Champions League 22/23 draw: as it happened: teams, groups, dates...
Champions League 2022/23 Group Stage draw: as it happened
2022-23 Champions League Group Stage Draw
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
Group F
Real Madrid will have to get past Leipzig, Shaktar, and Celtic to get out of Group F. You have to like their chances!
What a day
It has been a wild ride, but it is only just getting started!
Here is the full layout.
What does your team's roadmap look like?
This one could be lit
While it may not be as heavily publicized, as the reunions between Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich orErling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund, this is one get together we don't want to miss!
Didn't see that coming
Surely Eerling Haaland couldn't have expected to be visiting the Signal Iduna Park so soon. One has to wonder, who will it work out better for? Given the way his former teammate and Dortmund Captain Marco Reus is talking, we think the 'Citizens' might have their hands full with the boys in yellow.
The guy you love to hate
No matter where you stand on Pepe, there are three things you've got to respect:
- His trophy cabinet is full
- He's a solid center back
- He's gonna play in the UCL at 39
Bernie in Paris would be a problem
As one of the best in the Premier League right now, Bernardo Silva is definitely worth a pretty penny, but the prospect of placing him alongside Leo Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is something that the Man City should avoid at all costs.
Group H
There is nothing wrong with Group H.
PSG and Juve will be the favourites to advance, of course.
Real Madrid’s opponents for the group stage of the Champions League 2022/23 have just been selected at UEFA’s draw in Istanbul.
The reigning champions, who beat Liverpool in the final back at the end of May, were in Pot 1 as one of the favourites for this year’s tournament.
They have been drawn in Group E, alongside German side RB Leipzig, Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk and Scottish outfit Celtic.
Vinicius approves
Vinicius reckons Karim Benzema is the best...
Norwegian goal sensation and Manchester City new boy Erling Haaland is now set to face Borussia Dortmund - the team he just left - in what promises to be a solid Group G with Sevilla and Copenhagen also going along for the ride.
Carlo Ancelotti - the first coach to win the #UCL 4 times and he got what he deserved tonight!
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/diarioas/27E5PL5OMBG5FMZRYVOBQXWTSI.jpg)
It’s fair to say that Liverpool haven’t been enjoying the best of times since the new season started but for all their troubles, the 2022/23 Champions League group stage draw was relatively kind to last year’s runners-up.
Klopp’s team, who started out in Pot 2, avoided the top seeds - title holders Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and while no rival can be underestimated in Europe’s top club competition, they can take some comfort in that their away trips are relatively close to home.
Clubs from the same association cannot meet at the group stage which meant that Liverpool could not face City, Spurs or Chelsea but they won’t have to leave the mainland for their trip north of the border to face Rangers. In fact, the furthest the Reds will travel between now and November is southern Italy where they will be guests of Napoli.
Bayern vs Barcelona
Bayern and Barcelona will once again go head to head in the Champions League this season.
The Spanish side will unfortunately still remember the 8-2 quarter-final thrashing against their German counterparts in August 2020.
In last year’s edition of the Champions League, Bayern beat the Camp Nou outfit 3-0 in both of their group games, before Barcelona eventually dropped into the Europa League.
Robert Lewandowski will return to face his former side after joining the Blaugrana from Bayern this summer.
The Polish striker made it clear that he wanted to leave the German club and move to LaLiga, where he has hit the ground running under Xavi Hernández.
Will the Bayern fans give him a warm reception at the Allianz Arena? It remains to be seen, but the Bayern defence will have their work cut out trying to keep him quiet in the two Group C games over the coming weeks.
The Champions League group stage draw has produced an intriguing group of death in this year’s edition of the competition.
The draw in Istanbul has thrown up some tasty group stage fixtures, but the group to watch is Group C.
Soriano (Man City): 'The Champions League is not our obsession'
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano after Champions League draw:: "As every year. It is not our priority. We work to win the Premiership. For the Champions League, luck counts a bit and we can't get obsessed. There are teams who are obsessed with winning the Champions League and forget the basics. For us the basic thing is the Premier League. By doing that we will prepare ourselves to go far in the Champions League, but it is not our obsession.
