2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage

The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage began on 14 September 2021 and ended on 9 December 2021.[1] A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide the 16 places in the knockout phase of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League.[2]

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

Draw

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The draw for the group stage was held on 26 August 2021, 18:00 CEST (19:00 TRT), in Istanbul, Turkey.[3][4] 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:

  • Pot 1 contained the Champions League and Europa League title holders, and the champions of the top six associations based on their 2020 UEFA country coefficients.[5]
  • Pot 2, 3, and 4 contained the remaining teams, seeded based on their 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[6]

Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Ukraine and Russia cannot be drawn into the same group.[7] Prior to 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. The following pairings were announced by UEFA after the group stage teams were confirmed:[8]

On each matchday, one set of four groups played their matches on Tuesday, while the other set of four groups played their matches on Wednesday, with the two sets of groups alternating between each matchday. The fixtures were decided after the draw, using a computer draw not shown to public. Each team would not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and would play one home match and one away match on the first and last matchdays (Regulations Article 16.02).[2] This arrangement was different from previous seasons, where the same two teams would play at home on the first and last matchdays.

Teams

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Below were the participating teams (with their 2021 UEFA club coefficients),[6] grouped by their seeding pot.[8] They included:

Key to colours
Group winners and runners-up advanced to round of 16
Third-placed teams entered Europa League knockout round play-offs
Pot 1 (by association rank)
Assoc. Team Coeff.
TH   Chelsea 98.000
EL   Villarreal 63.000
1   Atlético Madrid 115.000
2   Manchester City 125.000
3   Bayern Munich 134.000
4   Inter Milan 53.000
5   Lille 14.000
6   Sporting CP 45.500
Pot 2
Team Coeff.
  Real Madrid 127.000
  Barcelona 122.000
  Juventus 120.000
  Manchester United 113.000
  Paris Saint-Germain 113.000
  Liverpool 101.000
  Sevilla 98.000
  Borussia Dortmund 90.000
Pot 3
Team Notes Coeff.
  Porto 87.000
  Ajax 82.500
  Shakhtar Donetsk [LP] 79.000
  RB Leipzig 66.000
  Red Bull Salzburg [CP] 59.000
  Benfica [LP] 58.000
  Atalanta 50.500
  Zenit Saint Petersburg 50.000
Pot 4
Team Notes Coeff.
  Beşiktaş 49.000
  Dynamo Kyiv 47.000
  Club Brugge 35.500
  Young Boys [CP] 35.000
  Milan 31.000
  Malmö FF [CP] 18.500
  VfL Wolfsburg 14.714
  Sheriff Tiraspol [CP] 14.500

Notes

  1. TH Champions League title holders, automatically placed into Pot 1 as top seed.
  2. EL Europa League title holders, automatically placed into Pot 1 as second top seed.
  3. CP Winners of play-off round (Champions Path).
  4. LP Winners of play-off round (League Path).

Format

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In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. 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.

Tiebreakers

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Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see Article 17 Equality of points – group stage, Regulations of the UEFA Champions League):[2]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Away goals scored in all group matches;
  8. Wins in all group matches;
  9. Away wins in all group matches;
  10. Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
  11. UEFA club coefficient.

Due to the abolition of the away goals rule, head-to-head away goals were no longer applied as a tiebreaker starting from this season. However, total away goals were still applied as a tiebreaker.[9]

Groups

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The fixtures were announced on 27 August 2021, the day after the draw.[10] The matches were played on 14–15 September 28–29, September 19–20, October 2–3, November 23–24, November, and 7–8 December 2021. The scheduled kick-off times were 18:45 (two matches on each day) and 21:00 (remaining six matches) CET/CEST.

