2016/17 Champions League: All you need to know
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
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Who are the 22 teams confirmed in the group stage? Where will the other ten come from? When are the draws and matches? And where is the final? Get all the lowdown here.
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Who has qualified?
Of the 32 sides that will contest the group stage this autumn, 22 are already known:
Pot 1 (holders & champions of top 7 ranked nations)
Real Madrid (ESP, holders) coefficient: 176.142
Barcelona (ESP) 159.142
Leicester City (ENG) 15.256
Bayern München (GER) 163.035
Juventus (ITA) 107.087
Benfica (POR) 116.616
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 112.549
CSKA Moskva (RUS) 48.716
Other pots
Atlético Madrid (ESP) 144.142
Borussia Dortmund (GER) 110.035
Arsenal (ENG) 105.256
Sevilla (ESP) 95.642
Napoli (ITA) 90.087
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 89.035
Basel (SUI) 87.755
Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) 74.256
Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) 65.976
Lyon (FRA) 63.049
PSV Eindhoven (NED) 57.112
Sporting CP (POR) 51.616
Club Brugge (BEL) 43.000
Beşiktaş (TUR) 34.920
The remaining ten teams will come from the play-offs, five through the league route and five via the champions route.
Fifteen teams will be involved in the league route, ten starting in the third qualifying round and five given byes to the play-offs.
Olympiacos, Viktoria Plzeň and Astra Giurgiu start the champions route in the third qualifying round, with the 17 second-stage ties that begin today deciding the remaining contenders. Those 34 sides include four first qualifying round winners, their ties played over the last fortnight.
Where is the final?
The National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff will stage its first UEFA final, though it is used to big matches in football and rugby, not least six FA Cup finals between 2001 and 2006 while Wembley was being rebuilt. The stadium is equipped with a retractable roof, comprising two sliding 400-tonne sections which take 20 minutes to open or close. It is the second largest covered stadium in the world, behind Cowboys Stadium, Texas, United States.
When are the draws?
15/07/16: Third qualifying round
05/08/16: Play-offs
25/08/16: Group stage
12/12/16: Round of 16
17/03/17: Quarter-finals
21/04/17: Semi-finals
When are the matches?
12–13/07/16: Second qualifying round, first leg
19–20/07/16: Second qualifying round, second leg
26–27/07/16: Third qualifying round, first leg
02–03/08/16: Third qualifying round, second leg
16–17/08/16: Play-off round, first leg
23–24/08/16: Play-off round, second leg
13–14/09/16: Group stage, matchday one
27–28/09/16: Group stage, matchday two
18–19/10/16: Group stage, matchday three
01–02/11/16: Group stage, matchday four
22–23/11/16: Group stage, matchday five
06–07/12/16: Group stage, matchday six
14–15/02/17 and 21–22/02/17: Round of 16, first leg
07–08/03/17 and 14–15/03/17: Round of 16, second leg
11–12/04/17: Quarter-finals, first leg
18–19/04/17: Quarter-finals, second leg
02–03/05/17: Semi-finals, first leg
09–10/05/17: Semi-finals, second leg
03/06/17: Final (National Stadium of Wales, Cardiff)