The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League was the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 29th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
A total of 79 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]
Associations 1–4 each have four teams qualify.
Associations 5–6 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 2019–20 UEFA Champions League and 2019–20 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League through their domestic leagues. However, the Champions League and Europa League title holders have qualified through their domestic leagues, meaning the two additional entries are not necessary for this season.
Association rankingedit
For the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2014–15 to 2018–19.[9]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:
(UCL) – Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders
(UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
The following is the access list for this season.[10]
Access list for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Teams entering in this round
Teams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round (4 teams)
4 champions from associations 52–55
First qualifying round (34 teams)
33 champions from associations 18–51 (except Liechtenstein)
1 winner from preliminary round
Second qualifying round
Champions Path (20 teams)
3 champions from associations 15–17
17 winners from first qualifying round
League Path (6 teams)
6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round
Champions Path (10 teams)
10 winners from second qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path (6 teams)
3 runners-up from associations 7–9
3 winners from second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round
Champions Path (8 teams)
3 champions from associations 12–14
5 winners from third qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path (4 teams)
1 third-placed team from association 6
3 winners from third qualifying round (League Path)
Group stage (32 teams)
11 champions from associations 1–11
6 runners-up from associations 1–6
5 third-placed teams from associations 1–5
4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
4 winners from play-off round (Champions Path)
2 winners from play-off round (League Path)
Knockout phase (16 teams)
8 group winners from group stage
8 group runners-up from group stage
Changes were made to the default access list since the Champions League title holders, Bayern Munich, and the Europa League title holders, Sevilla, which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stage, already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. However, as a result of schedule delays to both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 European seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019–20 European season. Therefore, the changes to the access list that should be made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds had been played and/or their draws had been made. UEFA used "adaptive re-balancing" to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined, and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the title holders were determined would not be impacted (Regulations Article 3.04).[8] The following changes were made:
At the time when the draws for the first qualifying round and second qualifying round (Champions Path) were held on 9 and 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated as one of the eight quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, Lyon, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic league. Therefore, these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 18–19 and 25–26 August 2020, were not changed even though after the semi-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, which were played on 18–19 August 2020, it was confirmed both finalists, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, "adaptive re-balancing" started from the third qualifying round (Champions Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
The champions of association 11 (Netherlands), Ajax, entered the group stage instead of the play-off round (Champions Path).
The champions of associations 13 and 14 (Czech Republic and Greece), Slavia Prague and Olympiacos, entered the play-off round (Champions Path) instead of the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
At the time when the draw for the second qualifying round (League Path) was held on 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated as four of the quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen, Copenhagen and Basel, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. Therefore, this draw proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 25–26 August 2020, were not changed even though after the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, which were played on 10–11 August 2020, it was confirmed all four semi-finalists, Sevilla, Manchester United, Internazionale and Shakhtar Donetsk, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, "adaptive re-balancing" started from the third qualifying round (League Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
The third-placed team of association 5 (France), Rennes, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round (League Path).
The third-placed team of association 6 (Russia), Krasnodar, entered the play-off round (League Path) instead of the third qualifying round (League Path).
Teamsedit
In early April 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice.[11] UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions.[12] After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020, UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions, although in some special cases where it is not possible, UEFA would develop guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup.[13][14] After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020, UEFA announced that if a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems, the national associations concerned are required to select their participating teams for the 2020–21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019–20 domestic competitions, and UEFA reserves the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deems the termination of the competitions not legitimate, or the selection procedure not objective, transparent and non-discriminatory, or the team is perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly. A suspended domestic competition may also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit.[15][16] All leagues should communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intend to restart their competitions,[17] but this deadline was later extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations must enter their teams by 3 August 2020.[5]
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
TH: Champions League title holders
EL: Europa League title holders
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.: League positions of the previous season
Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams are subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).
England (ENG):Manchester City, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Premier League, qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 14 February 2020 due to alleged breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[23] However, Manchester City appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[24] and on 13 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was overturned and they can play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[25]
Scotland (SCO): The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Celtic (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Scottish Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[35]
Turkey (TUR):Trabzonspor, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[36] Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[37] but on 30 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld.[38] As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team, qualified for this berth.
Wales (WAL): The 2019–20 Cymru Premier was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Connah's Quay Nomads (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Wales, entering the first qualifying round.[39]
Scheduleedit
The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland unless otherwise stated).[40] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[41] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[42] All qualifying matches, excluding the play-off round, were played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw (except the preliminary round which was played at neutral venue).[5][43]
The group stage draw was originally to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon,[44] but it was eventually held at nearby Geneva.
The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
Original schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
The major revision to schedule of the competition, as planned before relocation the final from Istanbul, was as follows (all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
Major revision to schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
If there were travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented the away team from entering the home team's country or returning to their own country, the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team's country that allowed the match to take place.
