Champions League: When is the group-stage draw and which teams are in it?

Everything you need to know about the draws for the Champions League and Europa League

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The draws for the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League take place this week as teams prepare to learn their opponents for the new season, just one month after last term’s final. 

Uefa announced this month that the draws that were due to be held in Greece would be moved to Switzerland and placed behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The delayed European seasons kick off properly from 20 October when the group stage for the 2020/21 campaign gets under way, with Uefa hopeful of fitting in a normal-sized Champions League format, albeit in a compressed timeframe.

The tournament will begin a month later than normal due to last season not wrapping up until mid-August, but Uefa are confident that the group stage will be completed by the second week of December before finishing the knockout stages as usual once the January transfer window has concluded.

However, there will likely be a few hurdles to clear along the way, with coronavirus protocols and quarantine measures constantly changing across Europe, with sudden changes to government policy likely to cause a few head-scratching scenarios across football this season. Here’s everything you need to know about the draws.

When is the Champions League draw?

The draw for the group stage of the 2020/21 Champions League will take place on Thursday 1 October, and will be followed the next day by the draw for the Europa League group stage on Friday 2 October.

What time will it start?

The Champions League draw ceremony will begin at 4pm BST on Thursday 1 October, with the draw itself likely to start between 10 and 15 minutes into the ceremony and last no longer than 15 minutes. The Europa League draw will take place at 12pm BST on Friday 2 October.

Who will be in the Champions League group-stage draw?

Pot 1: Bayern Munich, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Porto

Pot 2: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea

Pot 2 or 3: Ajax

Pot 3: RB Leipzig, Inter Milan, Lazio, Atalanta

Pot 3 or 4: Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, Club Brugge, Borussia Monchengladbach

Pot 4: Istanbul Basaksehir, Rennes

New Liverpool signing Thiago won the Champions League with Bayern Munich last season (Getty Images)

Who can still qualify?

Third qualifying round: Ferencvaros, Dinamo Zagreb, Qarabag, Molde, Omonia, Red Star Belgrade, Midtjylland, Young Boys, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dynamo Brest, PAOK, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv, AZ, Gent, Rapid Wien.

Play-off round: Slavia Prague, Red Bull Salzburg, Olympiacos, Krasnodar.

Champions League dates

Group stage

20/21 October: Matchday 1

27/28 October: Matchday 2

3/4 November: Matchday 3

24/25 November: Matchday 4

1/2 December: Matchday 5

8/9 December: Matchday 6

Round of 16

16/17/23/24 February: Round of 16 first legs

9/10/16/17 March: Round of 16 second legs

Bayern coach Hansi Flick with the Champions League trophy (Getty Images)

Quarter-finals

6/7 April: First legs

13/14 April: Second legs

Semi-finals

27/28 April: First legs

4/5 May: Second legs

Final

29 May: Champions League final