Champions League group stage draw: Results, reactions, 'Group of Death' and more
The UEFA Champions League group stage is set, and there are juicy matchups up and down the preeminent club competition in European soccer.
Will the defending champions, Chelsea, be able to repeat? It all starts with the group stage!
Here is everything you need to know about the Champions League draw:
How does it work?
With the qualifying-round playoffs to finalize the 32-team field now complete, the teams were seeded and divided into four pots.
Pot 1 consisted of the reigning Champions League and Europa League winners, along with the top six champions of Europe's strongest domestic leagues, based on association ranking.
The remaining pot placements were determined by each club's coefficient rankings. Here's how the pots shook out ahead of the draw:
Pot 1: Chelsea, Villarreal, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Lille, Sporting CP
Pot 2: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund
Pot 3: Porto, Ajax, Shakhtar Donetsk, RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg, Benfica, Atalanta, Zenit Saint Petersburg
Pot 4: Beşiktaş, Dynamo Kyiv, Club Brugge, Young Boys, AC Milan, Malmö, Wolfsburg, Sheriff Tiraspol
The draw consisted of pulling one club from each pot to make up eight groups of four teams. There were exceptions, however, such as clubs could not be drawn into a group with a team from the same league. For instance, two teams from England couldn't be in the same group, even if they are from different pots.
How did the draw shake out?
Group A: Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge
Group B: Atlético Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, AC Milan
Group C: Sporting CP, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Beşiktaş
Group D: Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sheriff Tiraspol
Group E: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv
Group F: Villareal, Manchester United, Atalanta, Young Boys
Group G: Lille, Sevilla, RB Salzburg, Wolfsburg
Group H: Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Malmö
Is there a "Group of Death" among them?
Group A certainly gathered a lot of headlines, with Lionel Messi now at PSG and his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, rumored to possibly be heading to Manchester City before the transfer window closes. The Citizens are unbeaten in five games against PSG, with three wins and two draws in the competition. Now, the two European giants will square off twice more in Group A!
Here's what FOX Sports soccer writer Doug McIntyre had to say:
"Featuring tournament favorite Paris Saint-Germain, last year’s European runner-up Manchester City, 2020 semifinalist RB Leipzig plus Belgian power Club Brugge, Group A is the clear "Group of Death" in the 2021-22 Champions League. It will get even more intriguing if Cristiano Ronaldo lands at Man City, as rumored, setting up two must-see matchups against PSG’s Lionel Messi."
When does the group stage begin?
Matchday 1 of the group stage begins Sept. 14 and carries over to Sept. 15. The group-stage finales will be played on Dec. 7 and 8, with the knockout stage draw taking place on Dec. 13.
Any other reactions?
Here's how the soccer world reacted to Thursday's draw, along with some of the many awards handed out:
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