If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place, they were considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place, both teams were disqualified.
If a team had players and/or officials tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they were considered to have forfeited the match.
On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage onward, with a sixth allowed in extra time. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. Consequently, a maximum of twelve players could be listed on the substitute bench.[47]
All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors.[43] Following the partial return of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage onward could be played at 30% capacity if allowed by the local authorities.[48]
The final was originally scheduled to be played at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg, Russia. However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final to Lisbon as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey instead planning to host the 2021 final.[5] However, on 13 May 2021 UEFA announced that the final would be relocated to Porto in order to allow fans to attend the match.[6]
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 17 July 2020, 12:00 CEST.[49] The semi-finals were played on 8 August at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland.[50] The final was due to be played at the same venue on 11 August but the match was cancelled due to Drita players being put into quarantine after two players had tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus, and Linfield were awarded a technical 3–0 win.
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 9 August 2020, 12:00 CEST.[55] The matches were played on 18 and 19 August 2020. The match between KÍ and Slovan Bratislava was cancelled due to Slovan Bratislava players being put into quarantine after one player had tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus, and KÍ were awarded a technical 3–0 win.
The draw for the play-off round was held on 1 September 2020, 12:00 CEST.[64] The first legs were played on 22 and 23 September, and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 September 2020.
Location of teams of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage. Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D; Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H.
A total of 32 teams played in the group stage, from fifteen countries: 26 teams which entered in this stage, and the six winners of the play-off round (four from Champions Path, two from League Path).
The draw for the group stage was held on 1 October 2020, 17:00 CEST, at the RTS Studios in Geneva, Switzerland.[65] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots based on the following principles (introduced starting 2015–16 season):[66][67]
Pot 1 contained the Champions League and Europa League title holders, and the champions of the top six associations based on their 2019 UEFA country coefficients.[9] As the Champions League title holder, Bayern Munich, were also their national champions, the champions of the association ranked seventh, Porto, was also seeded in pot 1.
In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 16, while the third-placed teams entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League round of 32. The matchdays were 20–21 October, 27–28 October, 3–4 November, 24–25 November, 1–2 December and 8–9 December 2020.
The youth teams of the clubs that qualified for the group stage were also set to participate in the 2020–21 UEFA Youth League, along with the youth domestic champions of the top 32 associations, in a single-leg knockout tournament. However, that tournament was later cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[69]
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Articles 17.01):[8]
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
Away goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Away goals scored in all group matches;
Wins in all group matches;
Away wins in all group matches;
Disciplinary points (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
In the knockout phase, teams played 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 was as follows:
In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners were seeded, and the eight group runners-up were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).
2020, uefa, champions, league, 66th, season, europe, premier, club, football, tournament, organised, uefa, 29th, season, since, renamed, from, european, champion, clubs, uefa, champions, league, estádio, dragão, porto, hosted, final, tournament, detailsdatesqu. The 2020 21 UEFA Champions League was the 66th season of Europe s premier club football tournament organised by UEFA and the 29th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs Cup to the UEFA Champions League 2020 21 UEFA Champions LeagueThe Estadio do Dragao in Porto hosted the final Tournament detailsDatesQualifying 8 August 2020 30 September 2020Competition proper 20 October 2020 29 May 2021TeamsCompetition proper 32Total 79 from 54 associations Final positionsChampionsChelsea 2nd title Runners upManchester CityTournament statisticsMatches played125Goals scored366 2 93 per match Attendance180 049 1 440 per match Top scorer s Erling Haaland Borussia Dortmund 10 goalsBest player s Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy Chelsea 1 Defender Ruben Dias Manchester City 2 Midfielder N Golo Kante Chelsea 3 Forward Erling Haaland Borussia Dortmund 4 2019 202021 22 Note All statistics do not include qualifying play offs Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1 0 in the final which was played at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto Portugal for their second European Cup title The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul Turkey was originally appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Champions League Final but it was moved due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe to the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon 5 Istanbul was again appointed to host the final of the 2021 edition but was eventually moved to Estadio do Dragao after Turkey was placed on the United Kingdom s red list for tourists and hosting it in England was ruled out 6 Bayern Munich were the defending champions but they were eliminated in the quarter finals by Paris Saint Germain whom they had beaten in the previous year s final As the winners of the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Chelsea played against Villarreal the winners of the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup They were also the European entry for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup Since they had already qualified to the 2021 22 UEFA Champions League group stage through their league performance the berth originally reserved for the Champions League title holders has been transferred to the Champions of the 2020 21 Super Lig Besiktas the 11th ranked association according to the next season access list The 2020 21 season was the last season of UEFA European club competitions to feature the away goals rule 7 Contents 1 Association team allocation 1 1 Association ranking 1 2 Distribution 1 3 Teams 2 Schedule 2 1 Major revision to schedule 3 Effects of the COVID 19 pandemic 4 Qualifying rounds 4 1 Preliminary round 4 2 First qualifying round 4 3 Second qualifying round 4 4 Third qualifying round 5 Play off round 6 Group stage 6 1 Group A 6 2 Group B 6 3 Group C 6 4 Group D 6 5 Group E 6 6 Group F 6 7 Group G 6 8 Group H 7 Knockout phase 7 1 Bracket 7 2 Round of 16 7 3 Quarter finals 7 4 Semi finals 7 5 Final 8 Statistics 8 1 Top goalscorers 8 2 Top assists 8 3 Squad of the season 8 4 Players of the season 8 4 1 Goalkeeper of the season 8 4 2 Defender of the season 8 4 3 Midfielder of the season 8 4 4 Forward of the season 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksAssociation team allocation editA total of 79 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League the exception being Liechtenstein which does not organise a domestic league The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association 8 Associations 1 4 each have four teams qualify Associations 5 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 2019 20 UEFA Champions League and 2019 20 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League through their domestic leagues However the Champions League and Europa League title holders have qualified through their domestic leagues meaning the two additional entries are not necessary for this season Association ranking edit For the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League the associations are allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2014 15 to 2018 19 9 Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League as noted below UCL Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders UEL Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holdersAssociation ranking for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes1 nbsp Spain 103 569 42 nbsp England 85 4623 nbsp Italy 74 7254 nbsp Germany 71 9275 nbsp France 58 498 36 nbsp Russia 50 5497 nbsp Portugal 48 232 28 nbsp Belgium 39 9009 nbsp Ukraine 38 90010 nbsp Turkey 34 60011 nbsp Netherlands 32 43312 nbsp Austria 31 25013 nbsp Czech Republic 28 67514 nbsp Greece 27 60015 nbsp Croatia 27 37516 nbsp Denmark 27 025 117 nbsp Switzerland 26 90018 nbsp Cyprus 24 92519 nbsp Serbia 22 250 Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes20 nbsp Scotland 22 125 121 nbsp Belarus 21 87522 nbsp Sweden 20 90023 nbsp Norway 20 20024 nbsp Kazakhstan 19 25025 nbsp Poland 19 25026 nbsp Azerbaijan 19 00027 nbsp Israel 18 62528 nbsp Bulgaria 17 50029 nbsp Romania 15 95030 nbsp Slovakia 15 62531 nbsp Slovenia 15 00032 nbsp Liechtenstein 13 500 033 nbsp Hungary 10 500 134 nbsp North Macedonia 8 00035 nbsp Moldova 7 75036 nbsp Albania 7 50037 nbsp Republic of Ireland 7 45038 nbsp Finland 7 275 Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes39 nbsp Iceland 7 250 140 nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 12541 nbsp Lithuania 6 75042 nbsp Latvia 5 62543 nbsp Luxembourg 5 50044 nbsp Armenia 5 25045 nbsp Malta 5 12546 nbsp Estonia 5 00047 nbsp Georgia 4 75048 nbsp Wales 4 12549 nbsp Montenegro 4 12550 nbsp Faroe Islands 4 00051 nbsp Gibraltar 4 00052 nbsp Northern Ireland 3 87553 nbsp Kosovo 2 50054 nbsp Andorra 1 83155 nbsp San Marino 0 666Distribution edit The following is the access list for this season 10 Access list for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous roundPreliminary round 4 teams 4 champions from associations 52 55First qualifying round 34 teams 33 champions from associations 18 51 except Liechtenstein 1 winner from preliminary roundSecond qualifying round Champions Path 20 teams 3 champions from associations 15 17 17 winners from first qualifying roundLeague Path 6 teams 6 runners up from associations 10 15Third qualifying round Champions Path 10 teams 10 winners from second qualifying round Champions Path League Path 6 teams 3 runners up from associations 7 9 3 winners from second qualifying round League Path Play off round Champions Path 8 teams 3 champions from associations 12 14 5 winners from third qualifying round Champions Path League Path 4 teams 1 third placed team from association 6 3 winners from third qualifying round League Path Group stage 32 teams 11 champions from associations 1 11 6 runners up from associations 1 6 5 third placed teams from associations 1 5 4 fourth placed teams from associations 1 4 4 winners from play off round Champions Path 2 winners from play off round League