Voting in UEFA Player of the Year awards
Here's how the votes stacked up for both UEFA Player of the Year awards
Benzema 523 De Bruyne 122 Courtois 118
Alexia Putellas 97 Mead 84 Oberdorf 47
Fifty-five journalists from each of UEFA’s 55 member associations, selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group along with national team coaches form part of the jury.
Benzema beats De Bruyne and Courtois to UEFA Men's Player of the Year award
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been named the 2021-22 UEFA Men's Player of the Year, beating team-mate Thibaut Courtois and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to the gong.
The France international solidified his status as the frontrunner for this year's Ballon d'Or with victory over the pair, with the award bestowed following the Champions League group-stage draw in Istanbul on Thursday.
Benzema, top scorer in both the Champions League and LaLiga last term as he guided Madrid to a double, netted 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also was feted at the ceremony, beating Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp to be awarded the UEFA Men's Coach of the Year Award.
Muller sends Lewy a message
The Bayern striker posted a video on social message after the draw and stated he was looking forward to seeing Lewandowski soon and wanted to 'rock' the Champions League !
Key dates for the UCL 2022-23 season
Champions League knockout phase
Round of 16
February 14-15/21-22 & March 7-8/14-15
Quarter-finals
April 11-12 & 18-19
Semi-finals
May 9-10 & 16-17
Final
June 10
It just wouldn't be a draw process without it....
So it's a bit jaded and something of a cliche, but what's a major tournament draw without the 'group of death'. Sometimes these are rather forced with media pundits desperately looking for aforesaid group of death when all they are faced with is just another ...group.
This time, the Istanbul draw really did throw up a group that has all the death hallmarks... three of the biggest clubs on the continent (Barça, Bayern and Inter) along with Czech side Plzen with only two sides advancing to the Round of 16.
There is also the side order of drama between Barcelona and Bayern as Robert Lewandowski makes a return to the Allianz Arena and many Cúles still smarting from the 8-2 August 2020 hammering!
Holders Madrid handed favourable UCL draw
Holders Real Madrid will take on RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic in the Champions League group stage while Barcelona will face Bayern Munich and Inter Milan following the draw.
Madrid captured a record-extending 14th European crown when they beat Liverpool in last season's final and, on paper, Carlo Ancelotti's side should have few problems in making the last 16 from Group F.
The Champions League group stage will begin earlier than usual on Sept. 6 and conclude ahead of this year's World Cup finals which take place in Qatar from Nov. 20.
Haaland BVB return
Both Man City and Dortmund being pitted in Group G will see a return to Germany for Erling Haaland after the striker moved to Man City this summer.
All starts on Tuesday week...
The staging of the World Cup in Qatar this November has forced UEFA to condense the staging of the six matchdays that comprise the group stage with the first round of games getting underway on 6 September. The draw for the Round of 16 will be staged at the UEFA Nyon offices on 7 November.
It would be remiss of us to start anywhere apart from Group C.....Bayern, Barça and Inter (along with Viktoria) in the same group....
Lewy back at Bayern Munich.... revenge on the menu for the 8-2 Lisbon 2020 humbling.... Without doubt one of the major talking points from the Istanbul draw.
Firstly, when are the games going to be staged ?
These are the confirmed matchdays with the specific kick-off times expected to be confirmed by UEFA after a consultation process with rights holders.
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
So that brings the curtain down on the official draw, but fear not, we're not going anywhere and will be here analysing the draw and the various narratives the draw has thrown up......
Benzema talks about the season and reflects on the amazing comeback against PSG and the joy of winning the Champions League title.
Benzema is the Player of the Year !
Far play to Alexia who takes to the stage just a few weeks after undergoing surgery on an ACL rupture. The Barça star talks about the blow of getting injured just before the Women's Euro 2022 competition and thanks her club and Barça fans.
