UEFA 21-22 Group Stage Draw: what you need to know

The 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony begins on Thursday 26 August.

The ceremony holds in Istanbul, Turkey at 5 pm BST (12pm ET).

Special guests which include Branislav Ivanović and Michael Essien will assist with the draw.

Who is involved in the draw?

Twenty-six teams qualified automatically for the group stage, with the final six berths being decided via the play-offs.

ENG: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea

ESP: Atlético, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal

ITA: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus

GER: Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund, Wolfsburg

FRA: LOSC, Paris

POR: Sporting CP, Porto, Benfica

NED: Ajax

RUS: Zenit

AUT: Salzburg

BEL: Club Brugge

UKR: Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk

TUR: Beşiktaş

SUI: Young Boys

SWE: Malmö

MDA: Sheriff

How does the draw work?

The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will consist of the holders, the UEFA Europa League winners, and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations who did not qualify via one of the 2020/21 continental titles; Pots 2 to 4 will be determined by the club coefficient rankings.

No team can play aside from their own association. Any other restrictions will be announced ahead of the draw ceremony.

In the case of associations with two representatives, clubs will be paired in order to split their matches between Tuesdays and Wednesdays.