2021–22 UEFA Champions League

The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League was the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

2021–22 UEFA Champions League
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
22 June – 25 August 2021
Competition proper:
14 September 2021 – 28 May 2022
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 80 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Real Madrid (14th title)
Runners-upEngland Liverpool
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored380 (3.04 per match)
Attendance4,402,255 (35,218 per match)
Top scorer(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
15 goals
Best player(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)[1]
Best young playerVinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)[2]

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1–0 in the final, which was played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, for a record-extending 14th European Cup title, and their fifth in nine years.[3] It was originally scheduled to be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.[4] However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the hosts were shifted back a year, with Saint Petersburg scheduled to host the 2022 final.[5] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which commenced in February 2022, the final was eventually moved to Saint-Denis.[4] As the winners, Real Madrid automatically qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, as well as earning the right to play against the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup and participate in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, both of which they went on to win.

Chelsea were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid.

This season was the first since 1999–2000 (the first season after the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League) are organised by UEFA. No changes were made to the format of the Champions League, but teams that were eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round of the Champions League were now transferred to the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League.[6]

On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Accordingly, if in a two-legged tie two teams scored the same number of aggregate goals, the winner of the tie would not be decided by the number of away goals scored by each team but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams scored the same number of goals in extra time, the winner would be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[7]

Association team allocation

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A total of 80 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein,[Note LIE] which did not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]

  • Associations 1–4 each had four teams qualify.
  • Associations 5–6 each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each had two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE] each had one team qualify.
  • The winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League and 2020–21 UEFA Europa League were each given an additional entry if they did not qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League through their own domestic league. (As Chelsea, the Champions League title holders, did qualify through their own domestic league this season, the additional entry for the Champions League title holders was re-allocated.)

Association ranking

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For the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.[9]

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

  • (UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1   Spain 102.283 4 +1 (UEL)
2   England 90.462
3   Germany 74.784
4   Italy 70.653
5   France 59.248 3
6   Portugal 49.449
7   Russia 45.549 2
8   Belgium 37.900
9   Ukraine 36.100
10   Netherlands 35.750
11   Turkey 33.600
12   Austria 32.925
13   Denmark 29.250
14   Scotland 27.875
15   Czech Republic 27.300
16   Cyprus 26.750 1
17   Switzerland 26.400
18   Greece 26.300
19   Serbia 25.500
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20   Croatia 24.875 1
21   Sweden 22.750
22   Norway 21.750
23   Israel 19.625
24   Kazakhstan 19.250
25   Belarus 18.875
26   Azerbaijan 18.750
27   Bulgaria 17.375
28   Romania 16.700
29   Poland 16.625
30   Slovakia 15.875
31   Liechtenstein 13.500 0 [Note LIE]
32   Slovenia 13.000 1
33   Hungary 12.875
34   Luxembourg 8.000
35   Lithuania 7.875
36   Armenia 7.625
37   Latvia 7.625
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
38   Albania 7.375 1
39   North Macedonia 7.375
40   Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.875
41   Moldova 6.750
42   Republic of Ireland 6.700
43   Finland 6.500
44   Georgia 5.750
45   Malta 5.750
46   Iceland 5.375
47   Wales 5.000
48   Northern Ireland 4.875
49   Gibraltar 4.750
50   Montenegro 4.375
51   Estonia 4.375
52   Kosovo 4.000
53   Faroe Islands 3.750
54   Andorra 2.831
55   San Marino 0.666

Distribution

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The following is the access list for this season.[10] As the Champions League title holders, Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league (as fourth place in the 2020-21 Premier League), the following changes to the access list were made:

