The group stage for the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League is now set and teams can plan their respective journeys through the tournament.
A return to a more normal schedule is in the cards for the competition after the previous two were affected by the global pandemic. Participating clubs will still be required to undergo the juggling act of balancing their domestic leagues with continental fixtures, but the congestion of the last two editions will presumably be less this time around.
As usual, all the big names are back. The likes of Juventus, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United and other superclubs return for another crack at one of club football's ultimate prizes, while teams such as Sheriff Tiraspol and Lille will look to make their marks in a rare (or first) appearance in the Champions League.
What kind of fireworks can we expect this time around? Will Lionel Messi be the difference-maker for Paris Saint-Germain in the French club's quest for the title?
Here's everything you need to know about this season's Champions League.
Which teams are in the Champions League 2021-22 group stage?
| Group A | Group B |
| Manchester City | Atletico Madrid |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Liverpool |
| RB Leipzig | Porto |
| Club Brugge | AC Milan |
| Group C | Group D |
| Sporting CP | Inter Milan |
| Borussia Dortmund | Real Madrid |
| Ajax | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Besiktas | Sheriff Tiraspol |
| Group E | Group F |
| Bayern Munich | Villarreal |
| Barcelona | Manchester United |
| Benfica | Atalanta |
| Dynamo Kyiv | Young Boys |
| Group G | Group H |
| Lille | Chelsea |
| Sevilla | Juventus |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Zenit Saint Petersburg |
| VfL Wolfsburg | Malmo |
When are the Champions League 2021-22 draw dates and match dates?
| Phase | Draw date | Match dates |
| Group stage | Aug. 26, 2021 | Sept. 14 - Dec. 8, 2021 |
| Round of 16 | Dec. 13, 2021 | Feb. 15 - March 16, 2022 |
|
Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | March 18, 2022 |
April 5-13, 2022 April 26 - May 4, 2022 May 28, 2022 |
The group-stage draw was held Aug. 26, 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey, setting the roadmap for all 32 participating teams.
Draws for the knockout rounds will be held at a later date.
Champions League 2020-22 group stage fixtures, results
Matchday 1
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Sept. 14 | 12:45 p.m. | Sevilla 1-1 RB Salzburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 12:45 p.m. | Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Lille 0-0 VfL Wolfsburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Villarreal 2-2 Atalanta | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Chelsea 1-0 Zenit Saint Petersburg | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Malmo 0-3 Juventus | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Barcelona 0-3 Bayern Munich | DAZN |
| Sept. 14 | 3:00 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv 0-0 Benfica | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 12:45 p.m. | Besiktas 1-2 Borussia Dortmund | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 12:45 p.m. | Sheriff 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Inter Milan 0-1 Real Madrid | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 0-0 Porto | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Club Brugge 1-1 PSG | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Liverpool 3-2 Milan | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester City 6-3 RB Leipzig | DAZN |
| Sept. 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Sporting 1-5 Ajax | DAZN |
Matchday 2
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Sept. 28 | 12:45 p.m. | Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0 Inter Milan | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 12:45 p.m. | Ajax 2-0 Besiktas | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | Real Madrid 1-2 Sheriff | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | Milan 1-2 Atletico Madrid | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Sporting | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | PSG 2-0 Manchester City | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | Porto 1-5 Liverpool | DAZN |
| Sept. 28 | 3:00 p.m. | RB Leipzig 1-2 Club Brugge | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 12:45 p.m. | Atalanta 1-0 Young Boys | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 12:45 p.m. | Zenit Saint Petersburg 4-0 Malmo | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | VfL Wolfsburg 1-1 Sevilla | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Bayern Munich 5-0 Dynamo Kyiv | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | RB Salzburg 2-1 Lille | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Juventus 1-0 Chelsea | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Benfica 3-0 Barcelona | DAZN |
| Sept. 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester United 2-1 Villarreal | DAZN |
Matchday 3
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Oct. 19 | 12:45 p.m. | Besiktas 1-4 Sporting | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 12:45 p.m. | Club Brugge 1-5 Manchester City | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Shakhtar Donetsk 0-5 Real Madrid | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | PSG 3-2 RB Leipzig | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 2-3 Liverpool | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Inter Milan 3-1 Sheriff | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Ajax 4-0 Borussia Dortmund | DAZN |
| Oct. 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Porto 1-0 Milan | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 12:45 p.m. | RB Salzburg 3-1 VfL Wolfsburg | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 12:45 p.m. | Barcelona 1-0 Dynamo Kyiv | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Lille 0-0 Sevilla | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester United 3-2 Atalanta | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Zenit Saint Petersburg 0-1 Juventus | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Benfica 0-4 Bayern Munich | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Chelsea 4-0 Malmo | DAZN |
