What is the UEFA Champions League?

The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

How many teams participate in the Champions League?

32 teams participate in the Champions League group stage, which is followed by knockout rounds until a winner is crowned in the final.

How are teams selected for the Champions League?

The teams are selected based on their performance in their respective domestic leagues and European competitions in the previous season. The top teams from the top-ranked leagues are given direct entry into the group stage, while others have to go through qualification rounds to earn a spot.

Which teams have won the most Champions League titles?

Real Madrid holds the record for the most Champions League titles, having won the competition 13 times. AC Milan is second with seven titles, followed by Liverpool and Bayern Munich with six each.

Who is the current champion of the Champions League?

Chelsea FC is the current champion of the Champions League, having won the 2020-21 season's title.

When does the Champions League season take place?

The Champions League season typically runs from September to May of the following year.

Where are the Champions League matches played?

Matches in the group stage are played at the home stadiums of the participating teams, while knockout rounds are played at neutral venues.

How are teams grouped in the group stage?

Teams are grouped based on a draw, with the aim of having an even distribution of teams from different countries and with varying strengths.

What is the prize money for the Champions League?

The total prize money for the 2020-21 season was €1.1 billion, with the winning team receiving €19 million and the runner-up receiving €15 million.

What is the difference between the Champions League and the Europa League?

The Champions League is considered the premier club football competition in Europe, featuring the top teams from the top leagues. The Europa League is a secondary competition featuring teams that finished lower in their domestic leagues and were not able to qualify for the Champions League.

UEFA Champions League Qualifies Teams, Schedule, And More

Details
History
Theme
Registration
Star Players and Teams
Schedule
Conclusion

Details

Event name	UEFA Champions League 2022-23
Organiser	Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
Timeline	21st June 2022 - 24th August 2022 (qualifiers) 6th September 2022 - 10th June 2023 (competition)
First Started	1955
Location	Europe, last match at Atatürk Olympic Stadium (Turkey)
Type	11-a-side
Budget	€128.6 million
President	Aleksander Čeferin
Maximum trophies won	Real Madrid (14)
Latest champion	Real Madrid (2021-22)

History

The UEFA Champions League began as the European Cup in 1955 and Real Madrid won the inaugural edition.

UEFA renamed it UEFA Champions League Cup in the 1992-93 season with Marseille adding the honours to their name in the inaugural edition of the European Cup.

This event is open to 56 European nations with the most honours won by Spanish clubs (19), followed by English football clubs (14), and Italian teams (11).

Cristiano Ronaldo presently shares the record for maximum appearances (183) and top goal scorer in UCL matches (141).

Mohamed Salah is the leading goal scorer (8) with Kylian Mbappe trailing behind (7). Real Madrid CF won the 2021-22 UCL, taking their tally to a record 14, defeating Liverpool 1-0.

Theme

UEFA Champions League Cup 2022-23 doesn't have any specific theme, although it is an elite annual club football competition in Europe.

Turkey has won the final hosting rights of the UCL Final. The best two football clubs in Europe will battle for the trophy on 10th June 2023 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul.

Registration

Among the 56 European nations registered with UEFA, the UCL 2022-23 comprises 32 teams divided into eight groups.

The selection includes the top four teams from the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. Besides, the top three teams are from Ligue 1 and Primeira Liga.

The top two teams from Eredivisie and the winner of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) gain direct entry to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Apart from these 25 teams, the last 11 spots are available for the rest of the UEFA associate nations to qualify for UCL.

Check out the final standing of the eight groups mentioned below:

Group A	Status
S.S.C. Napoli	Qualified for the round of 16
Liverpool F.C.	Qualified for the round of 16
AFC Ajax	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Rangers F.C.	Eliminated

Group B	Status
FC Porto	Qualified for the round of 16
Club Brugge KV	Qualified for the round of 16
Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Atlético de Madrid	Eliminated

Group C	Status
Bayern Munich	Qualified for the round of 16
Inter Milan	Qualified for the round of 16
FC Barcelona	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
FC Viktoria Plzeň	Eliminated

Group D	Status
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.	Qualified for the round of 16
Frankfurt FC	Qualified for the round of 16
Sporting CP	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Marseille FC	Eliminated

Group E	Status
Chelsea FC	Qualified for the round of 16
A.C. Milan	Qualified for the round of 16
FC Red Bull Salzburg	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
GNK Dinamo Zagreb	Eliminated

Group F	Status
Real Madrid CF	Qualified for the round of 16
RB Leipzig	Qualified for the round of 16
FC Shakhtar Donetsk	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Celtic F.C.	Eliminated

Group G	Status
Manchester City F.C.	Qualified for the round of 16
Borussia Dortmund	Qualified for the round of 16
Sevilla FC	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
F.C. Copenhagen	Eliminated

Group H	Status
S.L. Benfica	Qualified for the round of 16
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.	Qualified for the round of 16
Juventus F.C.	Qualified for the UEFA Europa League round of 32
Maccabi Haifa F.C.	Eliminated

