After Antwerp, FC Copenhagen, and PSV Eindhoven clinched the final three spots in this year’s competition, the pots for Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw were decided upon.
The UCL will be reorganised into a single 36-team league the following season, hence the group draw will be the last one to take place.
As the current champions, Manchester City joins Sevilla, the UEFA Europa League champion, in Pot 1. The winners of the Eredivisie are promoted from Pot 3 because Pep Guardiola’s club also won the Premier League. The other teams in the top pot are Feyenoord and the champions of the top six leagues.
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As Newcastle United will be playing in Europe for the first time in 11 seasons, they are placed in Pot 4 based on UEFA’s five-year coefficient score. It implies that the return to the Champions League for the Magpies could be challenging in a group that includes teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
Date and Time
The group stage draw will start on Thursday at noon ET/5 p.m. UK, with the opening matches set for September 19 and 20. By Saturday, the timetable is anticipated to be released.
A group will be formed by drawing one team from each pot. A group cannot contain teams from the same national association.
This year’s championship game will take place at Wembley Stadium in London.
POT 1
Manchester City
Sevilla
Barcelona
Napoli
Bayern Munich
Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica
Feyenoord
POT 2
Real Madrid
Manchester United
Internazionale
Borussia Dortmund
Atletico Madrid
RB Leipzig
FC Porto
Arsenal
POT 3
Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Salzburg
AC Milan
Braga
PSV Eindhoven
Lazio
Red Star Belgrade
FC Copenhagen
POT 4
Young Boys
Real Sociedad
Galatasaray
Celtic
Newcastle United
Union Berlin
Antwerp
Lens
