This season is the first time since 1998–99 where three major European club competitions — UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL), and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) — are organised by UEFA.
No changes are made to the format of the UCL, but teams which are eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round of the UCL will now be transferred to the UECL instead of the UEL.
The 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony is held on Thursday 26 August in Istanbul, Turkey.
Manchester City are in the toughest group, featuring the defeated finalist of the past two seasons, plus RB Leipzig, who reached the semi-final two seasons ago. Lionel Messi and his PSG team will look to avenge last season’s semifinal defeat when they face Man. City.
Group B could turn out to be the group of death, featuring three former winners and a side that has three times lost in the final.
Barcelona will begin a Champions League campaign without Messi as they meet Bayern again. The last time they met, Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 8-2. The group will feature three former winners and a former semi-finalist.
Other interesting fixtures include; Manchester United in the same group as their last season Europa League final opponent. Inter Milan in the same group as Real Madrid, and the defending Champions share group with Juventus.
The final will be played at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Europa League and Europa Conference League group-stage draws take place on Friday, in Istanbul, Turkey.
After narrowly missing out of the top 4 last season, Leicester City will face Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw in Group C of the 2021-22 Europa League.
West Ham secured a top-six finish to secure their place in the group stage for the first time and will play Dinamo Zagreb, Genk and Rapid Vienna in Group H.
Scottish champions Rangers have been drawn against Lyon, Sparta Prague and Brondby in Group A, while Celtic are in Group G with Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis and Ferencvaros.
The final will take place in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Seville.
The winner of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they miss out of their local league Champions League spot.
The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League is the inaugural season of the Europe’s tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
Tottenham will play Rennes, Vitesse and NS Mura of Slovenia in Group G.
Nuno’s side are regarded as one of the leading contenders to win the competition in its inaugural season, along with Roma, who are now managed by former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.
AS Roma are drawn in Group C with FC Zorya Luhansk, CSKA Sofia and Bodo/Glimt.
Matches will be played on Thursday nights alongside Europa League matches.
The final will be played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania.
The winners of the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League will automatically qualify for the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League group stage, unless they manage to qualify for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage spot of their local league.
The new away goal rule:
UEFA explained in a statement. “With the decision to remove this rule, ties in which the two teams score the same number of goals over the two legs would not be decided on the number of goals scored away, but two 15-minute periods of extra time played at the end of the second leg and in case the teams score the same number of goals or no goals during this extra time, kicks from the penalty mark would determine the team which qualifies to the next stage of the competition”.
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