  • The champions of association 11 (Turkey) enter the group stage instead of the play-off round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 13 (Denmark) enter the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 15 (Czech Republic) enter the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of associations 18 (Greece) and 19 (Serbia) enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round (Champions Path).
Access list for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round
(4 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 52–55
First qualifying round
(32 teams)
  • 31 champions from associations 20–51 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
  • 1 winner from the preliminary round
Second qualifying round
(26 teams)
Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 16–19
  • 16 winners from the first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round
(20 teams)
Champions Path
(12 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 14–15
  • 10 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(8 teams)
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 2 third-placed teams from associations 5–6
  • 3 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round
(12 teams)
Champions Path
(8 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 12–13
  • 6 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(4 teams)
  • 4 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path)
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • Europa League title holders
  • 11 champions from associations 1–11
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 4 third-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 4 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 winners from the play-off round (League Path)
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

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The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • TH: Champions League title holders
  • EL: Europa League title holders
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
  • Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).

CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[12]

Qualified teams for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Entry round Teams
Group stage   Chelsea (4th)TH   Villarreal (EL)   Atlético Madrid (1st)   Real Madrid (2nd)
  Barcelona (3rd)   Sevilla (4th)   Manchester City (1st)   Manchester United (2nd)
  Liverpool (3rd)   Bayern Munich (1st)   RB Leipzig (2nd)   Borussia Dortmund (3rd)
  VfL Wolfsburg (4th)   Inter Milan (1st)   Milan (2nd)   Atalanta (3rd)
  Juventus (4th)   Lille (1st)   Paris Saint-Germain (2nd)   Sporting CP (1st)
  Porto (2nd)   Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)   Club Brugge (1st)   Dynamo Kyiv (1st)
  Ajax (1st)   Beşiktaş (1st)
Play-off round CH   Red Bull Salzburg (1st)   Brøndby (1st)
Third qualifying round CH   Rangers (1st)   Slavia Prague (1st)
LP   Monaco (3rd)   Benfica (3rd)   Spartak Moscow (2nd)   Genk (2nd)
  Shakhtar Donetsk (2nd)
Second qualifying round CH   Omonia (1st)   Young Boys (1st)   Olympiacos (1st)   Red Star Belgrade (1st)
LP   PSV Eindhoven (2nd)   Galatasaray (2nd)   Rapid Wien (2nd)   Midtjylland (2nd)
  Celtic (2nd)   Sparta Prague (2nd)
First qualifying round   Dinamo Zagreb (1st)   Malmö FF (1st)   Bodø/Glimt (1st)   Maccabi Haifa (1st)
  Kairat (1st)   Shakhtyor Soligorsk (1st)   Neftçi Baku (1st)   Ludogorets Razgrad (1st)
  CFR Cluj (1st)   Legia Warsaw (1st)   Slovan Bratislava (1st)   Mura (1st)
  Ferencváros (1st)   Fola Esch (1st)   Žalgiris (1st)   Alashkert (1st)
  Riga (1st)   Teuta (1st)   Shkëndija (1st)   Borac Banja Luka (1st)
  Sheriff Tiraspol (1st)   Shamrock Rovers (1st)   HJK (1st)   Dinamo Tbilisi (1st)
  Hibernians (Abd-2nd)[Note MLT]   Valur (Abd-1st)[Note ISL]   Connah's Quay Nomads (1st)   Linfield (1st)
  Lincoln Red Imps (1st)   Budućnost Podgorica (1st)   Flora (1st)
Preliminary round   Prishtina (1st)   HB (1st)   Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st)   Folgore (1st)

Notes

  1. ^
    Iceland (ISL): The 2020 Úrvalsdeild was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Valur (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Iceland.[13]
  2. ^
    Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all played in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
  3. ^
    Malta (MLT): The 2020–21 Maltese Premier League was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Ħamrun Spartans, were declared champions but were subsequently banned from competing in European competitions for a match fixing case dating back to 2013. As a result, the second-placed team, Hibernians, were selected to play in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League by the Malta Football Association.[14][15][16]

Schedule

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All matches were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from the preliminary round final, which was played on a Friday, and the final, which was played on a Saturday. The third qualifying round second legs were only played on a Tuesday due to the 2021 UEFA Super Cup on the following Wednesday. Scheduled kick-off times starting from the play-off round were 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET.[17]

All draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, except the group stage draw, which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18]

Schedule for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League[19]
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying Preliminary round 8 June 2021 22 June 2021 (semi-finals) 25 June 2021 (final)
First qualifying round 15 June 2021 6–7 July 2021 13–14 July 2021
Second qualifying round 16 June 2021 20–21 July 2021 27–28 July 2021
Third qualifying round 19 July 2021 3–4 August 2021 10 August 2021
Play-offs Play-off round 2 August 2021 17–18 August 2021 24–25 August 2021
Group stage Matchday 1 26 August 2021 14–15 September 2021
Matchday 2 28–29 September 2021
Matchday 3 19–20 October 2021
Matchday 4 2–3 November 2021
Matchday 5 23–24 November 2021
Matchday 6 7–8 December 2021
Knockout phase Round of 16 13 December 2021 15–16 & 22–23 February 2022 8–9 & 15–16 March 2022
Quarter-finals 18 March 2022 5–6 April 2022 12–13 April 2022
Semi-finals 26–27 April 2022 3–4 May 2022
Final 28 May 2022 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Qualifying rounds

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Preliminary round

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The draw for the preliminary round was held on 8 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[20] The preliminary round matches, which consisted of two semi-finals on 22 June 2021 and the final on 25 June 2021, were originally to be played at Gundadalur, Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands,[21] but were moved due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands.[22] The matches were instead played in Albania, with the semi-finals at Elbasan Arena, Elbasan and Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, and the final at Elbasan Arena.[23]

The winner of the preliminary round final advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-finals and final were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Folgore   0–2   Prishtina
HB Tórshavn   0–1   Inter Club d'Escaldes
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Final
Prishtina   2–0   Inter Club d'Escaldes

First qualifying round

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The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 15 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[24] The first legs were played on 6 and 7 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Fola Esch   2–7   Lincoln Red Imps 2–2 0–5
Slovan Bratislava   3–2[A]   Shamrock Rovers 2–0 1–2
Malmö FF   2–1   Riga 1–0 1–1
Bodø/Glimt   2–5   Legia Warsaw 2–3 0–2
Connah's Quay Nomads   2–3   Alashkert 2–2 0–1 (a.e.t.)
HJK   7–1   Budućnost Podgorica 3–1 4–0
CFR Cluj   4–3   Borac Banja Luka 3–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija   0–6   Mura 0–1 0–5
Teuta   0–5   Sheriff Tiraspol 0–4 0–1
Dinamo Tbilisi   2–4   Neftçi Baku 1–2 1–2
Maccabi Haifa   1–3   Kairat 1–1 0–2
Ludogorets Razgrad   2–0   Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–0 1–0
Ferencváros   6–1   Prishtina 3–0 3–1
Žalgiris   5–2   Linfield 3–1 2–1
Flora   5–0   Hibernians 2–0 3–0
Dinamo Zagreb   5–2   Valur 3–2 2–0

Notes

  1. ^ Losers drawn to receive a bye to the Europa Conference League third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round

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The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 16 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[25] The first legs were played on 20 and 21 July, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb   3–0   Omonia 2–0 1–0
Slovan Bratislava   2–3   Young Boys 0–0 2–3
Legia Warsaw   3–1   Flora 2–1 1–0
Alashkert   1–4   Sheriff Tiraspol 0–1 1–3
Olympiacos   2–0   Neftçi Baku 1–0 1–0
Kairat   2–6   Red Star Belgrade 2–1 0–5
Lincoln Red Imps   1–4   CFR Cluj 1–2 0–2
Malmö FF   4–3   HJK 2–1 2–2
Ferencváros   5–1   Žalgiris 2–0 3–1
Mura   1–3   Ludogorets Razgrad 0–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Rapid Wien   2–3   Sparta Prague 2–1 0–2
Celtic   2–3   Midtjylland 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
PSV Eindhoven   7–2   Galatasaray 5–1 2–1

