Chelsea legends Michael Essien and Branislav Ivanovic will be helping UEFA conduct the draw for the 2021/2022 Champions League.

The draw for the 2021/22 Champions League group stage takes place on Thursday 26 August in Istanbul, Turkey from 5pm local time.

The two players helped Chelsea win the trophy in 2012 for the first time in the club's history in Munich against Bayern.

A total of 32 teams compete in the Champions League group stage, 26 qualifying via their 2020/21 league position in domestic competition and a further six coming through the play-off round.

The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four for the group stage and play each other both at home and away, with the top two advancing to the round of 16. Teams cannot face another side from their national association in the group stage.

Twenty-six teams qualified automatically for the group stage, with the final six group stage 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
BEL: Club Brugge
UKR: Dynamo Kyiv
TUR: Beşiktaş
SUI: Young Boys
SWE: Malmö
Three remaining play-off winners.

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 a side 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. In the case of associations with four (or more) representatives, two pairings will be made. These pairings are to be based on TV audiences and will be confirmed ahead of the draw ceremony.

When are the group stage games?

The full fixture list for the group stage will be communicated following the draw. The dates are as follows:

Matchday 1: 14/15 September
Matchday 2: 28/29 September
Matchday 3: 19/20 October
Matchday 4: 2/3 November
Matchday 5: 23/24 November
Matchday 6: 7/8 December

What are the round dates for the rest of the competition?


The round of 16 is scheduled to take place in February and March, with the quarter-finals slated for April and the semi-finals set to be held in late April and early May. The final will take place at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia on 28 May 2022.