Champions League draw LIVE: Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham learn group stage opponents

Follow live updates as the Champions League group stage draw is made ahead of the 2022/23 season, with Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham all set to learn their opponents. The mid-season World Cup in Qatar means this will be a Champions League group stage like no other, with the fixtures packed in and set to conclude in early November.

Real Madrid are the defending champions after beating Liverpool in the final, with the Spanish side also knocking out City and Chelsea on their way to lifting the competition for a 14th time. Tottenham are back under Antonio Conte after a two-year absence, while both Celtic and Rangers will be in the group stage draw for the first time since 2007.

The ceremony in Istanbul, which will host next year’s final, will also see the prizes for Uefa’s men’s and women’s player of the year handed out - as well as men’s and women’s coach of the year. Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Sarina Wiegman and Beth Mead are all in the running for individual awards. Follow live updates from the Champions League draw, below:

Champions League group stage draw

• Champions League group stage draw taking place in Istanbul from 5pm

• Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham among the teams finding out their opponents

• Celtic and Rangers - who beat PSV on Wednesday night to qualify - make it six British teams in the draw

• Man City in Pot 1; Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs in Pot 2; Celtic and Rangers in Pot 4

Rangers hold nerve to beat PSV and reach Champions League group stage

16:43 , Luke Baker

Antonio Colak scored the winner as Rangers beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 to reach the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.

After a 2-2 draw against the Dutch side in the first leg of the play-off at Ibrox last week, another absorbing encounter was played out in the Philips Stadium.

In a game that swung to and fro at times, Colak tapped into the empty net on the hour mark for his fifth goal in six matches before the Light Blues held out for a 3-2 aggregate win.

The Croatia striker had scored twice to help loan side Malmo knock Rangers out of the Champions League qualifiers last season but he repaid his current employers and then some following his move from PAOK as his side made it to the promised land for the first time since 2010.

Rangers and Celtic will be in today’s Champions League draw for the first time since 2007/08.

Rangers hold nerve to beat PSV and reach Champions League group stage

Stars gathering in Istanbul

16:33 , Luke Baker

As per usual at these sort of events, the great, good and forgettable of world football are gathering in Istanbul for the draw.

The likes of ex-goalkeepers Oliver Kahn (now Bayern Munich CEO) and Edwin van der Sar, as well as Turkey coach Stefan Kuntz have all been pictured arriving.

Champions League trophy in place

16:23 , Luke Baker

The Champions League trophy is in place in Istanbul. Who will follow Real Madrid and lift it come next May?

We’re only about 40 minutes away from the group stage draw starting now.

Champions League draw comes as Super League court case hangs over European game

16:15 , Luke Baker

As officials of Europe’s great clubs gather in Istanbul for the Champions League draw, it will be the first time many have been together in the same room since before Covid, writes Miguel Delaney.

There will be some tension and sizing up. The biggest issues by far will be football politics, rather than any old-fashioned trepidation about who they might face in the draw. That is because of a discussion that is now beyond old-fashioned, which is that the competition’s group stage is boring and predictable. It is such a fait accompli it is set to be finished altogether, since this is the penultimate season of the old round-robin format. Enjoy the pompous pageantry of the draw while you can.

The controversial “Swiss system” changes won’t actually solve much, though. You only have to glance across the continent to see how the group stage just follows a growing trend. Predictability is the way of European football now.

Read Miguel’s full piece here:

Champions League draw comes as Super League court case hangs over European game

What time is the Champions League draw today?

16:00 , Luke Baker

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham await their fate in today’s Champions League group stage draw.

European football eagerly awaits the final touches to the calendar with the prestigious event in Istanbul, which will host this year’s final.

Liverpool were beaten in last season’s final by a Real Madrid side inspired by Karim Benzema, while Brazilian Vinicius Jr struck the winner in Paris. But Jurgen Klopp will be bullish about his side’s chances this year having seen their character to rebound after tough final defeats in the past. Tottenham return to the top table of European football, with Antonio Conte eager to prove his worth in a competition he has struggled with in the past.

Elsewhere, the Champions League draw will also feature both Rangers and Celtic for the first time since 2007 after Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side held their nerve to defeat PSV in the final play-off round last night.

Here’s all you need to know about the draw, including what teams will play this season and which pots they have been designated in.

What time is the Champions League draw today?

