2021–22 UEFA Champions League

The **2021–22 UEFA Champions League** was the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

The final will be played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France. It was originally scheduled to be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with Saint Petersburg scheduled to host the 2022 final. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the final was moved to Paris. The winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League will automatically qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup.

This season will be the first since 1998–99 (last season when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was played) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League) are organised by UEFA. However, no changes are made to the format of the Champions League, but teams which are eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round of the Champions League are now transferred to the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League. Chelsea are the defending champions.

On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Accordingly, if in a two-legged tie two teams score the same amount of aggregate goals, the winner of the tie would not be decided by the number of away goals scored by each team but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams score the same amount of goals in extra time, the winner would be decided by a penalty shoot-out.

## Association team allocation

A total of 80 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:

* Associations 1–4 each have four teams qualify.
* Associations 5–6 each have three teams qualify.
* Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
* Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.
* The winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League and 2020–21 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league. However, the Champions League title holders have qualified through their domestic league, meaning the additional entry for the Champions League title holders is not necessary for this season.

### Association ranking

For the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA association coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

* (UCL) – Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders
* (UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders

### Distribution

The following is the access list for this season. As the Champions League title holders Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league, the following changes to the access list were made:

* The champions of association 11 (Turkey) enter the group stage instead of the play-off round.
* The champions of association 13 (Denmark) enter the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round.
* The champions of association 15 (Czech Republic) enter the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
* The champions of associations 18 (Greece) and 19 (Serbia) enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.

Access list for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
 Second qualifying round(26 teams)
 League Path(6 teams)
 League Path(8 teams)
* 2 third-placed teams from associations 5–6
 Play-off round(12 teams)
 League Path(4 teams)
 Group stage(32 teams)
* 11 champions from associations 1–11
* 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
* 4 third-placed teams from associations 1–4
* 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
 Knockout phase(16 teams)
* 8 group runners-up from the group stage

### Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

* TH: Champions League title holders
* EL: Europa League title holders
* 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
* Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams are subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (**CH**) and League Path (**LP**).

*CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients (updated after UEFA Champions/Europa League matches on 26 May 2021, coefficients which may increase marked by ≥).*

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows. All matches are played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from the preliminary round final, which takes place on a Friday, and the final, which takes place on a Saturday. The third qualifying round second legs are only played on a Tuesday due to the 2021 UEFA Super Cup on the following Wednesday. Scheduled kick-off times starting from the play-off round are 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET.

All draws, except the group stage draw, start at 12:00 CEST/CET, and are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The group stage draw starts at 18:00 CEST, at a venue to be confirmed.

## Qualifying rounds

Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round

### Preliminary round

The preliminary round matches, which consisted of two semi-finals on 22 June 2021 and the final on 25 June 2021, were originally to be played at Gundadalur, Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands, but were moved due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands. The matches were instead played in Albania, with the semi-finals at Elbasan Arena, Elbasan and Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, and the final at Elbasan Arena.

The winner of the final round, Prishtina, advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-final round and final round were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Semi-final round

Final round

### First qualifying round

The first legs were played on 6 and 7 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

### Second qualifying round

The first legs were played on 20 and 21 July, and the second were played on 27 and 28 July 2021.

The winners of the ties will advance to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.

League Path
 **PSV Eindhoven**  | 7–2

### Third qualifying round

The first legs were played on 3 and 4 August, and the second legs were played on 10 August 2021.

The winners of the ties will advance to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers will be transferred to the Europa League group stage.

League Path

### Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 12:00 CEST. The first legs will be played on 17 and 18 August, and the second legs on 24 and 25 August 2021.

The winners of the ties will advance to the group stage. The losers will be transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Champions Path

League Path
 **Benfica**  | 2–1

## Group stage

Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage
The draw for the group stage was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on the following principles:

* Pot 1 contained the Champions League and Europa League title holders, and the champions of the top six associations based on their 2020 UEFA country coefficients.
* Pot 2, 3 and 4 contained the remaining teams, seeded based on their 2021 UEFA club coefficients.

Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Ukraine and Russia, could not be drawn into the same group. Before the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams) based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would play on different days.

The matches will be played on 14–15 September, 28–29 September, 19–20 October, 2–3 November, 23–24 November, and 7–8 December 2021. The top two teams of each group will advance to the round of 16. The third-placed teams will be transferred to the Europa League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth-placed teams will be eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Sheriff Tiraspol made their debut appearance in the group stage. They are the first team from Moldova to play in the Champions League group stage.

## Knockout phase

Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final.

### Round of 16

The first legs were played on 15, 16, 22 and 23 February, and the second legs were played on 8, 9, 15 and 16 March 2022.

### Semi-finals

The first legs were played on 26 and 27 April, and the second legs were played on 3 and 4 May 2022.

### Final

Main article: 2022 UEFA Champions League Final
The final was played on 28 May 2022 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. A draw was held on 18 March 2022, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.

Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
**Assistant referees:**
Nicolas Danos (France)
Cyril Gringore (France)
**Fourth official:**
Benoît Bastien (France)
**Video assistant referee:**
Jérôme Brisard (France)
**Assistant video assistant referees:**
Willy Delajod (France)
Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
Filippo Meli (Italy)
* 90 minutes
* 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
* Penalty shoot-out if scores still level
* Twelve named substitutes
* Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time

## Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

## European Super League controversy

Main article: European Super League

On 18 April 2021, UEFA, the Football Association, the Premier League, the Italian Football Federation, Serie A, the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and La Liga learned of plans from a number of English, Italian, and Spanish clubs to create the European Super League. UEFA and the national associations announced that if such a league were to be established, its participants would be banned from playing in international and domestic competitions. Later that same day, English clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur), Italian clubs (Inter Milan, Juventus, and Milan), and Spanish clubs (Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid) announced the establishment of the Super League, putting them at risk of being banned. On 20 April, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur withdrew after the Football Association threatened to ban participating clubs from domestic football, and Chelsea withdrew a day later. This led to the project's collapse, as Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Milan also withdrew. The Super League suspended its operations, with the case to be taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to establish whether UEFA and FIFA have the exclusive right to organise competitions.

On 7 June, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified the Spanish precautionary measure, which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA, and referred a *cuestión preliminar* (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU, to both governing bodies, ruling them to not execute sanctions against Super League clubs. On 15 June, it was officially confirmed that the remaining three clubs (Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid), which did not sign the Commitment Declaration of the sanctioned other nine clubs, and filed a new motion to scrap the agreement UEFA signed with nine clubs, were admitted to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, pending the disciplinary proceedings UEFA opened against them but which were suspended after the Swiss notification.

## See also

* 2021–22 UEFA Europa League
* 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
* 2022 UEFA Super Cup
* 2021–22 UEFA Women's Champions League

## External links

* Official website

1956–57 ·
1957–58 ·
1958–59 ·
1959–60 ·
1960–61 ·
1961–62 ·
1962–63 ·
1963–64 ·
1964–65 ·
1965–66 ·
1966–67 ·
1967–68 ·
1968–69 ·
1969–70 ·
1970–71 ·
1971–72 ·
1972–73 ·
1973–74 ·
1974–75 ·
1975–76 ·
1976–77 ·
1977–78 ·
1978–79 ·
1979–80 ·
1980–81 ·
1981–82 ·
1982–83 ·
1983–84 ·
1984–85 ·
1985–86 ·
1986–87 ·
1987–88 ·
1988–89 ·
1989–90 ·
1990–91 ·
1993–94 ·
1994–95 ·
1995–96 ·
1996–97 ·
1997–98 ·
1998–99 ·
1999–00 ·
2000–01 ·
2001–02 ·
2002–03 ·
2003–04 ·
2004–05 ·
2005–06 ·
2006–07 ·
2007–08 ·
2008–09 ·
2009–10 ·
2010–11 ·
2011–12 ·
2012–13 ·
2013–14 ·
2014–15 ·
2015–16 ·
2016–17 ·
2017–18 ·
2018–19 ·
2019–20 ·
2020–21 ·
**2021–22** ·
1957 ·
1958 ·
1959 ·
1960 ·
1961 ·
1962 ·
1963 ·
1964 ·
1965 ·
1966 ·
1967 ·
1968 ·
1969 ·
1970 ·
1971 ·
1972 ·
1973 ·
1974 ·
1975 ·
1976 ·
1977 ·
1978 ·
1979 ·
1980 ·
1981 ·
1982 ·
1983 ·
1984 ·
1985 ·
1986 ·
1987 ·
1988 ·
1989 ·
1990 ·
1991 ·
1994 ·
1995 ·
1996 ·
1997 ·
1998 ·
1999 ·
2000 ·
2001 ·
2002 ·
2003 ·
2004 ·
2005 ·
2006 ·
2007 ·
2008 ·
2009 ·
2010 ·
2011 ·
2012 ·
2013 ·
2014 ·
2015 ·
2016 ·
2017 ·
2018 ·
2019 ·
2020 ·
2021 ·
2022 ·