Next up is the men's and women's player of the year .... with the award for UEFA Women's Player of the Year going to Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona and Spain).
2021-22 UCL season wrapped up in three minutes
This is the wrap-up video from UEFA that was aired in Istanbul ahead of the draw ceremony this evening.
The full UCL season in just over three minutes.
Nice speech from Ancelotti anxious to remember all family members....
Coach of the Year awards now.... England women's team coach Sarina Wiegman picks up the women's award and Carlo Ancelotti picks up the men's award.
Viktoria are off to Group C with Bayern, Barcelona and Inter.... a piece of cake for the Czech side !!
Maccabi out next and they head to Group H along with PSG, Juve, Benfica
Next side out is .... Dinamo Zagreb with the Croatian side off to Group E with Milan, Chelsea and Salzburg
The next team is ...Rangers and the Scottish side are off to Group A along with Ajax, Liverpool and Napoli.
Next side from the pot is Brugge and the Belgian side are off to Group B with Porto, Atleti and Leverkusen
FC Copenhagen head to Group G with City, Sevilla, and BVB
Next name out is ... Marseille and the French side head to Group D where they join: Frankfurt, Spurs, and Sporting CP.
First side out from pot 4 is ... Celtic and the Glasgow giants will join Madrid, Leipzig, and Shakhtar in Group F
and to pot 4 we go.... the eight sides... Dinamo Zagreb - Marseille - Brugge - Celtic - Rangers - Macabbi - Viktoria Plzn - FC Copenhagen
Inter are the final side and they head to Group C along with Barcelona and Bayern.
Second last side is Shakhtar Donetsk and the Ukraine side will join Real Madrid and Leipzig in Group F
Next name out is ... Sporting CP and the Liga Bwin side are set to face Eintracht and Spurs in Group D
Bayer Leverkusen will join Porto and Atleti in Group B
Fourth side out is ... Dortmund and they go to Group G where they join Sevilla and Man City
Benfica are the next team out with the Lisbon side set to face PSG and Juve in Group H
Second side from the third pot is ....Salzburg with the Austrian side set top face Chelsea and Milan in Group E
First side from pot 3 is .....Napoli and the Serie A side head to Group A along with Ajax and Liverpool.
Halfway stage of the draw....
Pot 3 now.... this pot features: Dortmund - Salzburg - Shakhtar - Inter - Napoli - Sporting CP - Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica
Atletico Madrid are the last side from the pot and they head to Group B along with FC Porto.
Second last side from pot 2 is...Chelsea with the Blues off to Group E, they join Milan
Three teams left with FC Barcelona the next out. Xavi's men will be pitted in Group C with Bayern....ouch!
Sevilla are the next out and the LaLiga team will go to Group G along with Man City.
Next team is ... Liverpool and the beaten finalists last season will go to Group A where they join Ajax.
The third team from pot 2 is ....Spurs and Antonio Conte's men will be pitted in Group D where the join Eintracht Frankurt
Next side from pot is... Juventus, the Serie A side head to Group H, they join PSG !
Here we go.... things just about to get interesting .... first team out is ......RB Leipzig and the Bundesliga head to Group F, joining Real Madrid
...and that concludes the first pot as the eight teams that compose pot 2 are announced....
Liverpool - Chelsea - Barcelona- Juventus - Sevilla - At. Madrid - RB Leipzig and Spurs
Penultimate side is Man City and the English team are off to Group G.... PSG are the final team and head to Group H
The next name out is that of Real Madrid and the current champions head to Group F
Next side is AC Milan and the Serie A side head to Group E
Fourt team out is ... Eintracht Frankfurt and the UEFA Europa League winners head to Group D
Next side out is .... Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga side head to Group C
Second name out are .... FC Porto and the Portuguese champions head to Group B
So, we're good to go.... first team to be drawn this evening is .....Ajax and head to Group A
Preamble over, we're seconds away from the draw.... the first sides to be drawn will be from pot 1.
