In a unique season that will feature a fall World Cup, the 2022-23 Champions League group stage is complete after Thursday’s group stage draw—and it features quite a formidable Group of Death.
For the second straight season, Bayern Munich and Barcelona were drawn into the same group, and their chances of reaching the knockout stage were made more complicated when Serie A title favorite Inter Milan was added to the mix along with Czech champion Viktoria Plzeň.
Real Madrid, the 14-time champion, enters the season as the reigning champion and was given a favorable draw featuring RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic. Meanwhile, the general atmosphere of Group A is sure to entertain with the legendary fanbases of Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli and Rangers all present.
Here are the eight groups in full:
Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers
Group B: Porto, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge
Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzeň
Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille
Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen
Group H: PSG, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa
After Eintracht Frankfurt won the Europa League title last season, Germany is the most represented nation in the Champions League group stage with five clubs, while England, Italy and Spain will each send four teams.
Six teams (FC Copenhagen, Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers, Viktoria Plzeň, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa) qualified for the group stage via a qualifying playoff, while the other 26 clubs earned automatic berths through their respective league standing or, in Eintracht Frankfurt’s case, by winning the Europa League.
Typically, the group stage schedule stretches from September to December. However, since the 2022 World Cup will take place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18, the Champions League group stage will be played under a compressed schedule that will see all six matchdays being played within two months.
Matchday 1: September 6, 7
Matchday 2: September 13, 14
Matchday 3: October 4, 5
Matchday 4: October 11, 12
Matchday 5: October 25, 26
Matchday 6: November 1, 2
Eighteen years after the iconic “Miracle of Istanbul” Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan, Atatürk Olympic Stadium will host the June 10 final to conclude the season.
