A total of 32 teams will kick off the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League with dreams of winning the most prestigious trophy in professional club soccer.
English power Chelsea is the defending champion, and a host of contenders will look to knock the Blues off that perch. French side Paris Saint-Germain, Germany’s Bayern Munich and 2021 finalists Manchester City are considered the favorites by the bookmakers.
The tournament starts out with a group stage (eight groups of four teams each), and only the top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 16 that kicks off in February 2022. Two-leg, aggregate-goal knockout rounds are played the rest of the way through to the single game final that will be held on May 28, 2022.
- Group Stage: Sept. 14-15, Sept. 28-29, Oct. 19-20, Nov. 2-3, Nov. 23-24, Dec. 7-8
- Round of 16: Feb. 15-16, March 8-9 / Feb. 22-23, March 15-16
- Quarterfinals: April 5-6, April 12-13
- Semifinals: April 26-27, May 3-4
- Final: May 28, 2022 (St. Petersburg, Russia)
For the first time since 1965, there will be no away goals tiebreaker used in the knockout rounds of UEFA competitions, including the Champions League, after it was abolished in June 2021. Series that are tied on aggregate goals after the conclusion of the second leg will go straight to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty-kick shootout.
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Teams in UEFA Champions League 2021-22
A total of 26 teams have qualified directly to the UEFA Champions League group stage. There are six spots left up for grabs that will be determined by two-leg playoff series (Aug. 17-18, Aug. 24-25).
The UEFA Champions League group stage draw will be held after those playoffs have been decided on Thursday, Aug. 26.
| Team | Country | How team qualified | Appearances (since 1992-93) |
Titles (Last) |
| Ajax | Netherlands | 1st – Eredivisie | 17 | 4 (1995) |
| Atalanta | Italy | 3rd – Serie A | 3 | — |
| Atletico Madrid | Spain | 1st – La Liga | 12 | — |
| Barcelona | Spain | 3rd La Liga | 26 | 5 (2015) |
| Bayern Munich | Germany | 1st – Bundesliga | 25 | 6 (2020) |
| Besiktas | Turkey | 1st – Super Lig | 8 | — |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | 3rd – Bundesliga | 16 | 1 (1997) |
| Chelsea | England | 4th – English Premier League | 18 | 2 (2021) |
| Club Brugge | Belgium | 1st – Jupiler Pro League | 9 | — |
| Dynamo Kiev | Ukraine | 1st – Ukraine Premier League | 18 | — |
| Inter Milan | Italy | 1st – Serie A | 15 | 3 (2010) |
| Juventus | Italy | 4th – Serie A | 22 | 2 (1996) |
| Lille | France | 1st – Ligue 1 | 7 | — |
| Liverpool | England | 3rd – English Premier League | 14 | 6 (2019) |
| Manchester City | England | 1st – English Premier League | 11 | — |
| Manchester United | England | 2nd – English Premier League | 24 | 3 (2008) |
| AC Milan | Italy | 2nd – Serie A | 18 | 7 (2007) |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France | 2nd – Ligue 1 | 14 | — |
| Porto | Portugal | 2nd – Liga Portugal | 25 | 2 (2004) |
| RB Leipzig | Germany | 2nd – Bundesliga | 4 | — |
| Real Madrid | Spain | 2nd – La Liga | 26 | 13 (2018) |
| Sevilla | Spain | 4th – La Liga | 7 | — |
| Sporting CP | Portugal | 1st – Liga Portugal | 9 | — |
| VfL Wolfsburg | Germany | 4th – Bundesliga | 3 | — |
| Villarreal | Spain | Europa League Champion | 4 | — |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | Russia | 1st – Russian Premier League | 9 | — |
| RB Salzburg / Brondby | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| AS Monaco / Shakhtar Donetsk | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Sheriff Tiraspol / Dinamo Zagreb | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Benfica / PSV Eindhoven | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Malmo / Ludogorets | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Young Boys / Ferencvaros | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
UEFA Champions League clubs by country
| No. of Teams | Country | Qualified Teams |
| 5 | Spain | Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal |
| 4 | England | Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea |
| 4 | Germany | Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg |
| 4 | Italy | Inter Milan, Atalanta, AC Milan, Juventus |
| 2 | France | Lille, Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2 | Portugal | Sporting CP, Porto |
| 1 | Belgium | Club Brugge |
| 1 | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1 | Russia | Zenit St. Petersburg |
| 1 | Turkey | Besiktas |
| 1 | Ukraine | Dynamo Kiev |
How to watch the UEFA Champions League
The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League will be carried in the United States by CBS (English) and Univision (Spanish).
- Dates: 29 matchdays from Sept. 2021-May 2022
- TV Channels: CBS, CBS Sports Network-CBSSN (select matches only)
- Spanish-language TV: Univision, TUDN, UniMas, Galavision
- Streaming (English): Paramount+
- Streaming (Spanish): PrendeTV, TUDN.tv (authenticated users)
Canada: The UEFA Champions League will be streamed exclusively on DAZN in Canada. New customers can sign up for a 30-day free trial.