UEFA Awards winners to be announced

15:25 , Luke Baker

The Champions League draw today will also see the winners of the UEFA Awards announced. UEFA’s men’s and women’s player of the year will be handed out - as well as men’s and women’s coach of the year.

Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Sarina Wiegman and Beth Mead are among the names in the running for individual awards.

What are the Champions League group stage dates?

15:10 , Luke Baker

Once we know the groups, the full fixture schedule will be released shortly after.

Certain teams from the same country are paired to ensure they don’t play on the same day. From England, Man City and Liverpool will always play on separate days, as will Chelsea and Spurs, although we don’t yet know whether it will be Man City and Chelsea or Man City and Spurs who do play each of their group matches on the same evening. Celtic and Rangers will also always be playing on opposite days.

With the Qatar World Cup taking place in mid-season this year, it’s a new-look Champions League schedule, with the entire group stage crammed in between September and November. Here’s the full list of matchday dates.

Matchday 1: 6/7 SeptemberMatchday 2: 13/14 SeptemberMatchday 3: 4/5 OctoberMatchday 4: 11/12 OctoberMatchday 5: 25/26 OctoberMatchday 6: 1/2 NovemberRound of 16 draw: 7 November

WATCH: Champions League to use semi-automated offside this season

14:55 , Luke Baker

Semi-automated offside technology will be used in the Champions League, having been introduced for the UEFA Super Cup match between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this month.

The system, which uses special cameras that will track body points on players, will be used for Champions League group stage.

“UEFA is constantly looking for new technological solutions to improve the game and support the work of the referees,” UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer Roberto Rosetti said in a statement.

“This innovative system will allow Video Assistant Referee (VAR) teams to determine offside situations quickly and more accurately, enhancing the flow of the game and the consistency of the decisions.”

UEFA said the new system will operate with special cameras that track 29 different body points per player, with a total of 188 tests performed since 2020, including all games from last season’s Champions League, the knockout stage of the Women’s Champions League and the women’s Euros.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst proud after Rangers reach Champions League

14:40 , Luke Baker

Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed the pride he was feeling after Rangers beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 to reach the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.

After a 2-2 draw against the Dutch side in the first leg of the play-off at Ibrox last week, another absorbing encounter was settled in the Philips Stadium by Antonio Colak’s tap-in on the hour mark for a 3-2 aggregate win.

Rangers will take their place in today’s Champions League group-stage draw along with Old Firm rivals Celtic.

The Rangers boss said: “It is a very proud moment. I know what it means for the fans, for the club, to be playing in the highest level in Europe, competing with the best teams.

“I think it is a proud moment for all of us.”

Giovanni van Bronckhorst proud after Rangers reach Champions League

Champions League draw comes as Super League court case hangs over European game

14:25 , Luke Baker

As officials of Europe’s great clubs gather in Istanbul for the Champions League draw, it will be the first time many have been together in the same room since before Covid, writes Miguel Delaney.

There will be some tension and sizing up. The biggest issues by far will be football politics, rather than any old-fashioned trepidation about who they might face in the draw. That is because of a discussion that is now beyond old-fashioned, which is that the competition’s group stage is boring and predictable. It is such a fait accompli it is set to be finished altogether, since this is the penultimate season of the old round-robin format. Enjoy the pompous pageantry of the draw while you can.

The controversial “Swiss system” changes won’t actually solve much, though. You only have to glance across the continent to see how the group stage just follows a growing trend. Predictability is the way of European football now.

Read Miguel’s full piece here:

Champions League draw comes as Super League court case hangs over European game

Who is in Pot 4?

14:10 , Luke Baker

It has been five years without a Scottish representative in the Champions League group stage and an even longer, 15-year wait, since two took part in the same season. That wait is over though, as Rangers and Celtic make an appearance in Pot 4.

Recent European success, combined with Russia’s banishment, has seen Scotland’s UEFA coefficient rise enough that Celtic qualified automatically for the group stage by winning the Scottish Premiership, while Rangers joined them after battling past Union Saint-Gilloise and then PSV in qualification.

Ligue 1’s Marseille are also in the lowest pot but the rest of the teams come from some of the smaller European leagues as Israel’s Maccabi Haifa, Denmark’s FC Copenhagen and Belgium’s Club Brugge are among the representatives.

