Champions League group stage draw 22-23: Date, time, how to watch, teams...

Real Madrid is once again the king of the Champions League, but, season after season, it is a title that must be defended. The first big step towards finding out who the future champions will be is the group stage draw, which will take place on 25th August. And there are plenty of details to go over so that nothing escapes the attention of the fans.

Which teams are taking part?

There will be 32 teams in the Champions League group stage draw. Twenty-six of them are automatically qualified, but six others will be added through the preliminary play-off round. The winners of these play-offs will be announced on 23rd and 24th August. But the automatic qualifiers are as follows:

Real Madrid (Spain, reigning Champions League Champions)
Eintracht Frankfurt (Germany, reigning Europa League champions)
Manchester City (England)
AC Milan (Italy)
Bayern Munich (Germany)
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Porto (Portugal)
Ajax (Netherlands)

Liverpool (England)
Chelsea (England)
Barcelona (Spain)
Juventus (Italy)
Atletico Madrid (Spain)
Sevilla (Spain)
RB Leipzig (Germany)
Tottenham (England)

Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Salzburg (Austria)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Inter (Italy)
Napoli (Italy)
Sporting CP (Portugal)
Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Marseille (France)
Brugge (Belgium)
Celtic (Scotland)

When, where and how to follow the Champions League group stage draw?

The draw for the group stage of the Champions League 2022-23 will take place in Istanbul on 25th August 2022. It will start at 18:00 Central European Time. It will be streamed on UEFA's formal channels.

How does the draw work?

For the group stage draw, the teams will be divided into four pots. In the first, the Champions League and Europa League champions will be drawn, along with the top teams from the six highest-ranked associations in the UEFA rankings. The other pots will be ordered by club coefficient. In addition, teams from the same associations will not be allowed to play each other.

These are the dates for the group stage of the Champions League 2022-23

First matchday: 6th/7th September.
Second matchday: 13th/14th September.
Third matchday: 4th/5th October.
Fourth matchday: 11th/12th October.
Fifth matchday: 25th/26th October.
Sixth matchday: 1st/2nd November.

Round of 16 draw: 7 November.