| Oct. 20 | 3:00 p.m. | Young Boys 1-4 Villarreal | DAZN |
Matchday 4
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Nov. 2 | 1:45 p.m. | Malmo 0-1 Chelsea | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 1:45 p.m. | VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 RB Salzburg | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Villarreal 2-0 Young Boys | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Juventus 4-2 Zenit Saint Petersburg | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Bayern Munich 5-2 Benfica | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Sevilla 1-2. Lille | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv 0-1 Barcelona | DAZN |
| Nov. 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Atalanta 2-2 Manchester United | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 1:45 p.m. | Real Madrid 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 1:45 p.m. | Milan 1-1 Porto | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Sporting 4-0 Besiktas | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Ajax | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Sheriff 1-3 Inter Milan | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Liverpool 2-0 Atletico Madrid | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Manchester City 4-1 Club Brugge | DAZN |
| Nov. 3 | 4:00 p.m. | RB Leipzig 2-2 PSG | DAZN |
Matchday 5
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Nov. 23 | 12:45 p.m. | Dynamo Kyiv 1-2 Bayern Munich | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 12:45 p.m. | Villarreal 0-2 Manchester United | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Chelsea 4-0 Juventus | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Barcelona 0-0 Benfica | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Sevilla 2-0 VfL Wolfsburg | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Malmo 1-1 Zenit Saint Petersburg | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Lille 1-0 RB Salzburg | DAZN |
| Nov. 23 | 3:00 p.m. | Young Boys 3-3 Atalanta | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 12:45 p.m. | Besiktas 1-2 Ajax | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 12:45 p.m. | Inter Milan 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Sporting 3-1 Borussia Dortmund | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester City 2-1 PSG | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Atletico Madrid 0-1 Milan | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Liverpool 2-0 Porto | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Club Brugge 0-5 RB Leipzig | DAZN |
| Nov. 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Sheriff 0-3 Real Madrid | DAZN |
Matchday 6
| Date | Time (ET) | Fixture | Stream |
| Dec. 7 | 12:45 p.m. | RB Leipzig 2-1 Manchester City | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 12:45 p.m. | PSG 4-1 Club Brugge | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Ajax 4-2 Sporting | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Porto 1-3 Atletico Madrid | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Real Madrid 2-0 Inter Milan | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Milan 1-2 Liverpool | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Sheriff | DAZN |
| Dec. 7 | 3:00 p.m. | Borussia Dortmund 5-0 Besiktas | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 12:45 p.m. | Zenit Saint Petersburg 3-3 Chelsea | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 12:45 p.m. | Juventus 1-0 Malmo | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | Benfica 2-0 Dynamo Kyiv | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | VfL Wolfsburg 1-3 Lille | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | RB Salzburg 1-0 Sevilla | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | Manchester United 1-1 Young Boys | DAZN |
| Dec. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | Bayern Munich 3-0 Barcelona | DAZN |
| Dec. 9 | 1:00 p.m. | Atalanta 2-3 Villarreal | DAZN |
How to watch Champions League 2021-22: Live stream on DAZN
In Canada, UEFA Champions League matches are available exclusively on DAZN, the live streaming sports service.
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 2021-22 final be played?
Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia, will play host to the final. The match was originally scheduled for the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, but coronavirus-related postponements in previous editions shifted the hosting duties.
The Champions League final is scheduled for Saturday, May 28, 2022, with a 3 p.m. ET kickoff.
Which Canadians are playing in Champions League 2021-22?
Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich
He's not even 21 yet, but Alphonso Davies has already become a fixture in the Champions League.
It helps that he plays for a perennial contender in Bayern Munich, of course, but Davies' omnipresence in the world's best club competition is unique to Canadian soccer.
In a season that Davies is expected to lead his national side through a gruelling World Cup qualifying campaign, more tests at the highest level are nothing but a positive for the affable speedster.
Jonathan David, Lille
A 21-year-old with a keen nose for goal, Jonathan David makes his Champions League debut after three seasons in the Europa League with Lille and Belgian side Gent.
David is regarded as Canada's second-best player after Davies, and now he'll get his chance to show that he belongs on the biggest stage alongside his international teammate.
Cyle Larin and Atiba Hutchinson, Besiktas
A first Turkish title in four seasons means Besiktas is back in the Champions League, with Atiba Hutchinson and Cyle Larin in tow.
The Canadian duo are an integral part of the Black Eagles' success, with Hutchinson playing the role of elder statesman while Larin provides the goals.
While Besiktas would be firmly in the underdog camp, the team has enough talent to do some real damage.