After a summer packed with exciting football action, fans are now shifting their focus to the UEFA Champions League 2023/2024 season. The group stages draw marks the first step of the UCL as 32 of the biggest clubs for top leagues in Europe battle it out to be part of the next season. This group of football teams includes different heavyweights like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

New entrants like Union Berlin, Lens, and Newcastle United will also be participating in the next European football adventure after booking their spots. Here’s a look at how the 32 teams participating in the Champions League have been seeded for the group stage.

When will the UCL group stage draw take place?

The 2023/2024 Champions League group stage draw will be hosted on Thursday, 31st August 2023, a day after the Champions League preliminary round is finished. However, the organizers are yet to confirm the time or venue.

Which European teams will feature in the 2023/2024 Champions League group stage?

As earlier mentioned, the 2023/2024 UCL group stage will include a total of 32 top European teams, with 26 clubs given direct entry in the draw. Six more teams will be joining them after booking their spot in the qualifiers, with Betway sports betting Tanzania offering solid odds on the games.

Qualified teams are seeded into four pots, with Pot 1 featuring title holders. That includes Europa League winners and winners of the top six leagues according to UEFA national coefficients. The other three pots will feature teams based on UEFA’s club coefficient for teams.

The members of Pot 3 and 4 will be chosen after the playoffs before the draw happens. That will see the 32 teams seeded in four pots and chosen randomly into eight groups, with Betway offering odds on the games. However, two teams in the same association can’t be featured in the same group.

2023/2024 Champions League Group Stage seeding pots

UEFA has announced the seeding for the next Champions League group stage draw and the most qualified teams already know the spot they’ve been placed. Manchester City will be playing in Pot 1 after their 1-0 victory against Inter Milan in the final. The UCL winners will be in the same pot as Europa League winners Sevilla.

The rest in the top pot will feature the champions of Europe’s top six leagues based on UEFA’s coefficient. However, Dutch champions Feyenoord will also be featured in Pot 1 despite being from a seventh-ranked association thanks to Mancity’s triumph in the EPL.

Pot 1

• Manchester City
• Sevilla
• Barcelona
• Napoli
• Bayern Muchen
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Benfica
• Feyenoord

The second pot seems quite intriguing for fans, as it includes five teams with Champions League titles. That includes 14-time champions Real Madrid and three-time winners Inter and Manchester United. The other pots will comprise teams placed according to UEFA’s coefficient score. However, the final two pots still have vacancies that must be filled in the qualifying rounds.

Pot 2

• Real Madrid
• Manchester United
• Inter Milan
• Borussia Dortmund
• Atletico Madrid
• RB Leipzig
• Porto
• Arsenal

Pot 3

• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Salzburg
• Ac Milan
• Lazio
• Red Star Belgrade (the final three teams TBC)

Pot 4

• Union Berlin
• Lens (6 teams TBC)