As 2022/23 turns into 2023/24, there is less time between Champions League seasons than ever before.
When the year of 2022-2023 final is over on June 10, the draw for the year of 2023-2024 preliminary qualifying rounds will happen just three days later, on June 13.
The group rounds won’t start until mid-September, but teams will have a busy summer as they try to get through the qualification minefield.
The Sporting News has all the most important information about how the Champions League will work in 2023/24.
The schedule for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League
- Qualifying rounds: June 27–August 15, 2023
- Playoffs: August 22–30, 2022
- Group stage: September 19–December 13, 2023
- Round of 16: February 13–March 13, 2024
- Quarterfinals: April 9–17, 2024
- Semifinals: April 30–May 8, 2024
- Final: June 1, 2024
Some teams will start their journey to the UEFA Champions League group rounds as early as June 27, when four teams play a one-legged semi-final and final.
After that, there will be three more rounds of two-leg aggregate-goal qualifiers in July and August, and then the group stage will begin in September.
The 2022/23 Champions League was changed to fit around the 2022 World Cup. The 2023/24 event, on the other hand, will be more traditional, with group stage games going into December.
After that, there will be a normal break of three months before the knockout rounds start in mid-February.
The Champions League final for 2023/24 will be held at Wembley Stadium on June 1, 2023. This is a bit earlier than usual because of the Euro 2024 event, which starts in June.
Champions League qualifier 2023/24
The number of teams in the group stage of the Champions League will go from 32 to 36 after the 2023/24 season.
The Premier League, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, and the Bundesliga in Germany will each get four automatic spots in the group rounds. Since Sevilla won the Europa League, Spain will also get an extra spot.
Here is how each playoff round for the Champions League 2023/24 will work:
The draw will be on June 13, 2023, and the round will be from June 27-30, 2023.
In this round, there are four national champions from the lowest-ranked UEFA co-efficient members. The teams from Iceland (Breiablik), San Marino (Tre Penne), Andorra (Athletic Club d’Escaldes), and Montenegro (Fudbalski Podgorica) have already been confirmed for 2023/24. Only one team will move on to the next round.
First Qualifying Round:
Draw: June 20, 2023; Round: July 11–19, 2023
At the First Qualifying Round, the only team that qualified in the opening round will play with 29 other teams from all over Europe. These teams include the national champions from Turkey, Cyprus, and Sweden.
*Teams that have qualified as of June 8, 2023:
- BK Häcken
- Astana
- Zalgiris
- HJK
- Valmiera
- Shamrock Rovers
- KÍ
- Flora
- Hamrun Spartans
- Dinamo Tbilisi
- The New Saints
- Lincoln Red Imps
- Ferencvaros
- Qarabag
- Slovan Bratislava
- Ludogorets Razgrad
- Sheriff Tiraspol
- BATE Borisov
- Astana
- Maccabi Haifa
- Olimpija Ljubljana
- Zrinjski Mostar
- Raków Częstochowa
- Partizani
- Farul Constanta
- Ballkani
- Larne
- Uratu
- Swift Hesperange
- Struga
Second Qualifying Round:
Date of Draw: June 21, 2023; Date of Round: July 25–August 2, 2023
From this point on, the qualification picture starts to change because League Paths and Champions Paths are added. These put teams on different paths based on how well they did in their local leagues and cups.As of June 8, 2023, the following teams have qualified:
Molde, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Copenhagen, Galatasaray, Aris Limassol, Dnipro, Servette, Panathinaikos, and Genk.
The third round of qualifying
Date of the draw: July 24, 2023
Date of the round: August 8–15, 2023
At this stage, the Champions Paths and League Paths format is still used. The Swiss and Greek league winners and the runner-up in the Scottish Premiership join the competition.
*Teams that have qualified as of June 8, 2023, are Rangers, Braga, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, and Sturm Graz. The draw for the TSC Playoff Round will be on August 7, 2023, and the round will be from August 22-30, 2023.
The playoff stage is the last step before the group rounds, and the level of competition goes up. The champions of Ukraine and Belgium, for example, will be among the teams that will compete.
*Teams qualified as of June 8, 2023: Young Boys, Antwerp Group Stages, Draw Date: August 31, 2023, Round Start Date: September 19, 2023.
There will be an automatic qualification for the group rounds for 26 teams, including four from England, Spain, Germany, and Italy. The last six spots will be decided by the playoffs.
