The anticipation for the 2023/24 Champions League group stage draw has intensified as the pots have now been officially confirmed, marking the culmination of the qualification phase of the prestigious competition.
The qualification play-offs witnessed the final three teams securing their spots in the group stage. PSV Eindhoven, Royal Antwerp, and FC Copenhagen emerged victorious in their respective matches against Rangers, AEK Athens, and Rakow Czestochowa on Wednesday night, solidifying their presence in the upcoming rounds.
Scheduled to commence on September 19 and 20, the Champions League group stage involves 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. Notably, each group is prohibited from containing more than one club from a particular nation.
The groups will be determined from four seeding pots, with each group featuring one team from each pot. The composition of these pots is structured based on various factors, including the rankings established by UEFA’s coefficient system, reflecting the performance of European clubs in past UEFA club competitions.
While Pot 1 has been fixed for months, consisting of the Champions League holders, the Europa League winners, and the champions of UEFA’s top six ranked nations who have not clinched spots through the aforementioned tournaments, the remaining pots are shaped by the UEFA coefficient rankings.
Among the notable participants, four English teams—Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Newcastle—are set to participate in the group stage, along with Scottish side Celtic.
The pots have been determined as follows according to X account UEFA rankings:
Pot 1: Man City, Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica, Feyenoord.
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto, Arsenal.
Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan, Braga, PSV Eindhoven, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, FC Copenhagen.
Pot 4: Young Boys, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Celtic, Newcastle United, Union Berlin, Royal Antwerp, RC Lens.
The much-awaited draw for the Champions League group stage is scheduled for 5pm BST on Friday, August 31. This event will be hosted at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, marking a return to the venue after three years. Notably, last year’s draw took place in Istanbul, the host city of the final. The grand finale this season is set to unfold at London’s Wembley Stadium, a prestigious return after nearly a decade.
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