Times were CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Manchester City  6–3  RB Leipzig
Report
Club Brugge  1–1  Paris Saint-Germain
Report

RB Leipzig  1–2  Club Brugge
Report
Attendance: 23,500[12]
Paris Saint-Germain  2–0  Manchester City
Report

Club Brugge  1–5  Manchester City
Report
Paris Saint-Germain  3–2  RB Leipzig
Report
Attendance: 47,359[13]
Referee: Marco Guida (Italy)

RB Leipzig  2–2  Paris Saint-Germain
Report
Attendance: 39,794[14]
Manchester City  4–1  Club Brugge
Report

Manchester City  2–1  Paris Saint-Germain
Report
Club Brugge  0–5  RB Leipzig
Report
Attendance: 24,072[15]
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy)

RB Leipzig  2–1  Manchester City
Report
Paris Saint-Germain  4–1  Club Brugge
Report
Attendance: 47,492[16]

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Liverpool  3–2  Milan
Report
Attendance: 51,445[11]
Atlético Madrid  0–0  Porto
Report

Milan  1–2  Atlético Madrid
Report
Attendance: 35,374[12]
Porto  1–5  Liverpool
Report
Attendance: 23,520[12]

Atlético Madrid  2–3  Liverpool
Report
Porto  1–0  Milan
Report
Attendance: 32,130[13]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Milan  1–1  Porto
Report
Attendance: 39,675[14]
Liverpool  2–0  Atlético Madrid
Report
Attendance: 51,347[14]

Liverpool  2–0  Porto
Report
Attendance: 52,209[15]
Atlético Madrid  0–1  Milan
Report

Porto  1–3  Atlético Madrid
Report
Milan  1–2  Liverpool
Report
Attendance: 56,237[16]

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head points. Head-to-head goal difference: Sporting CP +1, Borussia Dortmund −1.
Beşiktaş  1–2  Borussia Dortmund
Report
Sporting CP  1–5  Ajax
Report

Ajax  2–0  Beşiktaş
Report
Borussia Dortmund  1–0  Sporting CP
Report

Beşiktaş  1–4  Sporting CP
Report
Attendance: 22,936[13]
Ajax  4–0  Borussia Dortmund
Report

Borussia Dortmund  1–3  Ajax
Report
Sporting CP  4–0  Beşiktaş
Report

Beşiktaş  1–2  Ajax
Report
Sporting CP  3–1  Borussia Dortmund
Report

Ajax  4–2  Sporting CP
Report
Borussia Dortmund  5–0  Beşiktaş
Report

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Sheriff Tiraspol  2–0  Shakhtar Donetsk
Report
Inter Milan  0–1  Real Madrid
Report
Attendance: 37,082[11]

Shakhtar Donetsk  0–0  Inter Milan
Report
Real Madrid  1–2  Sheriff Tiraspol
Report

Shakhtar Donetsk  0–5  Real Madrid
Report
Inter Milan  3–1  Sheriff Tiraspol
Report
Attendance: 43,305[13]

Real Madrid  2–1  Shakhtar Donetsk
Report
Sheriff Tiraspol  1–3  Inter Milan
Report
Attendance: 5,930[14]

Inter Milan  2–0  Shakhtar Donetsk
Report
Attendance: 46,225[15]
Sheriff Tiraspol  0–3  Real Madrid
Report

Shakhtar Donetsk  1–1  Sheriff Tiraspol
Report
Real Madrid  2–0  Inter Milan
Report
Attendance: 46,887[16]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Barcelona  0–3  Bayern Munich
Report
Attendance: 39,737[17]
Dynamo Kyiv  0–0  Benfica
Report
Attendance: 21,657[17]

Benfica  3–0  Barcelona
Report
Attendance: 29,454[18]
Bayern Munich  5–0  Dynamo Kyiv
Report
Attendance: 25,000[18]
Referee: Marco Guida (Italy)

Barcelona  1–0  Dynamo Kyiv
Report
Attendance: 45,968[19]
Benfica  0–4  Bayern Munich
Report
Attendance: 55,201[19]

Bayern Munich  5–2  Benfica
Report
Attendance: 50,000[20]
Dynamo Kyiv  0–1  Barcelona
Report
Attendance: 31,378[20]

Dynamo Kyiv  1–2  Bayern Munich
Report
Attendance: 28,732[21]
Barcelona  0–0  Benfica
Report
Attendance: 49,572[21]

Bayern Munich  3–0  Barcelona
Report
Benfica  2–0  Dynamo Kyiv
Report
Attendance: 36,591[22]

