Champions League group stage squads, player registration deadlines: all you need to know
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
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How many players can a club register, when is the deadline and what changes can they make? All you need to know about the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage squads.
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The squads for the 32 UEFA Champions League group contenders must be submitted by midnight CET on Thursday 2 September: we explain the rules.
When do clubs submit their squads?
Every club must submit two lists of players, including details such as shirt number, date of birth and nationality. List A needs to be submitted to the relevant association to be verified, validated and forwarded to UEFA by 24:00 CET on Thursday 2 September. The same process applies to List B (more details below), which must be submitted no later than 24:00 CET the day before each match.
When does the transfer window close?
Domestic transfer windows involving clubs in the UEFA Champions League group stage vary by nation. In most of the associations with clubs confirmed in the group stage, the deadline was at some point on 31 August.
Though there are exceptions such as Portugal (22 September), Russia (7 September), Turkey (8 September) and Ukraine (3 September), all clubs have to register their UEFA Champions League squads by 24:00 CET on 2 September and any subsequent transfers will not be eligible for the group stage.
Can clubs include players who were fielded in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League or in either of the other men's club competitions?
Yes. A player who has been fielded in the preliminary round, or in the first, second or third qualifying round, or in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League is entitled to play in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League for another club as from the group stage.
Play-off winners
The six teams that qualified from the play-offs do not have to use the same squad in the group stage. Indeed, after each qualifying round, clubs are permitted to submit a completely new squad.
Who can be on List A?
No club can have more than 25 players on List A during the season, of whom at least two must be goalkeepers.
As a minimum, eight of those 25 places are reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players'. If a club have fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly.
What's a 'locally trained player'?
There are two categories:
1. Club-trained players players who were on a club's books for three years between the ages of 15 and 21.
2. Association-trained players players who were on another club's books in the same association for three years between the ages of 15 and 21. No club can have more than four association-trained players among their eight 'local' nominees on List A.
What is List B?
A player may be registered on List B if he is born on, or after, 1 January 2000 and has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with UEFA – or for a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year. Players aged 16 may be submitted if they have been registered with the club for the previous two years without interruption.
Clubs are entitled to register an unlimited number of players on List B during the season, but the list needs to be submitted no later than 24:00 CET the day before a match.
Can clubs change their squads again this season?
Yes ... if they get through to the knockout stage. Ahead of the round of 16, by 24:00 CET on 2 February, clubs can register a maximum of three new players.
Any or all of the players from the above quota of three may have been fielded for another club in the qualifying phase, play-offs or group stage of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League.
The overall limit of 25 players on List A remains, though, along with the quota of eight locally-trained players.
Is that it?
Not necessarily. If a club cannot count on the services of at least two goalkeepers registered on List A because of long-term injury or illness (i.e. one that lasts 30 days), a club can temporarily replace him at any time during the season.