The UEFA Champions League group stage draw took place in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday evening, August 25, 2022.
For the group stage of the 2022–23 season, 32 teams qualified, with the final six spots determined via play-offs.
These teams that qualified for the draws were placed in 4 different pots with which was selected at random.
The teams placed in each pot were:
𝗣𝗢𝗧 𝟭:
- Real Madrid
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- Man City
- AC Milan
- Bayern Munich
- PSG
- Porto
- Ajax
𝗣𝗢𝗧 𝟮:
- Liverpool
- Chelsea
- Barcelona
- Juventus
- Atletico Madrid
- Sevilla
- RB Leipzig
- Tottenham
𝗣𝗢𝗧 𝟯:
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Salzburg
- Shakhtar
- Inter Milan
- Napoli
- Benfica
- Sporting CP
- Bayer Leverkusen
𝗣𝗢𝗧 𝟰:
- Rangers
- Dinamo Zagreb
- Marseille
- Copenhagen
- Club Brugge
- Celtic
- Viktoria Plzen
- Maccabi Haifa
UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw
The eight groups were separated by color: Groups A to D was labeled red, while Groups E to H was labeled blue. This will ensure that matched clubs from the same country play on separate days.
Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Group B: FC Porto, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge
Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzen
Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting CP, Marseille
Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, FC Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen
Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa
UEFA Presidential Award
Arrigo Sacchi, a former Italian head coach, received the day’s first honor.
He was given the UEFA President’s Award for 2022, which honors extraordinary feats outside of football.
With AC Milan, Sacchi won back-to-back European Cups in 1988–89 and 1989–90. He also helped Italy place second in the 1994 World Cup.
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year
Karim Benzema of Spain wins the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year honor. The Real Madrid captain will always remember the 2021–22 season, during which time his team won the UEFA Nations League with France, the Champions League, LaLiga, and the Spanish Supercopa.
UEFA Women’s Player of the Year
Alexia Putellas had a heartbreaking spring and summer after losing in the Champions League final to Barcelona and then tearing her ACL just before the European Championship this summer.
However, the 28-year-old can find some comfort in her recent selection as the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. She is the first athlete in history to get the honor twice.
UEFA Coach of the Year awards
We also have the UEFA Coach of the Year awards, with Carlo Ancelotti winning the men’s award after guiding Real Madrid to a LaLiga-Champions League double.
Sarina Wiegman, the manager of England, won the women’s award after guiding the Lionesses to an incredibly impressive European Championship on home soil.
Champions League Group Stage Action
Pot 2 had some incredibly tantalizing matchups in the past. Although PSG and Juventus have already met eight times, this will be their first meeting in the Champions League.
In those games, the Parisians are winless, having suffered six losses and two ties.
Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich, too? The first match Robert Lewandowski plays is against Bayern’ and he is the club’s all-time leading scorer in the competition.
Borussia Dortmund was paired in Group G with Erling Haaland’s new team, Manchester City, for another quick reunion!