Pot 4: Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb, Marseille, Copenhagen, Club Brugge, Celtic, Viktoria Plzen, Maccabi Haifa

Who is in Pot 3?

13:55 , Luke Baker

Pot 3 contains a mixture of European upstarts and more established names as names such as Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica hold the flame for the latter.

Sporting Lisbon are the second Portuguese team in this pot, Napoli the second Italians and Bayer Leverkusen the second Germans, while Red Bull Salzburg’s production line of talent will get a chance to shine on the biggest stage and Shakhtar Donetsk’s presence is both hugely emotional and important - given the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Pot 3: Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg, Shaktar Donetsk, Inter Milan, Napoli, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Bayer Leverkusen

Who is in Pot 2?

13:42 , Luke Baker

Pot 2 also includes a number of huge European names, including a strong Premier League contingent. In fact, six of the eight teams are either English or Spanish and there are no weak sides in this pot.

Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs are the three Premier League representatives, with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla providing the LaLiga flavour. Clubs from the same league can’t be drawn in the same group, meaning Man City will avoid the former three teams and Real Madrid the three latter.

Juventus had to battle to finish in the top four of Serie A last season and they are joined by the team that did likewise in the Bundesliga - RB Leipzig.

Pot 2: Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Tottenham

Who is in Pot 1?

13:29 , Luke Baker

Unsurprisingly, Pot 1 in today’s draw is absolutely stacked as it contains a number of European heavyweights. Reigning champions Real Madrid head the pot and they’re joined by Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.

Manchester City are the sole English representative in Pot 1, while powerhouses including AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain are also in the pot

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Man City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Ajax

How does the Champions League group stage draw work?

13:17 , Luke Baker

Clubs have been split into four pots, with one team from each making up a group.

Pot 1 is made up of holders Real Madrid, the other champions of Europe’s biggest leagues and Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The other pots are based on how well teams have done in Europe over the past five seasons.

The draw is taking place today at 5pm BST in Istanbul, Turkey - host city of this season’s Champions League final.

Rangers hold nerve to beat PSV and reach Champions League group stage

13:08 , Luke Baker

Antonio Colak scored the winner as Rangers beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 to reach the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.

After a 2-2 draw against the Dutch side in the first leg of the play-off at Ibrox last week, another absorbing encounter was played out in the Philips Stadium.

In a game that swung to and fro at times, Colak tapped into the empty net on the hour mark for his fifth goal in six matches before the Light Blues held out for a 3-2 aggregate win.

The Croatia striker had scored twice to help loan side Malmo knock Rangers out of the Champions League qualifiers last season but he repaid his current employers and then some following his move from PAOK as his side made it to the promised land for the first time since 2010.

Rangers and Celtic will be in today’s Champions League draw for the first time since 2007/08.

Rangers hold nerve to beat PSV and reach Champions League group stage

What time is the Champions League draw today?

13:03 , Luke Baker

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham await their fate in today’s Champions League group stage draw.

European football eagerly awaits the final touches to the calendar with the prestigious event in Istanbul, which will host this year’s final.

Liverpool were beaten in last season’s final by a Real Madrid side inspired by Karim Benzema, while Brazilian Vinicius Jr struck the winner in Paris. But Jurgen Klopp will be bullish about his side’s chances this year having seen their character to rebound after tough final defeats in the past. Tottenham return to the top table of European football, with Antonio Conte eager to prove his worth in a competition he has struggled with in the past.

Elsewhere, the Champions League draw will also feature both Rangers and Celtic for the first time since 2007 after Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side held their nerve to defeat PSV in the final play-off round last night.

Here’s all you need to know about the draw, including what teams will play this season and which pots they have been designated in.

What time is the Champions League draw today?

Champions League group stage draw

13:02 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Champions League group stage draw ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham are all set to learn their opponents in a campaign where the mid-season World Cup in Qatar means this will be a Champions League group stage like no other, with the fixtures packed in and set to conclude in early November.

Real Madrid are the defending champions after beating Liverpool in the final, with the Spanish side also knocking out City and Chelsea on their way to lifting the competition for a 14th time. Tottenham are back under Antonio Conte after a two-year absence, while both Celtic and Rangers will be in the group stage draw for the first time since 2007.

The ceremony is taking place in Istanbul, which will host next year’s final, and we’ll be bringing you all the build-up before live coverage of the draw.