Real Madrid - E.Frankfurt - Bayern Munich - PSG - Man City - Porto - Ajax and AC Milan
This man (Marchetti) has an encyclopedic knowledge of participating sides and never fails to amaze with his data on each club as they are plucked from the bowls.
A quick run through the pot procedure and how the teams are divided in the four pots (based on UEFA club coefficient).
Just a reminder that teams from the same federation cannot be placed in the same group.
Toure and Altintorp take their position behind the plinths where the balls are located in ample glass bowls.
Giorgio Marchetti (UEFA General Secretary) now talks us through the draw procedure.
Hamit Altintorp is the next guest and brings the famous trophy to the stage. The Turkish star played with the likes of Schalke, Real Madrid and Bayern (among others).
Yaya Toure is the next guest tonight and the Ivorian will assist Altintorp with the draw procedure.
The 76-year-old takes to the stage and is beaming in collecting his award.
An image of Luis Figo eagerly taking a picture of Sacchi just shows the aura the former coach has and still has on so many players and those in the game.
First up is the award for the President's Award where Arrigo Sacchi has been selected by Aleksander Ceferin.
The Slovenian explains why he nominated the former Italian coach and lauds Sacchi's ability to both defend and attack.
The former AC Milan coach was revolutionary in his manner of playing the game and is a legend at San Siro for the Milanistas with his amazing side from the late 80s and 90s.
How great it is to see a packed congress room here in Istanbul with the hall packed with club representatives and members of the media corps.
The main narrative of the past season was really all about Real Madrid and their amazing comebacks against the likes of PSG, Chelsea and then Man City in the semi-final of the competition.
First up is a look back at some of the action form the 2021-22 season. The competition culminated with Real Madrid lifting the title in Paris with a 1-0 win over Liverpool with Brazilian winger Vini Jr bagging the only goal of the game.
We're live in Istanbul as UEFA's Pedro Pinto greets the audience... He's joined by journalist Reshmin Chowdhury
We're just seconds away from the start of the draw procedure....The Halic Congress centre in Istanbul awaits...
Double city UCL representatives
Many major European cities can boast two Champions League representatives in the group stage this year and this is the case for:
Milan: Inter and AC Milan
Madrid: Real and Atletico
Lisbon: Benfica and Sporting CP
Glasgow: Celtic and Rangers
London: Chelsea and Tottenham
City favourites with the bookmakers
Once again, Manchester City start the competition as favourites for the bookmakers with Pep Guardiola's side having never won a European Cup/Champions League.
PSG start as second favourites with Liverpool ranked as third favourites for the tipsters.
The stage is set....
Less than 15' ahead if the UCL group stage draw ceremony officially gets underway. It's a big UEFA gala event and will also feature individual awards for the UEFA men's and women's player/coach of the year.
AC Milan great Arrigo Sacchi to receive UEFA President’s Award
AC Milan legend Arrigo Sacchi is to receive the UEFA president’s award at Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin hailed Sacchi, who will follow in the footsteps of previous Italian recipients Paolo Maldini, Gianni Rivera and Francesco Totti, for his “endless tactical innovations” which “reshaped” football.
Sacchi was credited with transforming the game by implementing a high-octane pressing style during a four-year spell as Milan coach between 1987 and 1991, winning one Serie A title before lifting back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990.
US interest in UCL draw
With interest Stateside growing in the Champions League, here's the key players that US fans can watch out for in the 22-23 group stage.
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) - worth noting that a rumoured move to Man Utd would take him out of the UCL.
Sergiño Dest (Barcelona)
Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)
Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic)
Malik Tillman (Rangers)
James Sands (Rangers)
Josh Cohen (Maccabi Haifa)
Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Owen Otasowie (Club Brugge)
VIP's continue to arrive
Juventus' Czech Vice-President Pavel Nedved arrives for the draw ceremony for the UEFA Champions League football tournament 2022-2023 in Istanbul.
For those wondering (Arsenal, Lazio, PSV, Man United, Roma fans...) when the Europa League draw will take place, this will be held tomorrow at the same venue but at the earlier time of 2pm (local time).