Path Knockout phase 16 teams 8 group winners from group stage 8 group runners up from group stageChanges were made to the default access list since the Champions League title holders Bayern Munich and the Europa League title holders Sevilla which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stage already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues However as a result of schedule delays to both the 2019 20 and 2020 21 European seasons due to the COVID 19 pandemic the 2020 21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019 20 European season Therefore the changes to the access list that should be made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds had been played and or their draws had been made UEFA used adaptive re balancing to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the title holders were determined would not be impacted Regulations Article 3 04 8 The following changes were made At the time when the draws for the first qualifying round and second qualifying round Champions Path were held on 9 and 10 August 2020 it was not certain whether the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated as one of the eight quarter finalists of the 2019 20 UEFA Champions League Lyon did not qualify for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic league Therefore these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list and the matches drawn which were played on 18 19 and 25 26 August 2020 were not changed even though after the semi finals of the 2019 20 UEFA Champions League which were played on 18 19 August 2020 it was confirmed both finalists Bayern Munich and Paris Saint Germain already qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues meaning the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated As a result adaptive re balancing started from the third qualifying round Champions Path whose draw was held on 31 August 2020 and the following changes to the access list were made The champions of association 11 Netherlands Ajax entered the group stage instead of the play off round Champions Path The champions of associations 13 and 14 Czech Republic and Greece Slavia Prague and Olympiacos entered the play off round Champions Path instead of the third qualifying round Champions Path At the time when the draw for the second qualifying round League Path was held on 10 August 2020 it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated as four of the quarter finalists of the 2019 20 UEFA Europa League Wolverhampton Wanderers Bayer Leverkusen Copenhagen and Basel did not qualify for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues Therefore this draw proceeded as normal per the default access list and the matches drawn which were played on 25 26 August 2020 were not changed even though after the quarter finals of the 2019 20 UEFA Europa League which were played on 10 11 August 2020 it was confirmed all four semi finalists Sevilla Manchester United Internazionale and Shakhtar Donetsk already qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated As a result adaptive re balancing started from the third qualifying round League Path whose draw was held on 31 August 2020 and the following changes to the access list were made The third placed team of association 5 France Rennes entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round League Path The third placed team of association 6 Russia Krasnodar entered the play off round League Path instead of the third qualifying round League Path Teams edit In early April 2020 UEFA announced that due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice 11 UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions 12 After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020 UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions although in some special cases where it is not possible UEFA would develop guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup 13 14 After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020 UEFA announced that if a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems the national associations concerned are required to select their participating teams for the 2020 21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019 20 domestic competitions and UEFA reserves the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deems the termination of the competitions not legitimate or the selection procedure not objective transparent and non discriminatory or the team is perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly A suspended domestic competition may also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit 15 16 All leagues should communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intend to restart their competitions 17 but this deadline was later extended On 17 June 2020 UEFA announced that associations must enter their teams by 3 August 2020 5 The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round TH Champions League title holders EL Europa League title holders 1st 2nd 3rd 4th etc League positions of the previous season Abd League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association all teams are subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID 19 pandemic 18 The second qualifying round third qualifying round and play off round are divided into Champions Path CH and League Path LP Qualified teams for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Entry round TeamsGS nbsp Bayern Munich 1st TH nbsp Manchester United 3rd nbsp RB Leipzig 3rd nbsp Porto 1st nbsp Sevilla 4th EL nbsp Chelsea 4th nbsp Borussia Monchengladbach 4th nbsp Club Brugge Abd 1st Note BEL nbsp Real Madrid 1st nbsp Juventus 1st nbsp Paris Saint Germain Abd 1st Note FRA nbsp Shakhtar Donetsk 1st nbsp Barcelona 2nd nbsp Inter Milan 2nd nbsp Marseille Abd 2nd Note FRA nbsp Istanbul Basaksehir 1st