Champions League group stage draw 2022/23: pots and rules explained as Liverpool, Rangers and more await fate

Real Madrid are the current holders of the Champions League after they beat Liverpool in the final in May.

Manchester City will be hoping that they can get their hands on their first European trophy in 2023 having won the Premier League title six times since their takeover in 2008.

Fellow top flight clubs Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will also be aiming for successful campaigns in Europe too.

Celtic are back after winning the Scottish Premiership title last term under Australian boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops will be joined by Old Firm rivals Rangers after they beat PSV in the second-leg of their play-offs.

They reached the Europa League final in the last campaign but lost in the final to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Sevilla.

Here is all you need to know about the Champions League draw, with 32 teams now awaiting their fate...

When is the Champions League group stage draw?

The Champions League draw will take place today.

It is being held in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, which is where the final will be held next year.

What time is the draw?

The Champions League group stage draw will be held at 5pm BST.

That means it is being held at 6pm in Turkey.

How do the pots work?

One team from each pot makes up the four teams in each group.

Pot 1

• Real Madrid
• Eintracht Frankfurt
• Manchester City - City reached the semi-finals last time around but lost over two legs to Real Madrid.
• AC Milan
• Bayern Munich
• PSG
• Porto
• Ajax

Pot 2

• Liverpool - The Reds were beaten in the final in Paris by Real Madrid in late May.
• Chelsea - The Blues won the competition in 2020 after beating Manchester City in the final in Porto.
• Barcelona
• Juventus
• Atletico Madrid
• Sevilla
• RB Leipzig
• Tottenham - Spurs reached the final in 2019 but lost to Liverpool in Madrid.

Pot 3

• Borussia Dortmund
• RB Salzburg
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Inter Milan
• Napoli
• Sporting Lisbon
• Bayern Leverkusen
• Marseille

Pot 4

• Club Brugge
• Celtic - The Hoops won the European Cup back in 1967.
• Maccabi Haifa
• Copenhagen
• Dinamo Zagreb
• Viktoria Plzen
• Rangers - The Gers are back in the Champions League after their win over PSV.
• Benfica

Pot 1 includes current holders Real Madrid who will be aiming for their 15th trophy this time around. Los Blancos are joined by Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, and all the teams who won their domestic leagues in 2022 consisting of Manchester City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, PSG, Porto and Ajax.

All other English teams - Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - find themselves in pot 2.

The rest of the pots are decided by UEFA’s club coefficient list, which sees Scottish duo Celtic and Rangers in pot 4.

Importantly, teams are not able to face sides from their own nation in the group stage, but they can meet from the first knock-out round onwards.

Is it on TV?

Yes, the draw will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1 and will be streamed for free on UEFA’s official YouTube channel.

Group stage schedule

Matchday 1 begins on 6/7th September meaning the clubs are only two weeks away from returning to European action.

• 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