2020/21: Everything you need to know
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With the 2019/20 season only ending on 23 August, the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League fall schedule is very tight. Here's what we know so far.
Group stage composition
Who made it to the group stage?
The 32 teams that qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage comprise 26 automatic qualifications, joined by six play-off winners.
ESP (4): Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla
ENG (4): Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea
ITA (4): Juventus, Internazionale Milan, Atalanta, Lazio
Germany (4): Bayern Munich, Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Borussia Monchengladbach
FRA (3): Paris-Saint-Germain, Marseille, Rennes
RUS (3): Zenit, Lokomotiv Moscow, Krasnodar *
UKR (2): Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kiev *
POR (1): Porto
BEL (1): Club Bruges
NED (1): Ajax
AUT (1): Salzburg *
TOUR (1): Istanbul, Basaksehir
DEN (1): Central Jutland *
GRE (1): Olympiacos *
HUN (1): Ferencváros *
* through the playoffs
This list is subject to final confirmation by UEFA.
Who are the holders?
Bayern returned to the 2020/21 competition when they beat Paris in the final in Lisbon to become European champions for the sixth time.
What changed?
Since 2019/20 only ends on August 23rd, the fundamental change in the 2020/21 calendar is that everything is now a bit later. The qualification, which was supposed to start on June 23rd, began on August 8th. The draw for the group stage will take place on 1 October and the competition will begin on 20 October. The playoffs will not change from the original schedule.
On 24 September, the UEFA Executive Committee decided that five substitutions would be allowed before the end of the season. Consequently, the number of players allowed to the list of matches will be increased to 23.
Complete calendar for 2020/21
One or two legs? Fans or not fans?
All qualifying matches were matches in the same match before returning to home and away playoff games. Games are played behind closed doors until further notice.
When will the matches take place?
Qualifying
08/08/2020–11/08/2020 Preliminary round
08/18/2020 - 08/19/2020 First qualifying round
08/25/2020 - 08/26/2020 Second qualifying round
09/15/2020 - 09/16/2020 Third qualifying round
09/22/2020 - 09/30/2020 Playoffs
Group stage
20.10.2020–21.10.2020, round 1
10/27/2020 - 10/28/2020, round 2
11.03.2020–11.04.2020 3rd round
11/24/2020 - 11/25/2020, round 4
01.12.2020–02.12.2020, round 5
08/12/2020–12/09/2020, round 6
Knockout stages
02/16/2021– 03/17/2021 Round 16
04/06/2021 - 04/14/2021 Quarter-finals
04/27/2021 - 05/05/2021 Semi-finals
05/29/2021 Final, Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul
Where will the finals take place?
The final will take place at the Istanbul Ataturk Olympic Stadium, which was supposed to host the decisive match of 2020. St. Petersburg, the prospective host of 2021, will now host the 2022 event.
The stadium has a capacity of more than 70,000 people, the games of the Turkish national team are held here, and at various times it was the temporary home for the Istanbul clubs Galatasaray, Istanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas.
Most notably, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, when Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 loss to Milan and won the game on penalties - the so-called Istanbul miracle.
When are the draws?
7/17/2020: Preliminary round draw
09/08/2020: First qualifying round draw
10/08/2020: Second qualifying round draw
8/31/2020: Third qualifying round draw
01/09/2020: Play-off draw
01/10/2020: Group stage draw (RTS Studios, Geneva, Switzerland)
12/14/2020: Round of 16 draw
3/19/2021: Draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals
All draws will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless otherwise specified .