Third qualifying round

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The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 19 July 2021, 12:00 CEST.[26] The first legs were played on 3 and 4 August, and the second legs were played on 10 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb   2–1   Legia Warsaw 1–1 1–0
CFR Cluj   2–4   Young Boys 1–1 1–3
Olympiacos   3–3 (1–4 p)   Ludogorets Razgrad 1–1 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Red Star Belgrade   1–2   Sheriff Tiraspol 1–1 0–1
Malmö FF   4–2   Rangers 2–1 2–1
Ferencváros   2–1   Slavia Prague 2–0 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
PSV Eindhoven   4–0   Midtjylland 3–0 1–0
Spartak Moscow   0–4   Benfica 0–2 0–2
Genk   2–4   Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 1–2
Sparta Prague   1–5   Monaco 0–2 1–3

Play-off round

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The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 12:00 CEST.[27] The first legs were played on 17 and 18 August, and the second legs were played on 24 and 25 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Red Bull Salzburg   4–2   Brøndby 2–1 2–1
Young Boys   6–4   Ferencváros 3–2 3–2
Malmö FF   3–2   Ludogorets Razgrad 2–0 1–2
Sheriff Tiraspol   3–0   Dinamo Zagreb 3–0 0–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Monaco   2–3   Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Benfica   2–1   PSV Eindhoven 2–1 0–0

Group stage

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Location of teams of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage.
  Brown: Group A;   Red: Group B;   Orange: Group C;   Yellow: Group D;
  Green: Group E;   Blue: Group F;   Purple: Group G;   Pink: Group H.

The draw for the group stage was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18][28] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on the following principles:

Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Ukraine and Russia, could not be drawn into the same group. Before the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams) based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would play on different days.[29]

The matches were played on 14–15 September, 28–29 September, 19–20 October, 2–3 November, 23–24 November, and 7–9 December 2021. The top two teams of each group advanced to the round of 16. The third-placed teams were transferred to the Europa League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth-placed teams were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Sheriff Tiraspol made their debut appearance in the group stage. They were the first team from Moldova to play in the Champions League group stage.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCI PAR RBL BRU
1   Manchester City 6 4 0 2 18 10 +8 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 6–3 4–1
2   Paris Saint-Germain 6 3 2 1 13 8 +5 11 2–0 3–2 4–1
3   RB Leipzig 6 2 1 3 15 14 +1 7 Transfer to Europa League 2–1 2–2 1–2
4   Club Brugge 6 1 1 4 6 20 −14 4 1–5 1–1 0–5
Source: UEFA

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATM POR MIL
1   Liverpool 6 6 0 0 17 6 +11 18 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 2–0 3–2
2   Atlético Madrid 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 2–3 0–0 0–1
3   Porto 6 1 2 3 4 11 −7 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–5 1–3 1–0
4   Milan 6 1 1 4 6 9 −3 4 1–2 1–2 1–1
Source: UEFA

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AJX SPO DOR BES
1   Ajax 6 6 0 0 20 5 +15 18 Advance to knockout phase 4–2 4–0 2–0
2   Sporting CP 6 3 0 3 14 12 +2 9[a] 1–5 3–1 4–0
3   Borussia Dortmund 6 3 0 3 10 11 −1 9[a] Transfer to Europa League 1–3 1–0 5–0
4   Beşiktaş 6 0 0 6 3 19 −16 0 1–2 1–4 1–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head points. Head-to-head goal difference: Sporting CP +1, Borussia Dortmund −1.

