For the first time five German representatives start in the Champions League. Everything about the German teams, the favorites and the calendar adapted to the World Cup.
30 years after the introduction of the Champions League, there is something new: for the first time, five German representatives are at the start. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Europa League triumph makes it possible for the Bundesliga eleven from the previous season to play. It starts on Tuesday (September 6th, 2022).
What can be expected from the German representatives?
FC Bayern has an almost natural claim to have a say in the awarding of the title. The end of last season’s quarter-finals against FC Villarreal triggered fundamental discussions on Säbener Straße in the spring – and led to a transfer offensive, as a result of which Sadio Mané or Matthijs de Ligt came to Munich. Coach Julian Nagelsmann knows that the performance in the Champions League in particular determines the season evaluation of his employer.
Reaching the round of 16 is the declared goal for Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, both of which have an apparently insurmountable obstacle in the group with Manchester City and Real Madrid respectively. It was better for Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt with opponents Sporting Lisbon, Olympique Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hessians are also bravely aiming for the round of 16 at the premiere. Because Bayer Leverkusen were also lucky – it’s against FC Porto, Atletico Madrid and Club Brugge – a German quintet could at best spend the winter in the premier class. Such an exclamation point for their five-pack would do the Bundesliga good.
Who are the favourites?
In the all-time table of the Champions League, record winners Real Madrid (904 points) lead by a clear margin over FC Bayern (722) and FC Barcelona (639). This means that three teams from among the top favorites have already been named, with Bayern and Barcelona already meeting in the group phase with former Munich player Robert Lewandowski.
Manchester City and Paris St. Germain are always traded as contenders for the handle pot, despite the opulent financial resources of their financiers from Abu Dhabi and Qatar, respectively, they have so far pursued such a success in vain. Their star-studded squads are always contenders for the title.
The English champions Manchester City in particular have once again gained quality in the storm with the transfer of Erling Haaland. It remains to be seen whether the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at PSG is really good for the big hit. Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC and AC Milan are also ambitious as usual. The usual suspects should meet again in the quarter-finals at the latest.
What is there to earn?
The Champions League has been a success story in sporting and economic terms since it was founded in 1992/93, and the premier class in particular attracts more capital than almost any other competition. Critics rightly complain that the huge streams of revenue have ensured that the balance of power has shifted in favor of the clubs that regularly play here.
The bonuses are made up of performance-related earnings, shares by UEFA club coefficient rankings and shares in the TV market pool. There is already a starting bonus of more than 15.6 million euros for each of the 32 participants.
In the group phase, a prize money of 2.7 million euros will be paid out. There are 9.5 million euros for the round of 16, 10.5 for the quarterfinals, 12 for the semifinals and 15 million for the final. All in all, the top teams can earn up to 100 million euros.
When is the game played this season?
Because of the World Cup in Qatar (November 20th – December 18th, 2022), the group phase will be pushed through in less than two months. Made possible by an adjustment in the schedule, because the international matches in October are cancelled. The group match days of the Champions League are therefore on 6./7. September, 13th/14th September, 4th/5th October, 11./12. October, 25./26. October, 1st/2nd November.
It continues with the knockout round after the World Cup in the new year from February 14, 2023. The round of 16 will only be completed on March 15. This time, the semi-finals will only take place on 9./10. and 16./17. May. The final is scheduled for June 10, 2023 in Istanbul.
Where can the games be heard on the radio?
The Champions League performances of all German teams can be heard live on the sports show. As an audio stream live, emotional and in full length including analyzes and game reports. The streams can be accessed on Sportschau.de and WDR2.de as well as in the Sportschau and WDR2 apps. The games in the ticker are available at sportschau.de. There are also background reports, game statistics, highlight clips and analyses.