2016–17 UEFA Champions League
 The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff will host the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 28 June – 24 August 2016 (qualifying) 13 September 2016 – 3 June 2017 (competition proper) |
| Teams | 32 (group stage) 78 (total) (from 53 associations) |
← 2015–16 2017–18 → | |
The 2016–17 UEFA Champions League is the 62nd season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 25th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The 2017 UEFA Champions League Final will be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.[1][2]
The winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League will qualify as the UEFA representative at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup.
Real Madrid are the defending champions.
Association team allocation
A total of 78 teams from 53 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League (the exceptions being Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league, and Kosovo, whose participation was not accepted in their first attempt as UEFA members). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[3]
- Associations 1–3 each have four teams qualify.
- Associations 4–6 each have three teams qualify.
- Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
- Associations 16–54 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.
- The winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League and 2015–16 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league. Because a maximum of five teams from one association can enter the Champions League, if both the Champions League title holders and the Europa League title holders are from the same top three ranked association and finish outside the top four of their domestic league, the fourth-placed team of their association would be moved to the Europa League.[4] For this season:
- The winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, qualified through their domestic league, meaning the additional entry for the Champions League title holders was not necessary.
- The winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, Sevilla, did not qualify through their domestic league, meaning the additional entry for the Europa League title holders was necessary.
Association ranking
For the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2015 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2010–11 to 2014–15.[5][6]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:
- (EL) – Additional berth for Europa League title holders
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- Notes
- ^ Kosovo (KOS): Kosovo became a UEFA member on 3 May 2016.[7] UEFA decided that their domestic champions could participate in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League only if they could meet licensing criteria under article 15 of the UEFA Club Licensing & Financial Fair Play regulations, which would be confirmed following the assessment made by the UEFA administration within the deadline of 31 May 2016.[8] However, Kosovo's entry, Feronikeli (as the champions of the 2015–16 Football Superleague of Kosovo), was denied by UEFA in June due to the club failing licensing requirements, and also because the club could not provide a suitable stadium and UEFA did not allow them to play their home matches in a foreign country.[9][10]
Distribution
In the default access list, the Champions League title holders enter the group stage.[3][11] However, since Real Madrid already qualified for the group stage (as the runners-up of the 2015–16 La Liga), the Champions League title holders berth in the group stage is given to the Europa League title holders, Sevilla.[12][13][14]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (8 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round (34 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round | Champions Route (20 teams) |
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| League Route (10 teams) |
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| Play-off round | Champions Route (10 teams) |
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| League Route (10 teams) |
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| Group stage (32 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (16 teams) |
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Teams
League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses, except Sevilla which qualified as Europa League title holders (TH: Champions League title holders; EL: Europa League title holders).[15][16][17]
- Notes
- ^ Albania (ALB): Skënderbeu Korçë would have qualified for the Champions League second qualifying round as the champions of the 2015–16 Albanian Superliga, but were excluded from participating in the 2016–17 European competitions by UEFA for match-fixing.[18][19] They appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and UEFA agreed to suspend the exclusion and Skënderbeu Korçë were included in the second qualifying round draw.[20] The final decision to exclude Skënderbeu Korçë was made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 6 July 2016, before the second qualifying round was played.[21][22] As a result, the berth was given to the runners-up Partizani Tirana.[23]
Round and draw dates
The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[3][24][25]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 20 June 2016 | 28–29 June 2016 | 5–6 July 2016 |
| Second qualifying round | 12–13 July 2016 | 19–20 July 2016 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 15 July 2016 | 26–27 July 2016 | 2–3 August 2016 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 5 August 2016 | 16–17 August 2016 | 23–24 August 2016 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 25 August 2016 (Monaco) |
13–14 September 2016 | |
| Matchday 2 | 27–28 September 2016 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 18–19 October 2016 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 1–2 November 2016 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 22–23 November 2016 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 6–7 December 2016 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 12 December 2016 | 14–15 & 21–22 February 2017 | 7–8 & 14–15 March 2017 |