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RMA INT SHE SHK
1   Real Madrid 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 1–2 2–1
2   Inter Milan 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 0–1 3–1 2–0
3   Sheriff Tiraspol 6 2 1 3 7 11 −4 7 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 1–3 2–0
4   Shakhtar Donetsk 6 0 2 4 2 12 −10 2 0–5 0–0 1–1
Source: UEFA

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY BEN BAR DKV
1   Bayern Munich 6 6 0 0 22 3 +19 18 Advance to knockout phase 5–2 3–0 5–0
2   Benfica 6 2 2 2 7 9 −2 8 0–4 3–0 2–0
3   Barcelona 6 2 1 3 2 9 −7 7 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 0–0 1–0
4   Dynamo Kyiv 6 0 1 5 1 11 −10 1 1–2 0–0 0–1
Source: UEFA

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MUN VIL ATA YB
1   Manchester United 6 3 2 1 11 8 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 3–2 1–1
2   Villarreal 6 3 1 2 12 9 +3 10 0–2 2–2 2–0
3   Atalanta 6 1 3 2 12 13 −1 6 Transfer to Europa League 2–2 2–3 1–0
4   Young Boys 6 1 2 3 7 12 −5 5 2–1 1–4 3–3
Source: UEFA

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIL SAL SEV WOL
1   Lille 6 3 2 1 7 4 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 0–0 0–0
2   Red Bull Salzburg 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10 2–1 1–0 3–1
3   Sevilla 6 1 3 2 5 5 0 6 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 1–1 2–0
4   VfL Wolfsburg 6 1 2 3 5 10 −5 5 1–3 2–1 1–1
Source: UEFA

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV CHE ZEN MAL
1   Juventus 6 5 0 1 10 6 +4 15 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 4–2 1–0
2   Chelsea 6 4 1 1 13 4 +9 13 4–0 1–0 4–0
3   Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 1 2 3 10 10 0 5 Transfer to Europa League 0–1 3–3 4–0
4   Malmö FF 6 0 1 5 1 14 −13 1 0–3 0–1 1–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

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In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners were seeded, and the eight group runners-up were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals onwards were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

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Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
                      
 
 
 
 
  Benfica213
 
 
 
  Ajax202
 
  Benfica134
 
 
 
  Liverpool336
 
  Inter Milan011
 
 
 
  Liverpool202
 
  Liverpool235
 
 
 
  Villarreal022
 
  Villarreal134
 
 
 
  Juventus101
 
  Villarreal112
 
 
 
  Bayern Munich011
 
  Red Bull Salzburg112
 
28 May – Saint-Denis
 
  Bayern Munich178
 
  Liverpool0
 
 
 
  Real Madrid1
 
  Sporting CP000
 
 
 
  Manchester City505
 
  Manchester City101
 
 
 
  Atlético Madrid000
 
  Atlético Madrid112
 
 
 
  Manchester United101
 
  Manchester City415
 
 
 
  Real Madrid (a.e.t.)336
 
  Chelsea224
 
 
 
  Lille011
 
  Chelsea134
 
 
 
  Real Madrid (a.e.t.)325
 
  Paris Saint-Germain112
 
 
  Real Madrid033
 

Round of 16

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The draw for the round of 16 was held on 13 December 2021, originally at 12:00 CET.[30] The draw featured multiple irregularities: Manchester United were mistakenly included in the draw for Villarreal's opponent (both were in Group F), and subsequently were selected; another ball was then drawn, with Manchester City chosen instead. In the following tie, Liverpool were mistakenly included in the draw for Atlético Madrid's opponent (both were in Group B), while Manchester United were incorrectly excluded.[31] Later that day, UEFA voided the original draw due to a "technical problem" with the draw computer, and it was entirely redone at 15:00 CET.[32] The first legs were played on 15, 16, 22 and 23 February, and the second legs were played on 8, 9, 15 and 16 March 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Red Bull Salzburg   2–8   Bayern Munich 1–1 1–7
Sporting CP   0–5   Manchester City 0–5 0–0
Benfica   3–2   Ajax 2–2 1–0
Chelsea   4–1   Lille 2–0 2–1
Atlético Madrid   2–1   Manchester United 1–1 1–0
Villarreal   4–1   Juventus 1–1 3–0
Inter Milan   1–2   Liverpool 0–2 1–0
Paris Saint-Germain   2–3   Real Madrid 1–0 1–3

