Champions League 2021-22 Group Stage Draw: All You Need To Know

The 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony begins on Thursday 26 August.

The ceremony will be held in Istanbul, Turkey at 5 pm BST (12pm ET).

Special guests which include Branislav Ivanović and Michael Essien will assist with the draw.

Who is involved in the draw?

Twenty-six teams qualified automatically for the group stage, with the final six berths being decided via the play-offs.

ENG: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea
ESP: Atlético, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal
ITA: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus
GER: Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund, Wolfsburg
FRA: LOSC, Paris
POR: Sporting CP, Porto, Benfica
NED: Ajax
RUS: Zenit
AUT: Salzburg
BEL: Club Brugge
UKR: Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk
TUR: Beşiktaş
SUI: Young Boys
SWE: Malmö
MDA: Sheriff

How does the draw work?

The 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 2020/21 continental titles; Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by the club coefficient rankings.

No team can play aside from their own association. Any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw ceremony.

In the case of associations with two representatives, clubs will be paired in order to split their matches between Tuesdays and Wednesdays.