| Quarter-finals | 17 March 2017 | 11–12 April 2017 | 18–19 April 2017 | |
| Semi-finals | 21 April 2017 | 2–3 May 2017 | 9–10 May 2017 | |
| Final | 3 June 2017 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | |||
Qualifying rounds
In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2016 UEFA club coefficients,[26][27][28] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
First qualifying round
The draws for the first and second qualifying rounds were held on 20 June 2016.[29][30] The first legs were played on 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 and 6 July 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Flora Tallinn 
|
2–3 |  Lincoln Red Imps
|
2–1 | 0–2 |
The New Saints 
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5–1 |  Tre Penne
|
2–1 | 3–0 |
Valletta 
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2–2 (a) |  B36 Tórshavn
|
1–0 | 1–2 |
FC Santa Coloma 
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0–3 |  Alashkert
|
0–0 | 0–3 |
Second qualifying round
The first legs were played on 12 and 13 July, and the second legs were played on 19 and 20 July 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Qarabağ 
|
3–1 |  F91 Dudelange
|
2–0 | 1–1 |
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 
|
3–2 |  Sheriff Tiraspol
|
3–2 | 0–0 |
Olimpija Ljubljana 
|
6–6 (a) |  Trenčín
|
3–4 | 3–2 |
Red Bull Salzburg 
|
3–0 |  Liepāja
|
1–0 | 2–0 |
Vardar 
|
3–5 |  Dinamo Zagreb
|
1–2 | 2–3 |
| The New Saints
|
0–3 |  APOEL
|
0–0 | 0–3 |
Zrinjski Mostar 
|
1–3 |  Legia Warsaw
|
1–1 | 0–2 |
Ludogorets Razgrad 
|
5–0 |  Mladost Podgorica
|
2–0 | 3–0 |
Dinamo Tbilisi 
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3–1 | Alashkert
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2–0 | 1–1 |
Žalgiris Vilnius 
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1–2 |  Astana
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0–0 | 1–2 |
Partizani 
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2–2 (3–1 p) |  Ferencváros
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1–1 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
BATE Borisov 
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4–2 |  SJK
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2–0 | 2–2 |
| Valletta
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2–4 |  Red Star Belgrade
|
1–2 | 1–2 |
Rosenborg 
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5–4 |  IFK Norrköping
|
3–1 | 2–3 |
Dundalk 
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3–3 (a) |  FH
|
1–1 | 2–2 |
| Lincoln Red Imps
|
1–3 |  Celtic
|
1–0 | 0–3 |
Crusaders 
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0–9 |  Copenhagen
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0–3 | 0–6 |
Third qualifying round
The third qualifying round is split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections enter the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2016.[31][32] The first legs were played on 26 and 27 July, and the second legs were played on 2 and 3 August 2016.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosenborg
|
2–4 | APOEL
|
2–1 | 0–3 |
| Dinamo Zagreb
|
3–0 | Dinamo Tbilisi
|
2–0 | 1–0 |
Olympiacos 
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0–1 | Hapoel Be'er Sheva
|
0–0 | 0–1 |
| Astana
|
2–3 | Celtic
|
1–1 | 1–2 |
| Trenčín
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0–1 | Legia Warsaw
|
0–1 | 0–0 |
Viktoria Plzeň 
|
1–1 (a) | Qarabağ
|
0–0 | 1–1 |
Astra Giurgiu 
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1–4 | Copenhagen
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1–1 | 0–3 |
| BATE Borisov
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1–3 | Dundalk
|
1–0 | 0–3 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad
|
6–4 | Red Star Belgrade
|
2–2 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Partizani
|
0–3 | Red Bull Salzburg
|
0–1 | 0–2 |
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ajax 
|
3–2 | PAOK
|
1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sparta Prague
|
1–3 | Steaua București
|
1–1 | 0–2 |
Shakhtar Donetsk 
|
2–2 (2–4 p) |  Young Boys
|
2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
Rostov 
|
4–2 |  Anderlecht
|
2–2 | 2–0 |
Fenerbahçe 
|
3–4 |  Monaco
|
2–1 | 1–3 |
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round will be held on 5 August 2016.[33] The first legs will be played on 16 and 17 August, and the second legs will be played on 23 and 24 August 2016.
The play-off round is split into two separate sections: Champions Route (for league champions) and League Route (for league non-champions). The losing teams in both sections enter the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
A total of 20 teams play in the play-off round.
| Champions Route | League Route | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
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Group stage
Atlético Madrid Real Madrid Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur Benfica Sporting CPThe draw for the group stage will be held on 25 August 2016, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[34] The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams are seeded into four pots based on the following principles (introduced starting 2015–16 season):[35][36]
- Pot 1 contains the title holders and the champions of the top seven associations based on their 2015 UEFA country coefficients.[5][6] If the title holders are one of the champions of the top seven associations, the champions of the association ranked eighth are also seeded into Pot 1 (regulations Article 13.05).[3]
- Pot 2, 3 and 4 contain the remaining teams, seeded based on their 2016 UEFA club coefficients.[26][27][28]
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed teams enter the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League round of 32. The matchdays are 13–14 September, 27–28 September, 18–19 October, 1–2 November, 22–23 November, and 6–7 December 2016.
