On Thursday (08/31/2023) the draw for the group stage in the Champions League took place in Monaco. Here’s a rundown of the groups drawn by ex-stars Joe Cole and Eric Abidal. In addition, sportschau.de answers the most important questions about the season in the premier class.
For RB Leipzig there will be a reunion of the painful kind in the Champions League. In the round of 16, the German cup winners lost 7-0 in the first leg at Manchester City last season – now the two meet in the group stage. “We learned through pain how good this team is. A great opportunity to compete with the best team in Europe“said RB sports director Max Eberl.
There is also a special duel for FC Bayern, who will meet Manchester United again for the first time in over nine years. Union Berlin has a royal visit at the premiere in the premier class. Real Madrid are one of three opponents in a strong group that also includes Italian champions SSC Napoli. Borussia Dortmund was hit particularly hard with top teams from France, Italy and England. “What a group – let’s go”commented Mats Hummels on “X” (formerly Twitter).
The groups at a glance
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Bayern Munich | Germany | |
Manchester United | England | |
FC Copenhagen | Denmark | |
Galatasaray | Türkiye |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
FC Seville | Spain | |
Arsenal FC | England | |
PSV Eindhoven | Netherlands | |
RC Lens | France |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
SSC Naples | Italy | |
real Madrid | Spain | |
SC Braga | Portugal | |
Union Berlin | Germany |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Benfica Lisbon | Portugal | |
Inter Milan | Italy | |
FC Salzburg | Austria | |
Real Sociedad San Sebastián | Spain |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Feyenoord Rotterdam | Netherlands | |
Atlético Madrid | Spain | |
Lazio Rome | Italy | |
Celtic Glasgow | Scotland |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Paris St Germain | France | |
Borussia Dortmund | Germany | |
AC Milan | Italy | |
Newcastle United | England |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Manchester City | England | |
RB Leipzig | Germany | |
Red Star Belgrade | Serbia | |
Young Boys Bern | Switzerland |
| team | nation | |
|---|---|---|
Barcelona FC | Spain | |
FC Porto | Portugal | |
Shakhtar Donetsk | Ukraine | |
Royal Antwerp | Belgium |
When are the games held?
| Gameday | Date | |
|---|---|---|
1. | 19/20 September | |
2. | 3rd/4th October | |
3. | 24th/25th October | |
4. | 7th/8th November | |
5. | 28/29 November | |
6. | 12./13. December | |
round of 16 | 1st leg 13th-21st February / second leg 5.-13. March | |
Quarterfinals | First leg 9th/10th April / second leg 16./17. April | |
semifinals | First leg 30 April/1 May / second leg 7./8. May | |
Final in London | June 1st |
Where are the games broadcast?
“DAZN” shows almost all games live in the stream, on “Amazon Prime” you can see the top game on Tuesday on every matchday. ZDF broadcasts the final live on free TV. On sportschau.de there is a live ticker for all games in the Champions League, you can follow games with German participation live in the audio stream.
Where does Shakhtar Donetsk play?
Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the club is unable to play at home. But Donetsk has already found an alternative location and will play its home games in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
How much money is there for participants?
Those who are in the Champions League can already look forward to 15.64 million euros. There is a further 2.8 million euros for a win in the group phase and 0.93 million euros for a draw. The bonus for reaching the round of 16 is 9.6 million euros, for the quarter-finals there is 10.6 million euros and for the semi-finals 12.5 million euros. The winner of the final not only lifts the handle pot in the air, but also gets 20 million euros transferred to the account. The “consolation prize” for the final loser is a payment of 15.5 million euros.