Here's a complete guide to the draw, qualified teams and how you can follow the event.
Paramount to pay $1.5 billion to retain US Champions League rights
UEFA have reached an agreement with Paramount (owner of CBS) for the sale of the English-language broadcast rights to the Champions League and the rest of its competitions in the US, in what is one of the most spectacular sports broadcasting contracts in history.
European football's governing body chaired by Aleksander Ceferin will pocket 1.5 billion euros for the next six seasons in which its club competitions will be seen in the North American market, the richest commercially and in terms of audiences. What’s more, UEFA still have to reach a deal to sell the rights to Spanish-language coverage of their competitions in the US market.
Madrid fans anxious to draw Liverpool
Real Madrid fans appear keen to face Liverpool again in the group stage draw today. The 'Reds' were the beaten finalists after a solitary Vini Jr striker was enough for Carlo Ancelotti's men to secure the club's 14th European glory in Paris last May.
Where will the 2024 and 2025 Champions League finals be held?
After this season's final taking place in Istanbul, the following season's Champions League final will be staged at London's Wembley Stadium, this will be the eighth time the UCL finale will be staged in the English capital. The following year (2025) Munich’s Allianz Arena will host the final game.
UEFA clears English, German and French clubs to allow safe standing in European games
Fans of English, German and French clubs will be able to stand for home matches during men’s UEFA club competitions in the 2022-23 season. UEFA recently launched a programme to observe the use of standing facilities, which were previously only able to be used for domestic fixtures.
The governing body of European football will look at the use of standing in both domestic and international club games, with the aim of assessing if and under what conditions it may be reintroduced in UEFA competitions in a safe manner. The Standing Facilities Observer Programme 2022-23 will initially be limited to clubs from the top five associations in the UEFA rankings where standing is already authorised and implemented at domestic level. Fans supporting teams in those countries will be allowed to stand for home Champions League, Europa League and Conference League games at each round of the competitions.
UEFA reveal Istanbul 23 brand image
Produced by artist and illustrator Tolga Tarhan, who is a native of Istanbul, the 2023 Final identity is based upon an abstract depiction of the city at sunset. Inspired by the rich colours of the Istanbul sky and the vivid lights of this bustling city, the scene features iconic landmarks such as the Galata tower, the aqueduct and the bridge across the Bosphorus.
Istanbul was supposed to host the 2020 final but the game was moved to Lisbon (behind closed doors) as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
'Old Firm' in group stage draw for first time since 2007/08
Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers (The Old Firm) are here together in the group stage draw of the Champions League for the first time since 2007/08, and both are in the fourth pot.
Celtic's name goes into the draw for the first time since the 2017-18 season with last season's league success earning them a ticket straight through. Rangers reached the group stage for the first time in 12 years following Wednesday’s 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven.
Teams from the same league cannot meet in the group stage, but there is nothing to stop either the 'hoops' or 'light blues' being drawn with an English team at this stage of the competition.
Five German clubs in group stage draw
With Eintracht Frankfurt winning the Europa League (beating Glasgow Rangers in Seville on a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw), five German sides will be involved in the group stage draw. The 'Eagles' join Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig in today's draw.
Eintracht make UCL debut
Eintracht Frankfurt have never participated in the Champions League group stage before. The 'Eagles' did play in the former European Cup and have represented the Bundesliga in the Europa League in the past but following their win over Rangers in the Sevilla final, the German side take their place in pot 1.
No Russian teams
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the end of February this year, UEFA were quick to act banning all Russian sides from playing in their competitions which impacted on Spartak Moscow last season in the Europa League. This year, the likes of Champions League regulars such as Zenit, CSKA and Lokomotive are conspicuous but their absence ensures that no 'political restrictions' are activated by UEFA for today;s draw with Russian and Ukraine clubs always kept apart traditionally in UEFA draws.
UCL group stage draw: guidelines
The draw will features 32 clubs with 26 teams given direct entry to the group stage along with the six play-off winners. These teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will consist of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2021/22 titles; Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by the club coefficient rankings.
