There is very little rest for UEFA as they get ready for another edition of their flagship continental club competition
The 2019-20 Champions League group stage is set to kick off in September, with the draw having been made.
Europe’s elite will look to nip England’s resurgence in the bud after witnessing the Premier League deliver all four finalists for UEFA’s club competitions.
Lionel Messi’s quest for a fifth continental crown with Barcelona continues, while Cristiano Ronaldo will be expected to inspire Juventus to their first title since 1996.
Record-breaking Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be aiming to return to the summit and there is always room for a bolt from the blue, a la Ajax in last season’s edition.
Goal brings you everything you need to know about the 2019-20 tournament, including group stage match-ups, fixtures and more.
The UCL group stage draw was made on August 29 at UEFA headquarters at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
The 32 teams were given their group stage fates with notable draws in Group A, where 13-time champions Real Madrid have been pitted against Paris Saint-Germain, Club Brugge and Galatasaray.
Group F is also set to be an eventful match-up with the likes of Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter and Slavia Prague.
Tottenham have found themselves in Group B along with Bayern, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade.
2018-19 UCL champions Liverpool have been placed in Group E in a repeat of last season’s pairing with Napoli.
Manchester City have been handed a relatively kind group stage offering, set to clash with Shakhtar Donetsk once again as well as Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta.
There is, of course, no room for Arsenal and Manchester United, who will participate in the Europa League.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSG | Bayern Munich | Manchester City | Juventus |
| Real Madrid | Tottenham | Shakhtar Donetsk | Atletico Madrid |
| Club Brugge | Olympiacos | Dinamo Zagreb | Bayer Leverkusen |
| Galatasaray | Red Star Belgrade | Atalanta | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | Barcelona | Zenit | Chelsea |
| Napoli | Borussia Dortmund | Benfica | Ajax |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Inter | Lyon | Valencia |
| Genk | Slavia Prague | RB Leipzig | Lille |
When does the 2019-20 Champions League start?
The UCL group stage is set to commence on September 17, concluding on December 11.
The draw for the last 16 phase will take place on December 16, with the round beginning on February 18-19.
The final will be played on May 30 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
You can see the tournament fixture dates in the table below.
| Phase | Draw date | Game dates |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | Jun 11 | Jun 25 / 28 |
| First qualifying round | Jun 18 | Jul 9 / 10 / 16 / 17 |
| Second qualifying round | Jun 18 | Jul 23 / 24 / 30 / 31 |
| Third qualifying round | Jul 22 | Aug 6 / 7 / 13 |
| Play-off | Aug 5 | Aug 20 / 21 / 27 / 28 |
| Group stage | Aug 29 | Sep 17 – Dec 11 |
| Last 16 | Dec 16 | Feb 18 / 19 / 25 / 26 & Mar 10 / 11 / 17 /18 |
| Quarter-final | Mar 20 | Apr 7 / 8 / 14 /15 |
| Semi-final | Mar 20 | Apr 28 / 29 & May 6 / 7 |
| Final | Mar 20 | May 30 |
The 2019-20 Champions League final will take place in Turkey at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
A 76,000-seater venue, Ataturk Stadium previously staged the Champions League final in 2005, which saw Liverpool pull off a remarkable comeback against AC Milan – dubbed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’ – to lift the trophy.
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First opened in 2002, it is the biggest football stadium in the country and is home to the Turkey national team, as well as serving as a temporary venue for the likes of Galatasaray, Istanbul Basaksehir, Kasimpasa and Besiktas.