The UEFA Champions League group stage draw is one of the must-watch events on the summer calendar and the 2022/23 edition takes place in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, August 25.
Giant European clubs such as Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester City, and titleholders Real Madrid will all find out their group stage opponents knowing they must finish among the top two in order to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.
The draw will see eight groups take shape (Groups A-H) with each featuring four teams pulled from four different pots.
The Sporting News brings you the pot designations below, including an explanation of how the seeding process works, and potential matchups.
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When is the Champions League group stage draw?
The Champions League group stage will take place at 12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. BST on Thursday August 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey, host of the 2023 Champions League final.
The draw will see 32 teams split into eight groups of four. During the draw, UEFA will select one team from each of four pots to make up each group.
The teams in Pot 1 are determined based on one set of criteria, while the teams grouped in Pots 2-4 use a different measure.
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Champions League pots for group stage draw
Pot 1 will consist of the defending Champions League (Real Madrid) and Europa League (Eintracht Frankfurt) title winners, plus the reigning league champions of each of the top six nations from the UEFA country coefficient list.
Since Real Madrid are the Spanish league champions (a top-six nation) as well as defending UEFA Champions League holders, the Pot 1 spot reserved for Spain's champion is assigned to the next best nation in the country coefficient list. In this case, the Netherlands and its reigning Eredivisie champion Ajax were elevated to Pot 1.
As for Pots 2, 3, and 4, those are based on the UEFA club coefficient list, which is a mathematical formula to measure a specific club's performance in domestic and continental competitions over the previous five years.
Each club's UEFA club coefficient ranking is included for Pots 2-4 below since club seeding in those pots is based on the coefficient ranking.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid (Champions League) | 2-Liverpool | 19-Borussia Dortmund | 33-Rangers |
| Eintracht Frankfurt (Europa League) | 5-Chelsea | 21-RB Salzburg | 34-Dinamo Zagreb |
| Manchester City (1st, England) | 6-Barcelona | 22-Shakhtar Donetsk | 38-Olympique Marseille |
| AC Milan (1st, Italy) | 8-Juventus | 23-Inter Milan | 41-FC Copenhagen |
| Bayern Munich (1st, Germany) | 9-Atletico Madrid | 25-Napoli | 44-Club Brugge |
| PSG (1st, France) | 12-Sevilla | 27-Benfica | 51-Celtic |
| Porto (1st, Portugal) | 13-RB Leipzig | 28-Sporting CP | 55-Viktoria Plzen |
| Ajax (1st, Netherlands) | 14-Tottenham | 30-Bayer Leverkusen | 169-Maccabi Haifa |
One club is selected from each pot to make up the eight groups (Groups A-H).
Clubs from the same country cannot be drawn in the same group and must be moved to the next available group.
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| No. of clubs | Nation | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| 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, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla |
| 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 | Dinamo Zagreb |
| 1 | Czech Rep | Viktoria Plzen |
| 1 | Denmark | FC Copenhagen |
| 1 | Israel | Maccabi Haifa |
| 1 | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1 | Ukraine | Shakhtar Donetsk |
In addition, UEFA pairs together certain clubs from the same nation to ensure they don't play at the same time during the group stage (to optimise viewership audience). As such, when any of the teams below are drawn into groups A-D, their paired team will automatically be assigned to one of groups E-H, and vice-versa:
- Real Madrid and Barcelona
- Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig
- Manchester City and Liverpool
- AC Milan and Napoli
- Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
- Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille
- FC Porto and Benfica
- Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur
- Juventus and Inter Milan
- Atletico Madrid and Sevilla
Potential Champions League Group of Death for 2022/23
Since Pot 1 is not based on the UEFA club coefficient, that leaves some strong teams in Pot 2 and even Pot 3.
That means there's a good chance we'll see a group made up of powerhouse clubs, earning it the popular 'Group of Death' label.
Here are some possible combinations for a potential Group of Death. Any combination of these teams could make for an extremely difficult path to the knockout round for the clubs involved:
- Real Madrid, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Olympique Marseille
- Manchester City, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Celtic
- PSG, Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Dinamo Zagreb
Softest potential Champions League draws in 2022/23
Conversely, while a Group of Death is often a popular talking point for fans, there are also exceedingly favorable draws that sometimes occur.
For seeded teams in Pot 1, they will be hoping for a less arduous path to the knockout round and the Red Bull family of clubs is likely to be the desirable option for this scenario.
RB Leipzig from Pot 2, along with a Pot 3 selection of RB Salzburg, would be deemed as favorable. One of the lowest seeds from Pot 4 would cap it off: Maccabi Haifa or Viktoria Plzen.
How to watch the Champions League 2022/23
| Country | Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Fri, Aug. 26 | 02:00 AEST | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 12:00 ET | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 HKT | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| India | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 21:30 IST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Malaysia | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 MYT | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| New Zealand | Fri, Aug. 26 | 04:00 NZST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| Singapore | Fri, Aug. 26 | 00:00 SST | — | UEFA.tv, UEFA YouTube |
| UK | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 17:00 BST | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport site/app |
| USA | Thurs, Aug. 25 | 12:00 ET | TUDN | fuboTV, Vix+, Paramount+, CBS Sports HQ |
Champions League fixtures 2022/23
The preliminary qualifying rounds took place between June and August, resulting in the final six berths to the group stage. The tournament kicks off in earnest with the group stage, which will be completed prior to the World Cup.
The 16 clubs that will advance at the conclusion of the group stage — the top two teams in each group — will be drawn in the Round of 16, which will be followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals, all played across two legs.
The final will be staged at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10, 2023.
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Champions League group stage will take place on August 25, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 6-7, 2022 |
| 2 | Sept. 13-14, 2022 |
| 3 | Oct. 4-5, 2022 |
| 4 | Oct. 11-12, 2022 |
| 5 | Oct. 25-26, 2022 |
| 6 | Nov. 1-2, 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 (quarterfinals and semifinals) of the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stage will take place on March 17, 2023.
| Round | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Round of 16 | Feb. 14-22, 2023 | Mar. 7-15, 2023 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 11-12, 2023 | Apr. 18-19, 2023 |
| Semifinals | May 9-10, 2023 | May 16-17, 2023 |
| Final | June 10, 2023 | |
