The 2019-20 UEFA Champions League is still underway, but the 2020-21 edition will actually kick off before the current tournament ends.
It's a strange situation brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, as the four-month shut down pushed the current iteration deep into the summer months. Regardless, the 2020-21 competition is set to begin with preliminary round in early August.
Here's all you need to know about the 2020-21 Champions League.
When does Champions League 2020-21 start?
- Preliminary rounds: Aug. 8
- Group stage: Oct. 20
The tournament begins Aug. 8 with the preliminary and qualifying rounds before the group stage, which kicks off Oct. 20.
Qualification consists of five rounds, culminating in the playoff round in late September. Six teams will advance from the qualifiers, joining the 26 teams that have automatically been placed in the group stage.
As noted, there will be some qualifying games from the 2020-21 tournament playing concurrently with matches from the previous edition.
Which teams have qualified for the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?
We already know 26 of the teams that will make up the group stage, while another six will be added through the qualification rounds.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champions League winner | Borussia Dortmund | Lazio | Lokomotiv Moscow (3 or 4) |
| Europa League winner | Atletico Madrid (1 or 2) | Porto (1, 2 or 3) | Marseille (3 or 4) |
| Real Madrid | Barcelona (1 or 2) | RB Leipzig (1 or 3) | Club Brugge (3 or 4) |
| Liverpool | Manchester City (1 or 2) | Atalanta (1, 3 or 4) | Borussia Monchengladbach (3 or 4) |
| Juventus | Manchester United (1 or 2) | Inter (1, 3 or 4) | TBC |
| Bayern Munich | Sevilla (1 or 2) | Istanbul Basaksehir (1, 3 or 4) | TBC |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Chelsea (1 or 2) | TBC | TBC |
| Zenit | Shakhtar Donetsk (1 or 2) | TBC | TBC |
Pot 1 contains the Champions League and Europa League winners, which are still to be decided, along with the champions of each of the top 6 leagues in Europe. That means the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool have earned the top seeds for their respective groups.
Should the winner of the 2019-20 Champions League be a team that has already qualified for the 2020-21 tournament, then Ajax will assume that group-stage berth. Likewise, if the 2019-20 Europa League champion is a team that has already qualified via its domestic league, then Rennes (Ligue 1's third-place team) will automatically qualify for the group stage.
When is the Champions League 2020-21 group-stage draw?
The draw will take place Oct. 1 in Athens.
Champions League 2020-21 group stage teams by country
| Country | No. teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 4 | Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla |
| England | 4 | Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea |
| Italy | 4 | Juventus, Atalanta, Lazio, Inter |
| Germany | 4 | Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Borussia Monchengladbach |
| France | 2 | Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille |
| Russia | 2 | Zenit, Lokomotiv Moscow |
| Portugal | 1 | Porto |
| Belgium | 1 | Club Brugge |
| Ukraine | 1 | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Turkey | 1 | Istanbul Basaksehir |
As usual, the "Big 4" leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga) are well represented in the group stage as each circuit qualifies four teams. France and Russia each have two automatic qualifiers into the group stage, while Portugal, Belgium, Ukraine and Turkey each have one.