The stage for the biggest club tournament in world soccer is set.
The UEFA Champions League held its group stage draw for the 2022-23 season in Istanbul on Thursday, as the 32 UCL clubs were split into eight groups of four.
Reigning champion Real Madrid landed in Group F along with RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic. Los Blancos will be looking to win a record-extending 15th Champions League title in 2022-23.
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The club Real Madrid beat in last year's UCL final, Liverpool, was placed into Group A with Ajax, Napoli and Rangers.
Group C has the best case to be dubbed "the group of death," as it boasts the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan, along with Viktoria Plzen.
Group G, meanwhile, will pit Manchester City star Erling Haaland up against his old club in Borussia Dortmund.
Here's a full look at the Champions League draw results:
Soccer
What are the Champions League groups for 2022-23?
Group A
Ajax
Liverpool
Napoli
Rangers
Group B
Porto
Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Club Brugge
Group C
Bayern Munich
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Viktoria Plzen
Group D
Eintracht Frankfurt
Tottenham Hotspur
Sporting Lisbon
Marseille
Group E
AC Milan
Chelsea
RB Salzburg
Dinamo Zagreb
Group F
Real Madrid
RB Leipzig
Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic
Group G
Manchester City
Sevilla
Borussia Dortmund
Copenhagen
Group H
Paris Saint-Germain
Juventus
Benfica
Maccabi Haifa
How does the Champions League draw work?
Similar to the World Cup draw, the 32 teams were divided into four pots based on rankings, and then teams were chosen from those pots into eight groups.
Each of the groups is led by one of the teams from Pot 1, which consists of last year’s Champions League winner (Real Madrid), last year’s Europa League winner (Eintracht Frankfurt), and the winner of the top leagues in England, Italy, Germany, France, Portugal and the Netherlands. (The Netherlands’ Eredivisie champion, Ajax, was elevated to Pot 1 because Real Madrid won both the Champions League and Spain’s top league, La Liga, last season.)
No teams from the same country could be placed into the same group.
What were the Champions League draw pots?
Pot 1
Real Madrid
Eintracht Frankfurt
Manchester City
AC Milan
Bayern Munich
PSG
Porto
Ajax
Pot 2
Liverpool
Chelsea
Barcelona
Juventus
Atletico Madrid
Sevilla
RB Leipzig
Tottenham Hotspur
Pot 3
Borussia Dortmund
RB Salzburg
Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter Milan
Napoli
Benfica
Sporting Lisbon
Bayer Leverkusen
Pot 4
Rangers
Dinamo Zagreb
Marseille
Copenhagen
Club Brugge
Celtic
Viktoria Plzen
Maccabi Haifa
When are the Champions League group stage matches?
The 2022-23 UEFA Champions League action begins with Matchday 1 from Sept. 6-7. Here's the full group stage schedule:
Matchday 1: Sept. 6-7
Matchday 2: Sept. 13-14
Matchday 3: Oct. 4-5
Matchday 4: Oct. 11-12
Matchday 5: Oct. 25-26
Matchday 6: Nov. 1-2
When are the Champions League knockout stage matches?
After the group stage, the top 16 teams will advance to the knockout stage. Those matchups will be determined in a draw on Nov. 7, 2022, for Round of 16 matches to take place between Feb. 14 and 22, 2023.