nbsp Atletico Madrid 3rd nbsp Atalanta 3rd nbsp Rennes Abd 3rd Note FRA nbsp Ajax Abd 1st Note NED nbsp Liverpool 1st nbsp Lazio 4th nbsp Zenit Saint Petersburg 1st nbsp Manchester City 2nd Note ENG nbsp Borussia Dortmund 2nd nbsp Lokomotiv Moscow 2nd PO CH nbsp Red Bull Salzburg 1st nbsp Slavia Prague 1st nbsp Olympiacos 1st LP nbsp Krasnodar 3rd Q3 LP nbsp Benfica 2nd nbsp Gent Abd 2nd Note BEL nbsp Dynamo Kyiv 2nd Q2 CH nbsp Dinamo Zagreb 1st nbsp Midtjylland 1st nbsp Young Boys 1st LP nbsp Besiktas 3rd Note TUR nbsp Rapid Wien 2nd nbsp PAOK 2nd nbsp AZ Abd 2nd Note NED nbsp Viktoria Plzen 2nd nbsp Lokomotiva 2nd Q1 nbsp Omonia Abd 1st Note CYP nbsp Maccabi Tel Aviv 1st nbsp Dundalk 1st nbsp Flora 1st nbsp Red Star Belgrade 1st nbsp Ludogorets Razgrad 1st nbsp KuPS 1st nbsp Dinamo Tbilisi 1st nbsp Celtic Abd 1st Note SCO nbsp CFR Cluj 1st nbsp KR 1st nbsp Connah s Quay Nomads Abd 1st Note WAL nbsp Dynamo Brest 1st nbsp Slovan Bratislava 1st nbsp Sarajevo Abd 1st Note BIH nbsp Buducnost Podgorica Abd 1st Note MNE nbsp Djurgardens IF 1st nbsp Celje 1st nbsp Suduva 1st nbsp KI 1st nbsp Molde 1st nbsp Ferencvaros 1st nbsp Riga 1st nbsp Europa Abd 1st Note GIB nbsp Astana 1st nbsp Sileks Abd 2nd Note MKD nbsp Fola Esch Abd 1st Note LUX nbsp Legia Warsaw 1st nbsp Sheriff Tiraspol 1st nbsp Ararat Armenia 1st nbsp Qarabag Abd 1st Note AZE nbsp Tirana 1st nbsp Floriana Abd 1st Note MLT PR nbsp Linfield Abd 1st Note NIR nbsp Drita 1st nbsp Inter Club d Escaldes 1st nbsp Tre Fiori Abd 1st Note SMR Notes Azerbaijan AZE The 2019 20 Azerbaijan Premier League was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Azerbaijan The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Qarabag who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan entering the first qualifying round 19 Belgium BEL The 2019 20 Belgian First Division A was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Belgium The top two teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Club Brugge who were declared champions and Gent were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Royal Belgian Football Association entering the group stage and third qualifying round respectively 20 Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH The 2019 20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Sarajevo who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina entering the first qualifying round 21 Cyprus CYP The 2019 20 Cypriot First Division was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Cyprus The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Omonia were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Cyprus Football Association entering the first qualifying round 22 England ENG Manchester City the second placed team of the 2019 20 Premier League qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020 21 and 2021 22 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 14 February 2020 due to alleged breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations 23 However Manchester City appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport 24 and on 13 July 2020 it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was overturned and they can play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League 25 France FRA The 2019 20 Ligue 1 was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in France The top three teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team Paris Saint Germain who were declared champions Marseille and Rennes were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the French Football Federation entering the group stage 26 Gibraltar GIB The 2019 20 Gibraltar National League was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Gibraltar The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Europa were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Gibraltar Football Association entering the first qualifying round 27 Luxembourg LUX The 2019 20 Luxembourg National Division was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Luxembourg The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Fola Esch were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Luxembourg Football Federation entering the first qualifying round 28 Malta MLT The 2019 20 Maltese Premier League was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Malta The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Floriana who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Malta Football Association entering the first qualifying round 29 Montenegro MNE The 2019 20 Montenegrin First League was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Montenegro The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Buducnost Podgorica who were already assured of the title by then and were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Montenegro entering the first qualifying round 30 Netherlands NED The 2019 20 Eredivisie was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in the Netherlands The top two teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Ajax and AZ were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Royal Dutch Football Association entering the group stage and second qualifying round respectively 31 North Macedonia MKD The 2019 20 Macedonian First Football League was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in North Macedonia The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Vardar who were declared champions failed to obtain a UEFA licence and as a result the second placed team Sileks were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Federation of North Macedonia entering the first qualifying round 32 Northern Ireland NIR The 2019 20 NIFL Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Northern Ireland The top team of the league at the time of the abandonement Linfield