With the group stage now set for the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, participating teams can plan their respective journeys through the competition.
The global pandemic has altered the timelines of this season's group stage, with matches getting underway over a month later than usual and leagues around Europe trying to balance domestic commitments with continetal concerns. It'll make for a condensed, rapid-fire group stage as all six matchdays will be played over a seven-week span — meaning squad depth and player rotation will be more important than ever.
While the congested schedule is unprecedented, many of the teams involved will give a sense of familiarity as the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool and Manchester United are all in this season's edition of the tournament.
Four teams — Istanbul Basaksehir, Krasnodar, Midtjylland and Rennes — will make their group stage debuts, lending some new flavour to the competition.
Here's everything you need to know about this season's Champions League.
Which teams are in the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Bayern Munich | Real Madrid | Porto | Liverpool |
| Atletico Madrid | Shakhtar Donetsk | Manchester City | Ajax |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Inter Milan | Olympiacos | Atalanta |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | Borussia M'gladbach | Marseille | Midtjylland |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Sevilla | Zenit Saint Petersburg | Juventus | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Chelsea | Borussia Dortmund | Barcelona | Manchester United |
| Krasnodar | Lazio | Dynamo Kyiv | RB Leipzig |
| Rennes | Club Brugge | Ferencvaros | Istanbul Basaksehir |
When are the Champions League 2020-21 draw dates and match dates?
| Phase | Draw date | Match dates |
| Group stage | Oct. 1, 2020 | Oct. 20 - Dec. 9 |
| Round of 16 | Dec. 14, 2020 | Feb. 16-17, 23-24 & March 9-10, 16-17 |
|
Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | March 19, 2021 |
Apr. 6-7, 13-14 Apr. 27-28, May 4-5 May 29 |
The group stage draw was held on Oct. 1 in Geneva, Switzerland, setting the roadmap for all 32 participating teams.
A seven-week group stage begins Oct. 20 and ends Dec. 9, followed by the Round of 16 in February 2021. The final three rounds of the knockout stage will take place in April and May of 2021.
Champions League 2020-21 group stage fixtures, results
Matchday 1
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 12:55 p.m | Zenit 1, Club Brugge 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 12:55 p.m | Dynamo Kyiv 0, Juventus 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | RB Leipzig 2, Istanbul Basaksehir 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | Rennes 1, Krasnodar 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | Lazio 3, Dortmund 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | Chelsea 0, Sevilla 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | PSG 1, Manchester United 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 20 | 3 p.m. | Barcelona 5, Ferencvaros 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 12:55 p.m | RB Salzburg 2, Lokomotiv Moscow 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 12:55 p.m | Real Madrid 2, Shakhtar Donetsk 3 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Ajax 0, Liverpool 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Manchester City 3, Porto 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Midtjylland 0, Atalanta 4 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Olympiacos 1, Marseille 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Bayern Munich 4, Atletico Madrid 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 21 | 3 p.m. | Inter Milan 2, Monchengladbach 2 | DAZN |
Matchday 2
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 1:55 p.m | Lokomotiv Moscow 1, Bayern Munich 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 1:55 p.m | Shakhtar Donetsk 0, Inter Milan 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Marseille 0, Manchester City 3 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Liverpool 2, Midtjylland 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Monchengladbach 2, Real Madrid 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 3, RB Salzburg 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Porto 2, Olympiacos 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Oct. 27 | 4 p.m. | Atalanta 2, Ajax 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 1:55 p.m | Krasnodar 0, Chelsea 4 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 1:55 p.m | Istanbul Basaksehir 0, PSG 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Ferencvaros 2, Dynamo Kyiv 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Juventus 0, Barcelona 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Club Brugge 1, Lazio 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Manchester United 5, Lazio 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Dortmund 2, Zenit 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Oct. 28 | 4 p.m. | Sevilla 1, Rennes 0 | DAZN |
Matchday 3
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 12:55 p.m | Shakhtar Donetsk 0, Monchengladbach 6 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 12:55 p.m | Lokomotiv Moscow 1, Atletico Madrid 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | RB Salzburg 2, Bayern Munich 6 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | Real Madrid 3, Inter Milan 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | Manchester City 3, Olympiacos 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | Porto 3, Marseille 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | Atalanta 0, Liverpool 5 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 3 | 3 p.m. | Midtjylland 1, Ajax 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 12:55 p.m | Istanbul Basaksehir 2, Manchester United 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 12:55 p.m | Zenit 1, Lazio 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | Barcelona 2, Dynamo Kyiv 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | Ferencvaros 1, Juventus 4 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | Club Brugge 0, Dortmund 3 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | Sevilla 3, Krasnodar 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | Chelsea 3, Rennes 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 4 | 3 p.m. | RB Leipzig 2, PSG 1 | DAZN |