Quarter-finals

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The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET.[33] The first legs were played on 5 and 6 April, and the second legs were played on 12 and 13 April 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea   4–5   Real Madrid 1–3 3–2 (a.e.t.)
Manchester City   1–0   Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–0
Villarreal   2–1   Bayern Munich 1–0 1–1
Benfica   4–6   Liverpool 1–3 3–3

Semi-finals

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The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[33] The first legs were played on 26 and 27 April, and the second legs were played on 3 and 4 May 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City   5–6   Real Madrid 4–3 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Liverpool   5–2   Villarreal 2–0 3–2

Final

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The final was played on 28 May 2022 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. A draw was held on 18 March 2022, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[33]

Liverpool  0–1  Real Madrid
Report
  • Vinícius   59'

Statistics

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Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

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Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema finished the tournament as the top scorer with 15 goals, and was named the inaugural Champions League Player of the Season.
Rank[35] Player Team Goals Minutes played
1   Karim Benzema   Real Madrid 15 1106
2   Robert Lewandowski   Bayern Munich 13 876
3   Sébastien Haller   Ajax 11 668
4   Mohamed Salah   Liverpool 8 1008
5   Christopher Nkunku   RB Leipzig 7 531
  Riyad Mahrez   Manchester City 986
7   Cristiano Ronaldo   Manchester United 6 611
  Darwin Núñez   Benfica 613
  Kylian Mbappé   Paris Saint-Germain 673
  Leroy Sané   Bayern Munich 798
  Arnaut Danjuma   Villarreal 906

Team of the season

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The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[36]

 
Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior was named the inaugural Champions League Young Player of the Season.
Pos. Player Team
GK   Thibaut Courtois   Real Madrid
DF   Trent Alexander-Arnold   Liverpool
  Antonio Rüdiger   Chelsea
  Virgil van Dijk   Liverpool
  Andrew Robertson   Liverpool
MF   Kevin De Bruyne   Manchester City
  Fabinho   Liverpool
  Luka Modrić   Real Madrid
FW   Kylian Mbappé   Paris Saint-Germain
  Karim Benzema   Real Madrid
  Vinícius Júnior   Real Madrid

Player of the Season

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Young Player of the Season

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European Super League controversy

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On 18 April 2021, UEFA, the Football Association, the Premier League, the Italian Football Federation, Serie A, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and La Liga learned of plans from several English, Italian and Spanish clubs to create the European Super League.[37] UEFA and the national associations announced that if such a league were to be established, its participants would be banned from playing in international and domestic competitions.[38] Later that same day, English clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur), Italian clubs (Inter Milan, Juventus and Milan) and Spanish clubs (Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid) announced the establishment of the Super League, putting them at risk of being banned.[39]

On 20 April 2021, Arsenal,[40] Liverpool,[41] Manchester City,[42] Manchester United[43] and Tottenham Hotspur[44] withdrew after the Football Association threatened to ban participating clubs from domestic football,[45] whilst Chelsea withdrew some hours later.[46] This led to the project's collapse,[47] as Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan followed the English clubs by withdrawing.[48] The Super League suspended its operations,[49] with the case to be taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to establish whether UEFA and FIFA have the exclusive right to organise competitions.[50]

