Champions: one month in the draw for Milan, Inter, Napoli and Juve

The countdown can officially begin. In fact, there is only one month left until the draw for the group stage of the Champions League. Milan, Juventus, Inter and Napoli will meet their opponents in Istanbul, where the groups will be composed on 25 August. For that day, of course, the six teams that had to face the qualifying courses to win a place in the competition will also be known. The Turkish capital will also host the final of the tournament.

The qualifications

–

The clubs are divided into two qualification paths, “Champions” and “Achievements”. The second preliminary round will end between Tuesday and Wednesday. The third will be played between 2-3 and 9 August, while the play-offs will be played on 16-17 and 23-24 of the same month. At that point all 32 qualified teams will be known and the next day the draw for the group stage will take place.

Dates

–

Due to the more compressed calendar, the first day will be played on 6-7 September; 13-14 September the second, 4-5 October the third, 11-12 October the fourth, 25-26 October the fifth while the last will be between 1 and 2 November. On the 7th the draw of the round of 16 will be drawn, but the tournament will resume only three months later: the first leg is set for 14-15 and 21-22 February, the return 7-8 and 14-15 March. On the 17th there will be the last draw, which will outline the path of the teams from the quarterfinals (11-12 April the first leg, 18-19 April the return) to the end. The semi-finals are scheduled for 9-10 and 16-17 May, with the final being played at Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium on 10 June 2023.

The bands

–

The teams as usual are divided into four bands. Milan, as champion of Italy, is in first place. Juventus are in second, while Inter and Napoli are in third. Below is a summary of the 26 teams already qualified.
First band: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Porto, Milan and Ajax.
Second band: Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Seville, Barcelona, ​​Leipzig, Juventus and Tottenham.
Third band: Borussia Dortmund, Naples, Salzburg, Sporting, Shakhtar, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter and Marseille.
Fourth band: Celtic, Club Brugge, four teams from the “Champions” path, two teams from the “Place” path.