The youth teams of the clubs that qualify for the group stage also play in the 2016–17 UEFA Youth League on the same matchdays, where they compete in the UEFA Champions League Path (the youth domestic champions of the top 32 associations compete in a separate Domestic Champions Path until the knockout phase).
A total of 32 teams play in the group stage: 22 teams which enter in this stage, and the 10 winners of the play-off round (5 from Champions Route, 5 from League Route).
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Note: UEFA club coefficient (CC) at the end of 2015–16 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[26][27]
Knockout phase
In the knockout phase, teams play 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 is as follows:
- In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners are seeded, and the eight group runners-up are unseeded. The seeded teams are drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
- In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association can be drawn against each other.
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 will be held on 12 December 2016.[38] The first legs will be played on 14, 15, 21 and 22 February, and the second legs will be played on 7, 8, 14 and 15 March 2017.
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on 17 March 2017.[39] The first legs will be played on 11 and 12 April, and the second legs will be played on 18 and 19 April 2017.
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals will be held on 21 April 2017.[40] The first legs will played on 2 and 3 May, and the second legs will be played on 9 and 10 May 2017.
Final
The final will played on 3 June 2017 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.[1][2][41] The "home" team (for administrative purposes) will be determined by an additional draw held after the semi-final draw.
Juventus  | 1–4 |  Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
Mandžukić  27' |
Report |
See also
- 2016–17 UEFA Europa League
- 2017 UEFA Super Cup
- 2017 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League
References
- ^ a b "Champions League: Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to host 2017 final". BBC Sport. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Cardiff to host 2017 Champions League final". UEFA. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2016/17 Season" (PDF). UEFA.com. 4 March 2016.
- ^ "How the Europa League winners will enter the Champions League". UEFA.com. 27 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Country coefficients 2014/15". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b "UEFA Country Ranking 2015". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "Football Federation of Kosovo joins UEFA". UEFA. 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Timeline for UEFA Presidential elections decided". UEFA. 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Kosovo clubs denied UEFA license for European competitions". InSerbia. 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Infrastruktura i lë jashtë Evropës!". zeri.info. 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Preliminary Access List 2015-18" (PDF). Bert Kassies.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League Access list 2016/2017". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Access list 2016/2017". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "How the Europa League winners will enter the Champions League". UEFA.com. 6 May 2016.
- ^ "2016/17 UEFA Champions League participants". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Who is in the UEFA Champions League and when do they enter?". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Qualification for European Cup Football 2016/2017". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "UEFA pezullon padrejtësisht Skëndërbeun nga Europa për sezonin 2016- 2017" [UEFA unfairly suspending Skënderbeu from Europe for the 2016–2017 season]. kfskenderbeu.al (in Albanian). Skënderbeu Korçë. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Albania's KF Skenderbeu banned from Europe for match-fixing". espnfc.com. ESPN FC. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Skënderbeu apelon në CAS, UEFA e fut përkohësisht në short". supersport.al. 16 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA welcomes CAS decision on Skënderbeu". UEFA.org. Union of European Football Associations. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "Media release - Football - The appeal filed by KS Skenderbeu is dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)" (pdf). tas-cas.org. Court of Arbitration for Sport. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "Partizani replace Skёnderbeu in Champions League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "Road to Cardiff: the 2016/17 season calendar". UEFA.com. 30 May 2016.
- ^ "UEFA European Football Calendar 2016/2017". Bert Kassies.
- ^ a b c "Club coefficients 2015/16". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b c "UEFA Team Ranking 2016". Bert Kassies.
- ^ a b "Seeding in the Champions League 2016/2017". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "Champions League first and second qualifying round draws". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "First and second qualifying round draws". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League play-off draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League group stage draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- ^ "Champions League: Domestic title winners to receive top-seed status". BBC Sport. 9 October 2014.
- ^ "Champions' bonus for group stage draw". UEFA.com. 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Leicester among Champions League seeds". UEFA.com. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League semi-final draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "2017 UEFA Champions League final: Cardiff". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Full Time Report Final – Juventus v Real Madrid" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
External links
- UEFA Champions League (official website)