who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Irish Football Association entering the preliminary round 33 San Marino SMR The 2019 20 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in San Marino The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment Tre Fiori who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the San Marino Football Federation entering the preliminary round 34 Scotland SCO The 2019 20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Scotland The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team Celtic who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Scottish Football Association entering the first qualifying round 35 Turkey TUR Trabzonspor the second placed team of the 2019 20 Super Lig would have qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020 21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations 36 Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport 37 but on 30 July 2020 it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld 38 As a result Besiktas the third placed team qualified for this berth Wales WAL The 2019 20 Cymru Premier was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Wales The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team Connah s Quay Nomads who were declared champions were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Wales entering the first qualifying round 39 Schedule editThe schedule of the competition was as follows all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland unless otherwise stated 40 The tournament would originally have started in June 2020 but had been delayed to August due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe 41 The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020 42 All qualifying matches excluding the play off round were played as single leg matches hosted by one of the teams decided by draw except the preliminary round which was played at neutral venue 5 43 The group stage draw was originally to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens Greece but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon 44 but it was eventually held at nearby Geneva Schedule for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second legQualifying Preliminary round 17 July 2020 8 August 2020 semi final round 11 August 2020 final round First qualifying round 9 August 2020 18 19 August 2020Second qualifying round 10 August 2020 25 26 August 2020Third qualifying round 31 August 2020 15 16 September 2020Play off Play off round 1 September 2020 22 23 September 2020 29 30 September 2020Group stage Matchday 1 1 October 2020 Geneva 20 21 October 2020Matchday 2 27 28 October 2020Matchday 3 3 4 November 2020Matchday 4 24 25 November 2020Matchday 5 1 2 December 2020Matchday 6 8 9 December 2020Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16 17 amp 23 24 February 2021 9 10 amp 16 17 March 2021Quarter finals 19 March 2021 6 7 April 2021 13 14 April 2021Semi finals 27 28 April 2021 4 5 May 2021Final 29 May 2021 at Estadio do Dragao PortoThe original schedule of the competition as planned before the pandemic was as follows all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland unless stated otherwise Original schedule for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second legQualifying Preliminary round 9 June 2020 23 June 2020 semi final round 26 June 2020 final round First qualifying round 16 June 2020 7 8 July 2020 14 15 July 2020Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 21 22 July 2020 28 29 July 2020Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 4 5 August 2020 11 August 2020Play off Play off round 3 August 2020 18 19 August 2020 25 26 August 2020Group stage Matchday 1 27 August 2020 Monaco 15 16 September 2020Matchday 2 29 30 September 2020Matchday 3 20 21 October 2020Matchday 4 3 4 November 2020Matchday 5 24 25 November 2020Matchday 6 8 9 December 2020Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16 17 amp 23 24 February 2021 9 10 amp 16 17 March 2021Quarter finals 19 March 2021 6 7 April 2021 13 14 April 2021Semi finals 27 28 April 2021 4 5 May 2021Final 29 May 2021 at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in IstanbulMajor revision to schedule edit The major revision to schedule of the competition as planned before relocation the final from Istanbul was as follows all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland unless stated otherwise Major revision to schedule for 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second legQualifying Preliminary round 9 June 2020 23 June 2020 semi final round 26 June 2020 final round First qualifying round 16 June 2020 7 8 July 2020 14 15 July 2020Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 21 22 July 2020 28 29 July 2020Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 4 5 August 2020 11 August 2020Play off Play off round 3 August 2020 18 19 August 2020 25 26 August 2020Group stage Matchday 1 27 August 2020 Monaco 15 16 September 2020Matchday 2 29 30 September 2020Matchday 3 20 21 October 2020Matchday 4 3 4 November 2020Matchday 5 24 25 November 2020Matchday 6 8 9 December 2020Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16 17 amp 23 24 February 2021 9 10 amp 16 17 March 2021Quarter finals 19 March 2021 6 7 April 2021 13 14 April 2021Semi finals 27 28 April 2021 4 5 May 2021Final 29 May 2021 at Krestovsky Stadium Saint PetersburgEffects of the COVID 19 pandemic edit nbsp Krasnodar players on Matchday 2 group stage with limited capacity in the stands Due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe the following special rules were applicable to the competition 45 46 If there were travel restrictions related to the COVID 19 pandemic that prevented the away team from entering the home team s country or returning to their own country the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team s country