Skip to content

Champions League group-stage draw: When is it and who could Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic face?

You can follow the Champions League group-stage draw with our live blog on the Sky Sports website and app; The draw is set to take place at 5pm in Monaco on Thursday August 29; Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Celtic all feature

Champions League
Image: The 2025 Champions League final will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich

The Champions League group-stage draw will see Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Celtic discover their opponents for the opening round of the 2024/25 edition.

When is the draw?

The 2024/25 Champions League group stage draw takes place at 5pm (BST) on Thursday August 29 in Monaco.

Carlo Ancelotti lifts the Champions League trophy
Image: Carlo Ancelotti lifted a record fifth Champions League last year with Real Madrid

Who is in the draw?

Twenty-nine teams have qualified automatically for this year's Champions League group stage, with 25 having done so via their 2023/24 league position.

Shakhtar Donetsk and Benfica qualified by virtue of the Champions League and Europa League winners having already booked their spots via their domestic league performance or as a result of their country's collective performance in Europe last season.

Two leagues - Italy and Germany - have been rewarded with an extra place based on performance in Europe last year.

Seven further teams have booked their places via the play-offs.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol shares why UEFA have changed the formats of their club competitions and how it will work

England: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City

Also See:

Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Real Madrid

Germany: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart

Italy: AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Inter Milan, Juventus

France: Brest, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain

Portugal: Benfica, Sporting Lisbon

Netherlands: Feyenoord, PSV

Austria: Sturm Graz, RB Salzburg

Scotland: Celtic

Belgium: Club Brugge

Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

Switzerland: Young Boys

Czech Republic: Sparta Prague

*Four play-off teams still to qualify

How does the draw work?

With the number of teams having expanded from 32 to 36 in the Champions League, the biggest change is a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league phase including all participating teams.

Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.

No team can play a side from their own league at this stage, although teams from England and Scotland could be drawn against each other. UEFA will confirm any other restrictions ahead of the draw ceremony.

The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.

Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

UEFA have made changes to their club competitions from the 2024/25 season - but what will they look like?

When are the group stage games?

Matchday 1: September 17-19

Matchday 2: October 1/2

Matchday 3: October 22/23

Matchday 4: November 5/6

Matchday 5: November 26/27

Matchday 6: December 10/11

Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025

Matchday 8: January 29, 2025

The key Champions League dates

The 2024/25 Champions League final will take place on May 31, 2025 at Allianz Arena.

Knockout round play-offs: February 11/12 & 18/19, 2025

Round of 16: March 4/5 & 11/12, 2025

Quarter-finals: April 8/9 & 15/16, 2025

Semi-finals: April 29/30 & May 6/7, 2025

Final: May 31, 2025 (Allianz Arena, Germany)

Win £1,000,000 with Super 6!
Win £1,000,000 with Super 6!

No winner of the £2M, no problem. There is another chance to win £1,000,000 with Super 6 this weekend!

Around Sky