Champions League 2021/22 schedule and dates: group stage, knockout phase, final...
Premier League club Chelsea have strengthened and will be looking to retain their title, but there are plenty of clubs across Europe with their own ambitions.
The line-up for the 2021/22 Champions League group stage is beginning to take shape. So far, 26 teams have their places booked for the coming campaign thanks to their domestic league placings or, in the case of La Liga side Villarreal, as Europa League winners. Six more places will be decided by qualifying over the coming days.
Teams in the group stage
The 32 teams in the 2021/22 Champions League group stage consists of 26 automatic qualifiers joined by six play-off winners.
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Automatic qualifiers:
Ajax (NED)
Atalanta (ITA)
Atlético Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Beşiktaş (TUR)
Chelsea (ENG, holders)
Club Brugge (BEL)
Borussia Dortmund (GER)
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
Inter Milan (ITA)
Juventus (ITA)
Leipzig (GER)
Liverpool (ENG)
LOSC (FRA)
Manchester City (ENG)
Manchester United (ENG)
AC Milan (ITA)
PSG (FRA)
Porto (POR)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Sevilla (ESP)
Sporting CP (POR)
Villarreal (ESP, UEFA Europa League winners)
Wolfsburg (GER)
Zenit (RUS)
When do matches and draws take place?
Qualifying
17/18 & 24/25 August 2021: Play-offs
Group stage
14/15 September 2021: Matchday 1
28/29 September 2021: Matchday 2
19/20 October 2021: Matchday 3
2/3 November 2021: Matchday 4
23/24 November 2021: Matchday 5
7/8 December 2021: Matchday 6
Knockout phase
15/16/22/23 February & 8/9/15/16 March 2022: Round of 16
5/6 & 12/13 April 2022: Quarter-finals
26/27 & 3/4 May 2022: Semi-finals
28 May 2022: Final
Draws
26 August 2021: Group stage (Istanbul, Turkey)
13 December 2021: Round of 16
18 March 2022: Quarter-finals & Semi-finals
Where will the 2022 final take place?
The final will take place at the Saint Petersburg Stadium. The distinct venue on Krestovsky Island was designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, whose vision was for a spaceship that had landed on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. It has been home to Zenit since 2017.