Football is a happening sport and the most viewed in the sports entertainment circuit in the entire world. So, naturally, you are set to witness amazing tournaments and matches every now and then. From the FIFA World Cup to La Liga to Bundesliga to the Europa to the Champions League, there’s back to back football action throughout the season.
Now with the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup over with Spain defeating England to lift their maiden world title, all eyes are now set for the upcoming Champions League season. The 2022-2023 season as we all know was won by Manchester City, defeating Inter Milan in the finals.
So in this post, we’ll give you all the basic information you need for the upcoming season of the Champions League!
When will the 2023-24 season begin?
The group stage draw of the 2023-24 Champions League will begin at 5pm (BST) on Thursday August 31 in Monaco.
How many teams will participate?
So far, 26 football clubs have qualified for the Champions League group stage via their positions in the 2022-23 league standings. 6 further teams booked their league spots via the play-offs.
Which teams have qualified for the 2023-24 edition?
- England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle
- Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla
- Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin
- Italy: Inter Milan, Lazio, AC Milan, Napoli
- France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens
- Portugal: Porto, Benfica, Braga
- Netherlands: Feyenoord, PSV
- Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
- Scotland: Celtic
- Serbia: Red Star Belgrade
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
- Switzerland: Young Boys
- Turkey: Galatasaray
- Belgium: Antwerp
- Denmark: Copenhagen
How does the draw work?
The 32 teams fixtures will be divided into four pots. Pot 1 will consist of the holders Man City, Europa League winners Sevilla, and six domestic champions. While, Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by club coefficient rankings.
No team can play a side from their own league at this stage, although teams from England and Scotland could be drawn against each other. UEFA will confirm any other restrictions ahead of the draw ceremony.
When are the group stage matches?
- Match day 1: September 19 and 20
- Match day 2: October 3 and 4
- Match day 3: October 24 and 25
- Match day 4: November 7 and 8
- Match day 5: November 28 and 29
- Match day 6: December 12 and 13
When are the knockout matches?
The 2023/24 Champions League final will take place on June 1, 2024 at Wembley Stadium.
- Round of 16: February 13/14/20/21 & March 5/6/12/13
- Quarter-finals: April 9/10 & 16/17, 2024
- Semi-finals: April 30/May 1 & 7/8, 2024
- Final: June 1, 2024 (Wembley, England)
