With club football drawing ever closer, Goal takes a look at the key dates regarding this year’s Champions League group stage draw
This year’s Champions League group stage is set to begin soon, with the last remaining play-off fixtures still being played.
Real Madrid are holders of the competition and would be looking to register a spectacular fourth straight title, having won their third in a row after beating Liverpool this past May.
Chelsea will sit out participating in the competition along with Arsenal, while the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona will be pushing to win the tournament.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about the Champions League group stage draw, including when and where it takes place, how to watch it live and more.
What is the 2018-19 Champions League group draw?
This year’s Champions League group stage draw will determine the 32 teams will competing in the group stage , drawn into eight separate groups with the top two from each group making up the 16 teams in the knockout stage of the competition.
The 26 teams who won direct entry to the group stage under new competition rules will be joined by the six winners of the play-off ties, played between August 21 and 28.
The teams will be split into four seeding pots. Pot 1 will consist of the holders (Real Madrid), the UEFA Europa League winners (Atletico Madrid) and the champions of the six highest-ranked nations (Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Lokomotiv Moscow).
Pots 2 to 4 are then determined by the club coefficient rankings. You can view a full list of qualified teams here .
No team is allowed to play a club from their own association, while the exact procedure for the draw will be confirmed before the ceremony.
The Champions League draw will also establish the groups for the UEFA Champions League path of the UEFA Youth League.
When is the 2018-19 Champions League draw?
This year’s Champions League group stage draw will take place on August 30 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
How to watch the 2018-19 Champions League live on TV
In the United States (US) the group stage draw can watched live on television through TNT. It will also be streamed live online using Watch TNT or B/R Live.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| TNT | Watch TNT / B/R Live |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the group stage can be watched live on TV on BT Sport and it will be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport | BT Sport app |
Who won last season’s Champions League?
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Real Madrid are the holders of the trophy after defeating Liverpool 3-1 in this year’s final, held in Kiev.
The win was marked Spanish side’s third consecutive Champions League title and 13th in total. Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema both scored in the final to claim the crown after Sergio Ramos brutally clashed with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah early in the first half to force the Egyptian striker off with an injury.
The Champions League win, however, marked the exit of Zinedine Zidane as manager as well as the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.
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