Andorra ·
Armenia ·
Austria ·
Azerbaijan ·
Belarus '21 '22 ·
Belgium ·
Bosnia and Herzegovina ·
Bulgaria ·
Croatia ·
Cyprus ·
Czech Republic ·
Denmark ·
England ·
Estonia '21 '22 ·
Faroe Islands '21 '22 ·
Finland '21 '22 ·
France ·
Georgia '21 '22 ·
Germany ·
Gibraltar ·
Greece ·
Hungary ·
Iceland '21 '22 ·
Israel ·
Italy ·
Kazakhstan '21 '22 ·
Kosovo ·
Latvia '21 '22 ·
Lithuania '21 '22 ·
Luxembourg ·
Malta ·
Moldova ·
Montenegro ·
Netherlands ·
North Macedonia ·
Northern Ireland ·
Norway '21 '22 ·
Poland ·
Portugal ·
Republic of Ireland '21 '22 ·
Romania ·
Russia ·
San Marino ·
Scotland ·
Serbia ·
Slovakia ·
Slovenia ·
Spain ·
Sweden '21 '22 ·
Switzerland ·
Turkey ·
Ukraine ·
Andorra ·
Armenia ·
Austria ·
Azerbaijan ·
Belarus ·
Belgium ·
Bosnia and Herzegovina ·
Bulgaria ·
Croatia ·
Cyprus ·
Czech Republic ·
Denmark ·
England ·
Estonia ·
Faroe Islands '21 '22 ·
Finland '21 '22 ·
France ·
Georgia '21 '22 ·
Germany ·
Gibraltar ·
Greece ·
Hungary ·
Iceland '21 '22 ·
Israel ·
Italy ·
Kazakhstan '21 '22 ·
Kosovo ·
Latvia '21 '22 ·
Liechtenstein ·
Lithuania '21 '22 ·
Luxembourg ·
Malta ·
Moldova ·
Montenegro ·
Netherlands ·
North Macedonia ·
Northern Ireland ·
Norway ·
Poland ·
Portugal ·
Republic of Ireland '21 '22 ·
Romania ·
Russia ·
San Marino ·
Scotland ·
Serbia ·
Slovakia ·
Slovenia ·
Spain ·
Sweden ·
Switzerland ·
Turkey ·
Ukraine ·
Iceland ·
Israel ·
Northern Ireland ·
Portugal ·
Republic of Ireland '22 ·
Scotland ·
Andorra ·
Armenia ·
Azerbaijan ·
Belarus ·
Belgium ·
Bulgaria ·
Croatia ·
Cyprus ·
England ·
Estonia ·
Faroe Islands ·
France ·
Georgia ·
Germany ·
Iceland ·
Israel ·
Italy ·
Kazakhstan ·
Kosovo ·
Lithuania ·
Malta ·
Netherlands ·
Northern Ireland ·
Poland ·
Portugal ·
Republic of Ireland '21 '22 ·
Romania ·
Russia ·
San Marino ·
Spain ·
Turkey ·