Matchday 4
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 12:55 p.m | Rennes 1, Chelsea 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 12:55 p.m | Krasnodar 1, Sevilla 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | Manchester United 4, Istanbul Basaksehir 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv 0, Barcelona 4 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | PSG 1, RB Leipzig 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | Lazio 3, Zenit 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | Dortmund 3, Club Brugge 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Nov. 24 | 3 p.m. | Juventus 2, Ferencvaros 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 12:55 p.m | Olympiacos 0,Manchester City 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 12:55 p.m | Monchengladbach 4, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Marseille 0, Porto 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Liverpool 0, Atalanta 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Inter Milan 0, Real Madrid 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Bayern Munich 3, RB Salzburg 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 0, Lokomotiv Moscow 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Nov. 25 | 3 p.m. | Ajax 3, Midtjylland 1 | DAZN |
Matchday 5
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 12:55 p.m | Shahktar Donetsk 2, Real Madrid 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 12:55 p.m | Lokomotiv Moscow 1, RB Salzburg 3 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Monchengladbach 2, Inter Milan 3 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Marseille 2, Olympiacos 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 1, Bayern Munich 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Liverpool 1, Ajax 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Atalanta 1, Midtjylland 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Porto 0, Manchester City 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 12:55 p.m | Istanbul Basaksehir 3, RB Leipzig 4 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 12:55 p.m | Krasnodar 1, Rennes 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Manchester United 1, PSG 3 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Dortmund 1, Lazio 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Ferencvaros 0, Barcelona 3 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Juventus 3, Dynamo Kyiv 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Club Brugge 3, Zenit 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 2 | 3 p.m. | Sevilla 0, Chelsea 4 | DAZN |
Matchday 6
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 12:55 p.m | Zenit 1, Dortmund 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 12:55 p.m | Lazio 2, Club Brugge 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | Barcelona 0, Juventus 3 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | Chelsea 1, Krasnodar 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | RB Leipzig 3, Manchester United 2 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv 1, Ferencvaros 0 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | PSG 5, Istanbul Basaksehir 1 | DAZN |
| Tues. Dec. 8 | 3 p.m. | Rennes 1, Sevilla 3 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 12:55 p.m | Midtjylland 1, Liverpool 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 12:55 p.m | Ajax 0, Atalanta 1 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | Bayern Munich 2, Lokomotiv Moscow 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | Real Madrid 2, Monchengladbach 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | RB Salzburg 0, Atletico Madrid 2 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | Manchester City 3, Marseille 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | Inter Milan 0, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 | DAZN |
| Wed. Dec. 9 | 3 p.m. | Olympiacos 0, Porto 2 | DAZN |
How to watch Champions League 2020-21: Live stream on DAZN
In Canada, Champions League matches are available on DAZN, the live streaming sports service.
DAZN offers new customers a 30-day free-trial period. You can learn how to sign up for a free trial here.
DAZN is available on web browsers at DAZN.com, plus many popular streaming devices, including: iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Fire tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, LG Smart TV, Panasonic Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S.
Where will the Champions League 2020-21 final be played?
Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, will play host to the final. The venue was originally set to host the 2019-20 final, but the pandemic caused UEFA to employ a "bubble" for the knockout stage in Lisbon.
The Champions League final is scheduled for Saturday, May 29, 2021, with a 3 p.m. ET kickoff. The game is just 11 days before the first match of the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament.
Which Canadians are playing in Champions League 2020-21?
Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich
Heading into last year's Champions League, Alphonso Davies was known mostly by soccer fans in Canada and MLS observers who felt the teenager had potential after some cameo appearances with Bayern Munich.
That's obviously changed as the Ghana-born, Edmonton-raised speedster has since become a household name thanks to his thrilling play patrolling the left side of Bayern's defence. Davies has catapulted into a world class talent with Die Roten and will take no one by surprise in his second Champions League campaign, but if Bayern plays to its potential it won't be shocking to see Davies raise continental silverware for the second straight season.
Manjrekar James, Midtjylland
Like his team, Manjrekar James is set to make his debut in the Champions League.
The 27-year-old defender toiled in the Hungarian league before moving to Denmark ahead of the 2018-19 season, although he spent much of his first season as a Midtylland player on loan to second-tier FC Fredericia. James only made 10 appearances with Midtjylland through his first two seasons in Denmark, but he played all 90 minutes in three of four of his team's Superliga matches ahead of the October international break.