On 7 June 2021, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified UEFA and FIFA of the Spanish precautionary measure – which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA and referred a cuestión preliminar (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU[51] – ruling that neither governing body could not execute sanctions against Super League clubs.[52] On 15 June 2021, it was officially confirmed that the remaining three clubs (Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid) – which did not sign the Commitment Declaration of the sanctioned other nine clubs[53] and filed a new motion to scrap the agreement UEFA signed with those nine clubs[50] – were admitted to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, pending the disciplinary proceedings UEFA opened against them but which were suspended after the Swiss notification.[54]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The final, originally scheduled for 21:00 CEST, was delayed 36 minutes due to security issues with fans entering the stadium.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Karim Benzema named 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Vinícius Júnior named 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Champions League final: Vinícius Júnior scores only goal as Real Madrid deny Liverpool again". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Decisions from today's extraordinary UEFA Executive Committee meeting". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. ^ "UEFA Executive Committee approves new club competition". UEFA. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2021/22 Season" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Association coefficients 2019/20". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Access list 2021–24" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Guidelines on eligibility principles for 2020/21 UEFA Club Competitions – COVID 19" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 April 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Club coefficients 2020/21". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations.
  13. ^ "Keppni hætt". Knattspyrnusamband Íslands. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Sports ban forces termination of domestic competitions". Malta Football Association. 9 April 2021.
  15. ^ "UEFA board turns down Ħamrun Spartans' appeal to compete in 2021-22 Champions League". Sportsdesk.com.mt. Times of Malta. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Hamrun Spartans to be excluded from Champions League by UEFA over past match fixing case". Malta Independent. 9 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Format change for 2020/21 UEFA Nations League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 September 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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  20. ^ "UEFA Champions League preliminary round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Champions League í Gundadali". Havnar Bóltfelag. 23 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Einki Champions League í Føroyum". 4 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Champions League: Folgore sorteggiata coi kosovari del Prishtina". Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio. 8 June 2021.
  24. ^ "UEFA Champions League first qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2021.
  25. ^ "UEFA Champions League second qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  26. ^ "UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 July 2021.
  27. ^ "UEFA Champions League play-off round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 August 2021.
  28. ^ "UEFA Champions League group stage draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Champions League group stage draw pots confirmed". UEFA.com. 26 August 2021.
  30. ^ "UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  31. ^ Crafton, Adam; Brown, Luke (13 December 2021). "Controversy as Manchester United incorrectly excluded from section of Champions League draw". The Athletic. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  32. ^ "Champions League round of 16 draw declared void and will be redone at 15:00 CET". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  33. ^ a b c "UEFA Champions League quarter-final, semi-final and final draws". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  34. ^ "2. Finals" (PDF). UEFA Champions League Statistics Handbook 2022/23. Nyon: Union of European Football Associations. 4 June 2023. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  35. ^ "UEFA Champions League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  36. ^ "2021/22 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  37. ^ Panja, Tariq (18 April 2021). "Top European Soccer Teams Agree to Join Breakaway League". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  38. ^ "Statement by UEFA, the English Football Association, the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), LaLiga, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Lega Serie A". UEFA. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  39. ^ "European Super League: Uefa and Premier League condemn 12 major clubs signing up to breakaway plans". BBC. BBC Sport. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  40. ^ "An open letter to our fans" (Press release). Arsenal F.C. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  41. ^ "Liverpool Football Club statement" (Press release). Liverpool F.C. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  42. ^ Pollard, Rob (20 April 2021). "Club statement" (Press release). Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Manchester United withdraw from European Super League" (Press release). Manchester United F.C. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Club statement" (Press release). Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  45. ^ Hytner, David; Hunter, Andy; Jackson, Jamie (20 April 2021). "All Premier League clubs quit Super League after FA ban warning". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  46. ^ "Club statement" (Press release). Chelsea F.C. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  47. ^ Panja, Tariq; Smith, Rory (22 April 2021). "How the Super League Fell Apart". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  48. ^ "European Super League in tatters as Atletico, Inter & AC Milan follow English clubs in quitting". Euronews. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  49. ^ "Super League suspended: Why English clubs pulled out, and what's next for them and UEFA". ESPN. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  50. ^ a b Dunham, Matt (20 June 2021). "Football Super League is 'not dead, just resting'". The Times. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  51. ^ "Super League-UEFA, the clash arrives at the EU Court of Justice". Italy24 News Sport. 13 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  52. ^ "UEFA y FIFA no pueden tomar represalias contra los clubes de la Superliga" (in Spanish). Cadena Ser. 7 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  53. ^ MacInnes, Paul (7 May 2021). "Nine of European Super League rebel clubs commit to UEFA competitions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  54. ^ "Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus admitted to Champions League next season". ESPN. Reuters. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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