Champions League 2023-24: Dates, draws, qualified teams and how the format will change for 2024-25

Rodri scored the victor for Manchester City against Inter Milan successful the 2023 Champions League last connected 10 June

It is conscionable implicit 2 weeks since Rodri scored the winning extremity arsenic Pep Guardiola's Manchester City bushed Inter Milan 1-0 to go European champions for the archetypal time.

BBC Sport takes a look astatine this season's competition, immoderate of the teams that volition beryllium playing, the cardinal dates of the matches and however the tourney volition beryllium antithetic adjacent year.

From Iceland to Wembley

Kopavogur successful Iceland volition beryllium the venue for the four-team preliminary circular featuring sides you tin beryllium forgiven for ne'er having heard of.

Two of Atletic d'Escaldes (Andorra), Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro), Tre Penne (San Marino) and Breidablik (Iceland) volition determination into the adjacent signifier - and the victor of that contention connected 30 June volition beforehand into the archetypal qualifying circular and a necktie with Irish broadside Shamrock Rovers.

After the preliminary round, travel 3 two-legged qualifying rounds earlier the two-legged play-offs successful August, with the radical stages opening successful September.

A full of 78 teams from 53 countries volition play successful either qualifying oregon the radical phase, although, erstwhile again, determination volition beryllium nary Russian sides arsenic they are inactive banned by Uefa pursuing Vladimir Putin's penetration of Ukraine.

As has been the lawsuit successful each play since 2003-04, 32 teams volition play successful the radical phase, divided into 8 groups of four, with the apical 2 advancing into the past 16 and the teams coming 3rd dropping into the second-tier Europa League.

The gully for the radical signifier takes spot connected 31 August and Spain volition person 5 teams progressive arsenic Sevilla won the Europa League but finished extracurricular the apical 4 successful La Liga past season.

Newcastle volition beryllium playing successful Europe for the archetypal clip since 2012-13 aft coming 4th successful the Premier League, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United the different English entrants. Teams from the aforesaid state volition not beryllium drawn against each different successful qualifying oregon the radical phase.

The 4 Champions League qualifiers from the Premier League - Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle - each spell consecutive into the radical signifier of the competition

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic suffice automatically for the radical stage, but Rangers travel successful astatine the 3rd qualifying circular and request to get done 2 rounds to articulation their rivals.

Union Berlin finished 4th successful Germany's Bundesliga and volition beryllium successful the Champions League for the archetypal time.

After the radical signifier ends successful mid-December it volition beryllium the past 16 successful 2024, past the quarter-finals and semi-finals - each played implicit 2 legs - earlier the last astatine Wembley connected 1 June.

Which teams participate successful what round?

Teams from the UK and Ireland successful qualifying rounds

• Larne (first qualifying circular - versus HJK Helsinki of Finland)
• Shamrock Rovers (first qualifying circular - versus winners of preliminary circular tournament)
• The New Saints (first qualifying circular - versus BK Hacken of Sweden)
• Rangers (third qualifying round)

To spot the afloat Champions League fixture database click here.

Group signifier (26 teams, positive six qualifiers)

• Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
• England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle.
• France: Lens, Paris St-Germain.
• Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin.
• Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Lazio, Napoli.
• Netherlands: Feyenoord
• Portugal: Benfica, Porto.
• Scotland: Celtic.
• Serbia: Red Star Belgrade.
• Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla (2022-23 Europa League winners).
• Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk.

Dates of matches

• Preliminary round: 27 June (semi-finals) and 30 June (final).
• First qualifying round: 11-12 and 18-19 July.
• Second qualifying round: 25-26 July and 1-2 August.
• Third qualifying round: 8-9 and 15 August.
• Play-offs: 22-23 and 29-30 August.
• Group signifier matchday one: 19-20 September.
• Matchday two: 3-4 October.
• Matchday three: 24-25 October.
• Matchday four: 7-8 November.
• Matchday five: 28-29 November.
• Matchday six: 12-13 December.
• Last 16: 13-14, 20-21 February and 5-6, 12-13 March.
• Quarter-finals: 9-10, 16-17 April.
• Semi-finals: 30 April, 1 May, 7-8 May.
• Final: 1 June.

All alteration for 2024-25

This volition beryllium the past play of the existing format - 32 teams successful the radical phase, divided up into 8 groups of four, with the apical 2 advancing - with wide changes coming successful for 2024-25.

The caller format volition spot 36 sides, with 2 of the 4 other places awarded to countries whose clubs person performed the champion successful the erstwhile campaign.

If the caller format had been introduced for 2023-24 and not 2024-25, Liverpool and Atalanta would person been successful this season's Champions League due to the fact that of the performances of English and Italian clubs successful European contention successful 2022-23.

From 2024-25, each teams volition present play 8 matches (instead of six) against 8 antithetic opponents, with 4 location ties and 4 away.

All 36 sides volition beryllium ranked successful 1 azygous league array - 3 points for a win, 1 for a gully and nary for a defeat.

The apical 8 successful this array volition spell consecutive into the knockout stages, portion those from ninth to 24th volition vie successful two-legged play-offs to articulation them successful the past 16.