How will the 2022 World Cup affect the Champions League schedule?

This year is a World Cup year with a difference. The month-long tournament has traditionally taken place after the domestic leagues in Europe have been completed, usually between June and July. But the 2022 edition will be taking place in Qatar - the first time the event will be staged in the Middle East. However in Qatar, the average maximum daytime temperature in July is around 42°C - that’s too hot to play football or even watch it, so organisers FIFA decided to move the competition from its traditional date to later in the calendar year.

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The 2022 World Cup will get underway with the inaugural match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday 20 November and run through to the climax, the final itself on Sunday 18 December. That means it will have a direct impact on all of the major European leagues and also UEFA’s three club competitions - the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. All of the South American leagues will have concluded by early November so fortunately, they won’t be affected.

Changes to the Champions League group stage calendar

November and December, are generally key months in the Champions League as it is precisely when the group stage is decided. Every year, FIFA usually has an eight or nine-day window in mid-November for international fixtures - which causes a break in the Champions League group stage after Matchday 4. In other words, with the final two rounds of group games, Matchdays 5 and 6, left to play. This year, Matchdays 5 and 6 have been brought forward which means that the group stage will be completed before the World Cup kicks off in Qatar. The draw for the Round of 16 stage will also be held earlier - on 7 November.

The dates below show how the 2022/23 Champions League will accommodate the Qatar World Cup:

Champions League group stage

Matchday 1: 6/7 September

Matchday 2: 13/14 September

Matchday 3: 4/5 October

Matchday 4: 11/12 October

Matchday 5: 25/26 October

Matchday 6: 1/2 November

2022/23 Champions League Round of 16 draw: Monday 7 November

FIFA 2022 World Cup Qatar

Inaugural match: Qatar vs Ecuador - Sunday 20 November

Final: Sunday 18 December

The latter stages of the Champions League won’t be affected - the tournament will resume in the New Year with the Round of 16 to be played on 14/15/21/22 February and 7/8/14/15 March 2023.

Champions League Group Stage draw

The draw for the Group Stage of the Champions League was completed on Thursday evening in Istanbul, with the following Groups being drawn.

Champions League Groups:

Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: Porto, At. Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Brugge

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter, Viktoria Plzen

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs, Sporting CP, Marseille

Group E: Milan, Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar, Celtic

Group G: Man City, Sevilla, Dortmund, Copenhagen

Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Hafia