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Young Boys  2–1  Manchester United
Report
Attendance: 31,120[17]
Villarreal  2–2  Atalanta
Report

Atalanta  1–0  Young Boys
Report
Manchester United  2–1  Villarreal
Report
Attendance: 73,130[18]

Manchester United  3–2  Atalanta
Report
Attendance: 72,279[19]
Young Boys  1–4  Villarreal
Report
Attendance: 27,398[19]

Atalanta  2–2  Manchester United
Report
Villarreal  2–0  Young Boys
Report

Villarreal  0–2  Manchester United
Report
Young Boys  3–3  Atalanta
Report
Attendance: 31,120[21]

Manchester United  1–1  Young Boys
Report
Attendance: 73,156[22]
Atalanta  2–3  Villarreal
Report

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Sevilla  1–1  Red Bull Salzburg
Report
Lille  0–0  VfL Wolfsburg
Report

Red Bull Salzburg  2–1  Lille
Report
VfL Wolfsburg  1–1  Sevilla
Report

Red Bull Salzburg  3–1  VfL Wolfsburg
Report
Lille  0–0  Sevilla
Report

VfL Wolfsburg  2–1  Red Bull Salzburg
Report
Sevilla  1–2  Lille
Report

Sevilla  2–0  VfL Wolfsburg
Report
Lille  1–0  Red Bull Salzburg
Report

VfL Wolfsburg  1–3  Lille
Report
Red Bull Salzburg  1–0  Sevilla
Report

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
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Chelsea  1–0  Zenit Saint Petersburg
Report
Malmö FF  0–3  Juventus
Report
Attendance: 5,832[17]

Zenit Saint Petersburg  4–0  Malmö FF
Report
Juventus  1–0  Chelsea
Report
Attendance: 19,934[18]

Zenit Saint Petersburg  0–1  Juventus
Report
Chelsea  4–0  Malmö FF
Report

Malmö FF  0–1  Chelsea
Report
Attendance: 19,551[20]
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Juventus  4–2  Zenit Saint Petersburg
Report

Chelsea  4–0  Juventus
Report
Attendance: 39,513[21]
Malmö FF  1–1  Zenit Saint Petersburg
Report
Attendance: 15,520[21]

Zenit Saint Petersburg  3–3  Chelsea
Report
Juventus  1–0  Malmö FF
Report

Notes

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  1. ^ CEST (UTC+2) for dates up to 30 October 2021 (matchdays 1–3), and CET (UTC+1) for dates thereafter (matchdays 4–6).
  2. ^ a b c d Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the match was played behind closed doors.
  3. ^ a b c Shakhtar Donetsk played their home matches at NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv, instead of their regular stadium Donbass Arena, Donetsk, due to the war conditions in Eastern Ukraine.
  4. ^ The Atalanta v Villarreal match, originally scheduled on 8 December 2021, 21:00 CET, was postponed to the following day, 19:00 CET, due to adverse weather conditions.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "2021/22 UEFA Champions League: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2021/22 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Venues appointed for club competition finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  4. ^ "UEFA Champions League group stage draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Association coefficients 2019/20". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Emergency Panel decisions". UEFA.org. 17 July 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Champions League group stage draw pots confirmed". UEFA.com. 26 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Abolition of the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions". UEFA.com. 24 June 2021.
  10. ^ "All the 2021/22 Champions League fixtures". UEFA.com. 27 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 1 – Wednesday 15 September 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 2 – Tuesday 28 September 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 3 – Tuesday 19 October 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 4 – Wednesday 3 November 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 5 – Wednesday 24 November 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 6 – Tuesday 7 December 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "Full Time Summary Matchday 1 – Tuesday 14 September 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 2 – Wednesday 29 September 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 3 – Wednesday 20 October 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g "Full Time Summary Matchday 4 – Tuesday 2 November 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 5 – Tuesday 23 November 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h "Full Time Summary Matchday 6 – Wednesday 8 December 2021" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Villarreal vs. Atalanta" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Villarreal vs. Young Boys" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Atalanta v Villarreal Champions League off because of snow". BBC Sport. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
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