The field of participants for the soccer Champions League 2023/24 is complete: With PSV Eindhoven, FC Copenhagen and Royal Antwerpen, the last three teams qualified for the group stage on Wednesday evening (08/30/2023).
Eindhoven impressively took revenge on Glasgow Rangers 5-1 (1-0) for losing out in qualifying a year ago. Eindhoven is back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2018/2019 season. As in 2022, the first leg between Rangers and PSV ended 2-2, but this time the Dutch kept the better end in the play-off second leg.
Ismael Saibiri (35th/53rd) put PSV ahead with a brace. James Tavernier (64′) made it back, but ex-Gladbacher Luuk de Jong (66′), Joey Veerman (78′) and an own goal by Connor Goldson (81′) made the final clear.
Premiere for Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp has qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the first time ever. After the 1-0 win in the first leg, Royal also won the second leg at AEK Athens.
In the 2-1 (0-0) victory for the Belgians, Gyrano Kerk (73′) and Michel-Ange Balikwisha (90’+5) scored the goals for the guests. Sergio Araujo (90th) equalized in the meantime.
Out for ex-Hamburger Kittel
FC Copenhagen qualified by beating Polish champions Rakow Czestochowa 1-1 (1-0) in the second leg with ex-Hamburg player Sonny Kittel. Denis Vavro (35th) scored the 1-0 for the Danes, the equalizer by Lukasz Zwolinski (87th) did not help the guests after the 0-1 defeat in the first leg.
Galatasaray Istanbul, Sporting Braga and Young Boys Bern had already prevailed in the playoffs on Tuesday (08/29/2023).
draw of Preliminary Groups on Thursday
The draw for the groups will take place on Thursday (08/31/2023) from 6 p.m. in Monaco. For the last time, 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four. From the 2024/25 season, the group stage will be replaced by a 36-team league system.