Star Players and Teams

Check out the top players from each of the 32 participating teams who battle it out to qualify for the round of 16:

Group A	Marquee Players
S.S.C. Napoli	Victor Osimhen (Forward)
Liverpool F.C.	Mohamed Salah (Forward)
AFC Ajax	Mohammed Kudus (Midfielder)
Rangers F.C.	John Souttar (Defender)

Group B	Marquee Players
FC Porto	Diego Costa (Goalkeeper)
Club Brugge KV	Simon Mignolet (Goalkeeper)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen	Karim Bellarabi (Midfielder)
Atlético de Madrid	Antoine Griezmann (Forward)

Group C	Marquee Players
Bayern Munich	Manuel Neuer (Goalkeeper)
Inter Milan	Romelu Lukaku (Forward)
FC Barcelona	Marc-André ter Stegen (Goalkeeper)
FC Viktoria Plzeň	Jan Kliment (Forward)

Group D	Marquee Players
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.	Harry Kane (Forward)
Frankfurt FC	Mario Götze (Forward)
Sporting CP	Nuno Santos (Midfielder)
Marseille FC	Alexis Sánchez (Forward)

Group E	Marquee Players
Chelsea FC	Thiago Silva (Defender)
A.C. Milan	Zlatan Ibrahimović (Forward)
FC Red Bull Salzburg	Benjamin Šeško (Forward)
GNK Dinamo Zagreb	Dino Perić (Defender)

Group F	Marquee Players
Real Madrid CF	Karim Benzema (Forward)
RB Leipzig	Christopher Nkunku (Forward)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk	Taras Stepanenko (Forward)
Celtic F.C.	Joe Hart (Goalkeeper)

Group G	Marquee Players
Manchester City F.C.	Kevin De Bruyne (Midfielder)
Borussia Dortmund	Marco Reus (Midfielder)
Sevilla FC	Alex Telles (Defender)
F.C. Copenhagen	Andreas Cornelius (Forward)

Group H	Marquee Players
S.L. Benfica	Julian Draxler (Midfielder)
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.	Lionel Messi (Forward)
Juventus F.C.	Paul Pogba (Midfielder)
Maccabi Haifa F.C.	Frantzdy Pierrot (Forward)

Schedule

With the group stage decided, check out the 16 teams who made it to the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2022-23.

The first leg of the round of 16 is over with the upcoming second leg to be played on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th of March 2023.

Check out the latest schedule for the same:

Round of 16 - 1st leg	Date	Results
Milan vs Tottenham	15th February 2023	1-0
Paris vs Bayern	15th February 2023	0-1
Club Brugge vs Benfica	16th February 2023	0-2
Dortmund vs Chelsea	16th February 2023	1-0
Liverpool vs Real Madrid	22nd February 2023	2-5
Frankfurt vs Napoli	22nd February 2023	0-2
Leipzig vs Man City	23rd February 2023	1-1
Inter vs Porto	23rd February 2023	1-0

Round of 16 - 2nd leg	Date	Results
Tottenham vs Milan	8th March 2023	TBA
Bayern vs Paris	8th March 2023	TBA
Benfica vs Club Brugge	9th March 2023	TBA
Chelsea vs Dortmund	9th March 2023	TBA
Real Madrid vs Liverpool	15th March 2023	TBA
Napoli vs Frankfurt	15th March 2023	TBA
Man City vs Leipzig	16th March 2023	TBA
Porto vs Inter	16th March 2023	TBA

Round of 8 - 1st leg (Quarter Finals)	Date	Results
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA

Round of 8 - 2nd leg (Quarter Finals)	Date	Results
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	April 2023	TBA

Round of 4 - 1st leg (Semi-Finals)	Date	Results
TBA vs TBA	May 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	May 2023	TBA

Round of 4 - 2nd leg (Semi-Finals)	Date	Results
TBA vs TBA	May 2023	TBA
TBA vs TBA	May 2023	TBA

UEFA Champions League Final 2022-23	Date	Result
TBA vs TBA	10th June 2023	TBA

Event Venue

All UEFA Champions League matches include two legs of football at home and away for either team till the grand finale.

Event Broadcasting Rights and Match Ticket Availability

Sony Sports Network (SD/HD) broadcasts the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 in India on TV. You can also watch it live on Jio TV and Sony LIV.

Being an international event, Indian ticketing vendors like Paytm or MMT are not eligible to sell UCL tickets.

For more information on UCL ticketing, visit the official website of UEFA to book your tickets for the final in Istanbul.

Conclusion

UEFA Champions League 2022-23 is the next thing football fans are enjoying after the sublime FIFA World Cup 2022. With the top 16 teams battling to reach the quarter-finals, the game is on. If you are a football lover, the UEFA UCL is a must-watch.

The competition has turned into an enigma for fans all worldwide as they are speculating on whether Real Madrid would win their 15th record UCL, or be knocked off their throne by a new maverick.