2017–18 UEFA Champions League
| File:Kyiv NSC Olimpiyskyi 6.jpg The NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev will host the final | |
| Tournament details | |
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| Dates | Qualifying: 27 June – 23 August 2017 Competition proper: 12 September 2017 – 26 May 2018 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32 Total: 79 (from 54 associations) |
The 2017–18 UEFA Champions League will be the 63rd season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 26th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The 2018 UEFA Champions League Final will be played at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine.[1]
The winners of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League will qualify as the UEFA representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup.
Real Madrid are the two-time defending champions.
Association team allocation
A total of 79 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league).[2] 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 16–55 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.
- The winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League and 2016–17 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2017–18 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 will be moved to the Europa League.[4] For this season:
- The winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, have qualified through their domestic league, meaning the additional entry for the Champions League title holders is not necessary.
- The winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, Manchester United, did not qualify through their domestic league, meaning the additional entry for the Europa League title holders is necessary.
Kosovo, who became a UEFA member on 3 May 2016, will make their debut in the UEFA Champions League, as long as their club passes the licensing requirements.[5][6]
Association ranking
For the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2016 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2011–12 to 2015–16.[7][8]
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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Distribution
In the default access list, the Champions League title holders enter the group stage.[6] However, since Real Madrid already qualified for the group stage (as the champions of the 2016–17 La Liga), the Champions League title holders berth in the group stage is given to the Europa League title holders, Manchester United.[9][10][11]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (10 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
NOTE: The following list of qualified teams is provisional, subject to final confirmation by UEFA in June 2017, as each participating team must obtain a UEFA club license. All qualified teams are included in this list as long as they have not been banned by UEFA or have not failed their final appeal with their football association on obtaining a license. |
League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Champions League title holders; EL: Europa League title holders).[12]
- Notes
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).[6][13][14]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 19 June 2017 | 27–28 June 2017 | 4–5 July 2017 |
| Second qualifying round | 11–12 July 2017 | 18–19 July 2017 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 14 July 2017 | 25–26 July 2017 | 1–2 August 2017 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 4 August 2017 | 15–16 August 2017 | 22–23 August 2017 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 24 August 2017 (Monaco) |
12–13 September 2017 | |
| Matchday 2 | 26–27 September 2017 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 17–18 October 2017 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 31 October – 1 November 2017 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 21–22 November 2017 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 5–6 December 2017 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 11 December 2017 | 13–14 & 20–21 February 2018 | 6–7 & 13–14 March 2018 |
| Quarter-finals | 16 March 2018 | 3–4 April 2018 | 10–11 April 2018 | |
| Semi-finals | 13 April 2018 | 24–25 April 2018 | 1–2 May 2018 | |
| Final | 26 May 2018 at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev | |||
Qualifying rounds
In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2017 UEFA club coefficients,[15][16][17] 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 draw for the first qualifying round will be held on 19 June 2017, 12:00 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[18]
A total of ten teams are expected to play in the first qualifying round.
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round will be held on 19 June 2017, 12:00 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[18]
A total of 34 teams are expected to play in the second qualifying round: 29 teams which enter in this round, and the five winners of the first qualifying round.
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Note: UEFA club coefficient (CC) at the end of 2016–17 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[15][16]
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round will be held on 14 July 2017, 12:00 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[19]
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 2017–18 UEFA Europa League play-off round.
A total of 30 teams are expected to play in the third qualifying round:
Champions Route
Three teams which enter in this round, and the 17 winners of the second qualifying round.
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Note: UEFA club coefficient (CC) at the end of 2016–17 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[15][16]
League Route
Ten teams which enter in this round.
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Note: UEFA club coefficient (CC) at the end of 2016–17 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[15][16]
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round will be held on 4 August 2017, 12:00 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[20]
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 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage.
A total of 20 teams play in the play-off round.
Champions Route
The ten Champions Route winners of the third qualifying round.
League Route
Five teams which enter in this round, and the five League Route winners of the third qualifying round.
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- Seeding TBD
Sporting CP CC: 36.866
Note: UEFA club coefficient (CC) at the end of 2016–17 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[15][16]
Group stage
The draw for the group stage will be held on 24 August 2017, 18:00 CEST, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[21]
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):[22][23]
- Pot 1 contains the title holders and the champions of the top seven associations based on their 2016 UEFA country coefficients.[7][8] As the title holders, Real Madrid, 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 2017 UEFA club coefficients.[15][16][17]
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 2017–18 UEFA Europa League round of 32.
The youth teams of the clubs that qualify for the group stage also participate in the 2017–18 UEFA Youth League, where they are joined by the youth domestic champions of the top 32 associations.
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 2016–17 season, which is used for seeding, is listed in italics.[15][16]
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 11 December 2017, 12:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[25]
Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on 16 March 2018, 12:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[26]
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals will be held on 13 April 2018, 12:00 CEST, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[27]
Final
The "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes) will be determined by an additional draw held after the semi-final draw.[27]
Real Madrid  | 3–1 |  Liverpool |
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| Report |
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See also
- 2017–18 UEFA Europa League
- 2018 UEFA Super Cup
- 2018 FIFA Club World Cup
- 2017–18 UEFA Women's Champions League
References
- ^ "Kyiv to host 2018 Champions League final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ "Football Federation of Kosovo joins UEFA". UEFA. 3 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2017/18 Season" (PDF). UEFA.com. 4 April 2017.
- ^ "How the Europa League winners will enter the Champions League". UEFA.com. 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Timeline for UEFA Presidential elections decided". UEFA. 18 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Preliminary Access List 2017/18" (PDF). Bert Kassies. RFEF.
- ^ a b "Country coefficients 2015/16". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b "UEFA Country Ranking 2016". Bert Kassies. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ "UEFA Access List 2015/18 with explanations" (PDF). Bert Kassies.
- ^ "Access list 2017/2018". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "Europa League win earns Manchester United a Champions League spot". UEFA.com. 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Qualification for European Cup Football 2017/2018". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "UEFA European Football Calendar 2017/2018". Bert Kassies.
- ^ "2017/18 Champions League match and draw calendar". UEFA.com. 11 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Club coefficients". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "UEFA Team Ranking 2017". Bert Kassies.
- ^ a b "Seeding in the Champions League 2017/2018". Bert Kassies.
- ^ a b "First and second qualifying rounds draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Third qualifying round draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Play-off round draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Group stage draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Real Madrid lead 2017/18 Champions League seeds". UEFA.com. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Round of 16 draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Quarter-final draw". UEFA.com.
- ^ a b "Semi-final and final draws". UEFA.com.
- ^ "Full Time Report Final – Real Madrid v Liverpool" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
External links
- UEFA Champions League (official website)