Rennes |
| Porto | Ajax | Atalanta | Ferencvaros |
The Champions League group stage draw will involve a total of 32 teams - 26 automatic qualifiers and six from the qualification path.
Qualified teams will be 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 20-21 group stage start?
The Champions League 2020-21 group stage starts with games on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and Wednesday, Oct. 21.
That means teams will have just under a month to prepare for their opening group games after learning the identities of their opponents in the draw.
There will be a total of six gameweeks in the group stage, with the last series of matches taking place on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and Wednesday, Dec. 9.
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.
The game is also being broadcast on CBS Sports Network, as well as live streamed on fuboTV.