Champions League: When is the group-stage draw?

The Champions League trophy before its presentation after the 2020/21 final

The return of the Champions League is imminent as the first few stones are paved on the road to the 2021/22 final in Saint Petersburg.

Last season’s edition of the competition saw Chelsea overcome Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid in the knockout rounds before seeing off Premier League champions Manchester City in an all-English final.

Although Thomas Tuchel led the Blues through those ties, Chelsea’s second ever Champions League triumph – and first since 2012 – was built on the back of an impressive group-stage campaign under Frank Lampard.

The groups for the new season are set to be revealed this week, with Chelsea, Man City, Man United and Liverpool having qualified as the four English teams.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2021/22 Champions League group-stage draw.

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When is it?

The draw for the group stage will take place in Istanbul on Thursday 26 August at 5pm BST.

How can I watch it?

European football governing body Uefa will stream the draw live on their website.

In the UK, BT Sport will also air the draw live on BT Sport 2 HD and the broadcaster’s site.

Which teams are involved?

Thirty-two clubs will take part in the group stage, with 26 having already qualified.

The final play-off fixtures will take place on Wednesday to determine which six clubs will join the below teams – separated by country – in the group stage:

Spain: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal

England: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea

Germany: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg

Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus

France: Lille, Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal: Sporting Lisbon, Porto

Russia: Zenit Saint Petersburg

Belgium: Club Brugge

Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv

Netherlands: Ajax

Turkey: Besiktas

The remaining play-off fixtures are: Ferencvarosi vs Young Boys; PSV Eindhoven vs Benfica; Ludogorets vs Malmo; Brondby vs RB Salzburg; Shakhtar Donetsk vs Monaco; Dinamo Zagreb vs Sheriff Tiraspol.

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta lifts the trophy at the end of the 2020/21 campaign

How does the draw work?

The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will be made up of the holders (Chelsea), the Europa League winners (Villarreal) and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations – given neither Chelsea nor Villarreal won their domestic leagues. Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by club coefficient rankings.

No team can play a side from their own domestic league. The pots will be confirmed before the draw ceremony begins.

A number of awards from the 2020/21 edition of the competition will also be handed out.

When does the Champions League group stage take place?

Matchday 1: 14/15 September

Matchday 2: 28/29 September

Matchday 3: 19/20 October

Matchday 4: 2/3 November

Matchday 5: 23/24 November

Matchday 6: 7/8 December

Who are the favourites to win the competition?

PSG: 16/5

Chelsea: 9/1

Man City: 41/10

Bayern Munich: 41/5

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