In the case of associations with two representatives, clubs will be paired in order to split their matches between Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In the case of associations with four representatives, two pairings will be made. These pairings are to be based on TV audiences.
No team can play a side from their own association at this stage of the competition.
So, what can we expect in today's draw package ?
The event will be hosted by UEFA's Pedro Pinto who once again will embarrass us all by being able to conduct conversations in a number of languages and of course UEFA Deputy Secretary Giorgio Marchetti will talk us through the draw procedure and impress us with his encyclopedic knowledge of the European football history of the 32 sides participating in the draw.
As well as the draw, we'll also have the award presentation for the women's and men's player and coach of the year.
All in all, I'd anticipate the whole event taking roughly 90 minutes.
Final to be staged in Turkey
Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic stadium will finally get to host a Champions League final again (Liverpool fans fondly remember the last time the Turkish stadium hosted the showpiece game in 2005).
The game at the 75,000 capacity stadium will take place on 10 June (2023) with the venue supposed to host the 2020 final which eventually took place in Lisbon due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When will the group stage games be played ?
The staging of the World Cup in Qatar this November has forced UEFA to condense the staging of the six matchdays that comprise the group stage with the first round of games getting underway on 6 September. The draw for the Round of 16 will be staged at the UEFA Nyon offices on 7 November.
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
Adidas unveil new UCL group stage matchball
Ahead of the Champions League 2022/23 group stage draw, German sports brand, Adidas has unveiled the official matchball that will be used for the group stage of the men’s competition.
Adidas has been a long time supplier of the UEFA Champions League official matchballs and according to the press release: "the balls feature the latest adidas performance technology, including an innovative PRISMA surface texture that offers the world’s elite players even more precision on the ball. The new outer texture coating – consistent across all adidas UEFA Champions League official match balls – offers secure grip and complete control, while the thermally bonded seamless construction guarantees ultimate performance".
Now you know !
If you can't wait for the draw itself, have a look at the UCL draw simulator.... Our early simulation threw up an interesting draw that saw holders Real Madrid pitted with Juventus, Sporting CP & Glasgow Rangers.
Getting ready for the Champions League group stage draw
The final touches are underway as the countdown begins for the 22-23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw at the Halic Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey. Following a few years where the Covid-19 pandemic has conditioned the draw procedure in terms of travelling club representatives and media, today's draw takes place with no restrictive measures in place.
Pots 2,3 and 4
Pot 2
LaLiga sides Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Sevilla form part of Pot 2 along with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Juventus, RB Leipzig and Tottenham and all sides capable of providing a serious threat.
Pot 3
With regard to Pot 3, the Italian sides of Inter and Napoli, along with Borussia Dortmund, could provide a major headache and will be complicated opponents. Exiled Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Portuguese duo Sporting Clube and Benfica complete the third pot.
Pot 4
Marseille, at least on paper ars probably the side to avoid in the fourth pot. The French side who finished second behind PSG last season in Ligue 1, would be best avoided. Regular names including Brugge, Celtic, Red Star Belgrade and Viktoria Plzen will also be part of this pot, and they were joined by the winners of the Wednesday night play-off as Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers and Copenhagen advanced.
32 sides are involved in today's draw with the clubs divided in four pots according to their UEFA coefficient:
Pot 1
Real Madrid were crowned Champions of Europe for a 14th time last May, and are the only Spanish team taking a seat in Pot 1. The Spanish side are joined by the other highest-ranked champions Manchester City (England), AC Milan (Italy), Bayern Munich (Germany), PSG (France), Porto (Portugal) and Ajax (The Netherlands), as well as Eintracht Frankfurt who won the Europa League final beating Rangers on a penalty shoot-out.
The draw will be staged at Istanbul's Haliç Congress Center with proceedings getting underway at 7pm local time... that's 6pm (CEST)/ (12pm ET) or 9am (PT) with the 2023 final being staged at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on 10 June next year.
Hello and a warm welcome to our live coverage of the group stage draw for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League.