Champions League Group Stage draw – When is it, what has changed, and who could Manchester City face?

Manchester City will discover their opponents for the newly-formatted UEFA Champions League Group Stage later this week.

Pep Guardiola’s side will pursue UEFA Champions League glory for a second time in three seasons next month, and will discover their opponents for the newly-formatted group stage of the competition on Thursday.

Manchester City will play eight matches against eight different opponents between September and January, with the Blues needing to finish in the top eight to automatically qualify for the knockout stages.

City were dumped out of the competition on penalties at the quarter-final stage last season, suffering a dramatic shoot-out loss to Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium, following an enthralling 4-4 draw.

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage draw, here is everything need to know about the showpiece ceremony, including the changes to the format and fixture dates!

When is the Champions League Group Stage draw?

The draw for the group phase of the competition will take place on Thursday 29th August 2024.

How can I watch the Champions League Group Stage draw?

The Champions League draw will be live on TNT Sports for viewers in the United Kingdom and will also be streamed on the UEFA website.

City Xtra will also have live updates across their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as live coverage and reaction on YouTube!

How will the Champions League Group Stage draw work? 

The Group Stage draw will be automated for the first time, with each club drawn against eight separate opponents. Each team will be drawn to face two opponents from each of the four pots, one at home and one away.

The teams will be divided into four pots of nine teams, each based on their UEFA club coefficient.

What dates are Champions League Group Stage fixtures?

Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
Matchday 8: 29 January 2025

Who has qualified for the Champions League Group Stages?

Pot One: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, FC Barcelona.

Pot Two: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shaktar Donetsk, AC Milan.

Pot Three: Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, PSV, Celtic, GNK Dinamo, Salzburg, Lille, Crvena zvezda, BSC Young Boys.

Pot Four: AS Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Praha.

Can Manchester City face another Premier League team?

No club can play a team from their own domestic league at this stage, although teams from England and Scotland could be drawn against each other.

Where is the 2025 Champions League Final?

The Champions League Final in 2025 will take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The showpiece fixture is set to take place on Saturday 31 May 2025.