that allowed the match to take place If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place they were considered to have forfeited the match If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place both teams were disqualified If a team had players and or officials tested positive for SARS 2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA they were considered to have forfeited the match On 24 September 2020 UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage onward with a sixth allowed in extra time However each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches with a fourth opportunity in extra time excluding substitutions made at half time before the start of extra time and at half time in extra time Consequently a maximum of twelve players could be listed on the substitute bench 47 All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors 43 Following the partial return of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage onward could be played at 30 capacity if allowed by the local authorities 48 The final was originally scheduled to be played at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg Russia However due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final to Lisbon as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe the final hosts were shifted back a year with the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul Turkey instead planning to host the 2021 final 5 However on 13 May 2021 UEFA announced that the final would be relocated to Porto in order to allow fans to attend the match 6 Qualifying rounds editMain article 2020 21 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds Preliminary round edit The draw for the preliminary round was held on 17 July 2020 12 00 CEST 49 The semi finals were played on 8 August at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon Switzerland 50 The final was due to be played at the same venue on 11 August but the match was cancelled due to Drita players being put into quarantine after two players had tested positive for SARS 2 coronavirus and Linfield were awarded a technical 3 0 win Team 1 Score Team 2Semi final round Tre Fiori nbsp 0 2 nbsp LinfieldDrita nbsp 2 1 nbsp Inter Club d EscaldesTeam 1 Score Team 2Final round Drita nbsp 0 3 awd note 1 nbsp Linfield The losers of both semi final and final rounds entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round First qualifying round edit The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 9 August 2020 12 00 CEST 55 The matches were played on 18 and 19 August 2020 The match between KI and Slovan Bratislava was cancelled due to Slovan Bratislava players being put into quarantine after one player had tested positive for SARS 2 coronavirus and KI were awarded a technical 3 0 win Team 1 Score Team 2Ferencvaros nbsp 2 0 nbsp Djurgardens IFCeltic nbsp 6 0 nbsp KRLegia Warsaw nbsp 1 0 nbsp LinfieldSheriff Tiraspol nbsp 2 0 nbsp Fola EschConnah s Quay Nomads nbsp 0 2 nbsp SarajevoRed Star Belgrade nbsp 5 0 nbsp EuropaBuducnost Podgorica nbsp 1 3 nbsp Ludogorets RazgradArarat Armenia nbsp 0 1 a e t nbsp OmoniaFloriana nbsp 0 2 nbsp CFR ClujMaccabi Tel Aviv nbsp 2 0 nbsp RigaQarabag nbsp 4 0 nbsp SileksDinamo Tbilisi nbsp 0 2 nbsp TiranaDynamo Brest nbsp 6 3 nbsp AstanaMolde nbsp 5 0 nbsp KuPSFlora nbsp 1 1 a e t 2 4 p nbsp SuduvaCelje nbsp 3 0 nbsp DundalkKI nbsp 3 0 awd note 2 nbsp Slovan Bratislava The losers entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round Second qualifying round edit The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020 12 00 CEST 61 The matches were played on 25 and 26 August 2020 Team 1 Score Team 2Champions Path CFR Cluj nbsp 2 2 a e t 5 6 p nbsp Dinamo ZagrebYoung Boys nbsp 3 1 nbsp KICeltic nbsp 1 2 nbsp FerencvarosSuduva nbsp 0 3 nbsp Maccabi Tel AvivLegia Warsaw nbsp 0 2 a e t nbsp OmoniaCelje nbsp 1 2 nbsp MoldeLudogorets Razgrad nbsp 0 1 nbsp MidtjyllandDynamo Brest nbsp 2 1 nbsp SarajevoQarabag nbsp 2 1 nbsp Sheriff TiraspolTirana nbsp 0 1 nbsp Red Star BelgradeTeam 1 Score Team 2League Path AZ nbsp 3 1 a e t nbsp Viktoria PlzenPAOK nbsp 3 1 nbsp BesiktasLokomotiva nbsp 0 1 nbsp Rapid WienFrom the ten losers of Champions Path two teams Tirana and Ludogorets Razgrad determined by a draw held on 31 August 2020 after the Europa League second qualifying round draw 62 entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League play off round Champions Path while the other eight teams entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round Champions Path The losers of League Path entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round Main Path Third qualifying round edit The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020 12 00 CEST 63 The matches were played on 15 and 16 September 2020 Team 1 Score Team 2Champions Path Ferencvaros nbsp 2 1 nbsp Dinamo ZagrebQarabag nbsp 0 0 a e t 5 6 p nbsp MoldeOmonia nbsp 1 1 a e t 4 2 p nbsp Red Star BelgradeMidtjylland nbsp 3 0 nbsp Young BoysMaccabi Tel Aviv nbsp 1 0 nbsp Dynamo BrestTeam 1 Score Team 2League Path PAOK nbsp 2 1 nbsp BenficaDynamo Kyiv nbsp 2 0 nbsp AZGent nbsp 2 1 nbsp Rapid WienThe losers of Champions Path entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League play off round Champions Path The losers of League Path entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League group stage Play off round editMain article 2020 21 UEFA Champions League play off round The draw for the play off round was held on 1 September 2020 12 00 CEST 64 The first legs were played on 22 and 23 September and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 September 2020 Team 1 Agg Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd legChampions Path Slavia Prague nbsp 1 4 nbsp Midtjylland 0 0 1 4Maccabi Tel Aviv nbsp 2 5 nbsp Red Bull Salzburg 1 2 1 3Olympiacos nbsp 2 0 nbsp Omonia 2 0 0 0Molde