UEFA Champions League group stage draw: everything you need to know

(CNN) – The UEFA Champions League, the most important international club tournament in the world, will take its first step of the new season on Thursday with the draw for the group stage. The 21/22 edition of the traditional competition will have the attraction of seeing Argentine Lionel Messi for the first time wearing the Paris Saint-Germain shirt of France, after his departure from Barcelona in Spain.

Here is all the information you should know about the draw for the new edition of the Champions League:

Where and at what time will the draw take place?

The draw for the group stage will be this Thursday, August 26 in Istanbul, Turkey. The start of the ceremony is scheduled for 12pm ET.

How to see the Champions League draw?

In addition to different television channels, the draw will be broadcast live by streaming through the official site of the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA.com).

Which clubs will participate in the 21/22 edition of the Champions League?

A total of 32 teams, divided into 8 groups, will begin their journey in the European tournament. 26 of those clubs achieved direct qualification while the remaining 6 did so through the play-offs.

The 32 participants:

-Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea (England)
-Atlético, Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Seville, Villarreal (Spain)
-Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus (Italy)
-Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund, Wolfsburg (Germany)
– Lille, PSG (France)
– Sporting CP, Porto, Benfica (Portugal)

-Ajax (Holland)
-Zenit (Russia)
-Salzburg (Austria)
-Bruges (Belgium)
-Kyiv Dynamo, Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
-Beşiktaş (Turkey)
-Young Boys (Switzerland)
-Malmö (Sweden)
-Sheriff (Moldova)

How is the draw done?

The 32 clubs are divided into four seeded pots. In Pot 1 are the UEFA Champions League champion (Chelsea), the UEFA Europa League winner (Villarreal) and the champions of the six highest-ranked countries that have qualified through their leagues (Bayern Munich, Manchester City , Atlético de Madrid, Inter de Milan, Sporting de Portugal and Lille de France).

The rest of the drums will be composed according to the classification of the club coefficient carried out by UEFA.

No team may face another club from the same federation in the group stage.

When are the Champions League group stage matches played?

The group stage of the Champions League will begin in mid-September. The complete calendar, with each of the meetings, will be published once the draw has been made.

Group stage schedule:

-First day: September 14/15
-Second matchday: September 28/29
-Third day: October 19/20
-Fourth day: November 2/3
-Fifth day: 23/24 November
-Six day: December 7/8