Champions League pots for group stage draw 2022/23: How all 32 teams are seeded for UEFA tournament

Kyle Bonn

Champions League pots for group stage draw 2022/23: How all 32 teams are seeded for UEFA tournament image

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

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.