Champions League league phase draw: Pot 1

UEFA.com profiles the nine teams who are in Pot 1 for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase draw.

Holders Real Madrid, last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund and the national champions from England, France and Italy are among the teams in Pot 1. Only four teams from Pot 1 last season – Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern München and Paris Saint-Germain – feature in this group again this time round.

UEFA coefficient rankings as at end of the 2023/24 season.

Real Madrid (ESP, Champions League holders)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 3
How they qualified: Champions League winners
Last season: Winners (W2-0 vs Dortmund)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1965/66, 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2013/14, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2021/22, 2023/24)

2023/24 season
Successful would be an understatement. A 36th La Liga title, a 15th European Cup/Champions League title and a Spanish Super Cup – the only reason it was not a totally faultless season was defeat by cross-city rivals Atlético de Madrid in the Spanish Cup round of 16. If the likes of Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham can continue to set the standard, and if new signing Kylian Mbappé hits the ground running at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid will be difficult to stop once again.

Man City (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 1
How they qualified: English champions
Last season: Quarter-finals (D4-4agg vs Real Madrid, L3-4 pens)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (2022/23)

2023/24 season
The incredible standards set by City in the last few seasons continued in 2023/24 as they won a sixth Premier League title in the last seven years, a first-ever UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. They were unable to defend their Champions League crown after a quarter-final penalty shoot-out defeat by Real Madrid, and lost in the FA Cup final to rivals Manchester United. Pep Guardiola will be desperate for a second Champions League crown with the Cityzens this time around.

Bayern München (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 2
How they qualified: Third in Germany
Last season: Semi-finals (L3-4agg vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76, 2000/01, 2012/13, 2019/20)

2023/24 season
For the first time since the 2011/12 season, Bayern ended their campaign without a trophy, finishing third in the Bundesliga and being knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Real Madrid. Harry Kane was a bright spark, scoring a total of 44 goals in all competitions, and the England captain will be desperate to get his hands on silverware this time around.

Paris (FRA)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 4
How they qualified: French champions
Last season: Semi-finals (L0-2agg vs Dortmund)
Best European Cup performance: Runners-up (2019/20)

2023/24 season
An impressive first year in France for Luis Enrique, with Paris comfortably winning the Ligue 1 title along with the French Cup and French Super Cup. Champions League success continues to evade them, however, with a 2-0 aggregate defeat by Dortmund in the semi-finals denying Paris a second final. This competition will no doubt be a priority once again in 2024/25 as they embark on their campaign without Mbappé.

Liverpool (ENG)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 5
How they qualified: Third in England
Last season: Europa League quarter-finals
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1976/77, 1977/78, 1980/81, 1983/84, 2004/05, 2018/19)

2023/24 season
The Reds were in contention for an unprecedented quadruple to bid farewell to Jürgen Klopp after they won the League Cup against Chelsea in February. But a disappointing few weeks then led to elimination in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup by Manchester United and the UEFA Europa League by Atalanta, while they also ran out of steam in the Premier League and eventually finished third. Nevertheless, the emergence of young talent such as Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley means the future certainly looks bright on Merseyside.

Inter (ITA)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 7
How they qualified: Italian champions
Last season: Round of 16 (D2-2agg vs Atlético de Madrid, L2-3 pens)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1963/64, 1964/65, 2009/10)

2023/24 season
The Nerazzurri won just their second Scudetto in the last 14 seasons, confirming the title with five matches to spare via a 2-1 victory against rivals Milan. An Italian Super Cup win over Napoli added gloss to the campaign, although they will be disappointed not to have progressed further in the Champions League – given their runners-up finish in 2022/23 – after they lost on penalties to Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16.

Dortmund (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 8
How they qualified: Fifth in Germany (European Performance Spot)
Last season: Runners-up (L0-2 vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1996/97)

2023/24 season
It was a case of so near but so far for Dortmund, who surprised many by reaching their third Champions League final, only to be beaten by Real Madrid at Wembley. BVB squeezed into this season's competition after finishing fifth in the Bundesliga, and will hope the likes of Donyell Malen and Julian Brandt can be as influential as they were in the last campaign.

Leipzig (GER)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 9
How they qualified: Fourth in Germany
Last season: Round of 16 (L1-2agg vs Real Madrid)
Best European Cup performance: Semi-finals (2019/20)

2023/24 season
Marco Rose's second campaign in charge of Leipzig was a productive one, with a fourth-placed finish achieved along with a 3-0 German Super Cup win against Bayern. They were unfortunate not to progress further in the Champions League following a narrow 2-1 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16, but the likes of Loïs Openda, Dani Olmo, Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško provided headaches for many a defence throughout the season.

Barcelona (ESP)

UEFA coefficient ranking: 12
How they qualified: Second in Spain
Last season: Quarter-finals (L4-6 vs Paris)
Best European Cup performance: Winners (1991/92, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11, 2014/15)

2023/24 season
Barça were unable to retain the Spanish Liga title they won in 2022/23 and finished the season trophyless following quarter-final exits in the Spanish Cup and Champions League. The closest they came to silverware was in the Spanish Super Cup, where they were defeated 4-1 by rivals Real Madrid in the final. Robert Lewandowski finished as top scorer with 26 goals in all competitions, while youngsters such as Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López and Lamine Yamal broke through to become important first-team players.