nbsp 3 3 a nbsp Ferencvaros 3 3 0 0Team 1 Agg Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd legLeague Path Krasnodar nbsp 4 2 nbsp PAOK 2 1 2 1Gent nbsp 1 5 nbsp Dynamo Kyiv 1 2 0 3The losers of both Champions Path and League Path entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League group stage Group stage editMain article 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage nbsp nbsp Salzburg nbsp Brugge nbsp Midtjylland nbsp Chelsea nbsp Liverpool nbsp Manchester nbsp Marseille nbsp PSG nbsp Rennes nbsp Dortmund nbsp M gladbach nbsp Bayern nbsp Leipzig nbsp Olympiacos nbsp Ferencvaros nbsp Atalanta nbsp Inter nbsp Juventus nbsp Lazio nbsp Ajax nbsp Porto nbsp Lokomotiv nbsp Zenit nbsp Krasnodar nbsp Barcelona nbsp Madrid nbsp Sevilla nbsp Basaksehir nbsp Shakhtar nbsp Dynamo nbsp Madrid teams nbsp Atletico Madrid nbsp Real Madrid Manchester teams nbsp Manchester City nbsp Manchester Unitedclass notpageimage Location of teams of the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage nbsp Brown Group A nbsp Red Group B nbsp Orange Group C nbsp Yellow Group D nbsp Green Group E nbsp Blue Group F nbsp Purple Group G nbsp Pink Group H A total of 32 teams played in the group stage from fifteen countries 26 teams which entered in this stage and the six winners of the play off round four from Champions Path two from League Path The draw for the group stage was held on 1 October 2020 17 00 CEST at the RTS Studios in Geneva Switzerland 65 The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other For the draw the teams were seeded into four pots based on the following principles introduced starting 2015 16 season 66 67 Pot 1 contained the Champions League and Europa League title holders and the champions of the top six associations based on their 2019 UEFA country coefficients 9 As the Champions League title holder Bayern Munich were also their national champions the champions of the association ranked seventh Porto was also seeded in pot 1 Pot 2 3 and 4 contained the remaining teams seeded based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients 68 In each group teams played against each other home and away in a round robin format The group winners and runners up advanced to the round of 16 while the third placed teams entered the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League round of 32 The matchdays were 20 21 October 27 28 October 3 4 November 24 25 November 1 2 December and 8 9 December 2020 The youth teams of the clubs that qualified for the group stage were also set to participate in the 2020 21 UEFA Youth League along with the youth domestic champions of the top 32 associations in a single leg knockout tournament However that tournament was later cancelled as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic 69 Istanbul Basaksehir Krasnodar Midtjylland and Rennes made their debut appearances in the group stage With Istanbul Basaksehir s appearance in the group stage Istanbul became the first city to be represented in the group stage by four different teams having been previously represented by Besiktas Fenerbahce and Galatasaray This season became the first in the history of the Champions League in which three Russian clubs played in the group stage 70 TiebreakersTeams are ranked according to points 3 points for a win 1 point for a draw 0 points for a loss and if tied on points the following tiebreaking criteria are applied in the order given to determine the rankings Regulations Articles 17 01 8 Points in head to head matches among tied teams Goal difference in head to head matches among tied teams Goals scored in head to head matches among tied teams Away goals scored in head to head matches among tied teams If more than two teams are tied and after applying all head to head criteria above a subset of teams are still tied all head to head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams Goal difference in all group matches Goals scored in all group matches Away goals scored in all group matches Wins in all group matches Away wins in all group matches Disciplinary points red card 3 points yellow card 1 point expulsion for two yellow cards in one match 3 points UEFA club coefficient Group A edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY ATM SAL LMO1 nbsp Bayern Munich 6 5 1 0 18 5 13 16 Advance to knockout phase 4 0 3 1 2 02 nbsp Atletico Madrid 6 2 3 1 7 8 1 9 1 1 3 2 0 03 nbsp Red Bull Salzburg 6 1 1 4 10 17 7 4 Transfer to Europa League 2 6 0 2 2 24 nbsp Lokomotiv Moscow 6 0 3 3 5 10 5 3 1 2 1 1 1 3 Source UEFA Group B edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RMA BMG SHK INT1 nbsp Real Madrid 6 3 1 2 11 9 2 10 Advance to knockout phase 2 0 2 3 3 22 nbsp Borussia Monchengladbach 6 2 2 2 16 9 7 8 a 2 2 4 0 2 33 nbsp Shakhtar Donetsk 6 2 2 2 5 12 7 8 a Transfer to Europa League 2 0 0 6 0 04 nbsp Inter Milan 6 1 3 2 7 9 2 6 0 2 2 2 0 0 Source UEFANotes a b Head to head points Borussia Monchengladbach 6 Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Group C edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCI POR OLY MAR1 nbsp Manchester City 6 5 1 0 13 1 12 16 Advance to knockout phase 3 1 3 0 3 02 nbsp Porto 6 4 1 1 10 3 7 13 0 0 2 0 3 03 nbsp Olympiacos 6 1 0 5 2 10 8 3 a Transfer to Europa League 0 1 0 2 1 04 nbsp Marseille 6 1 0 5 2 13 11 3 a 0 3 0 2 2 1 Source UEFANotes a b Tied on head to head points 3 Head to head away goals Olympiacos 1 Marseille 0 Group D edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATA AJX MID1 nbsp Liverpool 6 4 1 1 10 3 7 13 Advance to knockout phase 0 2 1 0 2 02 nbsp Atalanta 6 3 2 1 10 8 2 11 0 5 2 2 1 13 nbsp Ajax 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7 Transfer to Europa League 0 1 0 1 3 14 nbsp Midtjylland 6 0 2 4 4 13 9 2 1 1 0 4 1 2 Source UEFA Group E edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CHE SEV KRA REN1 nbsp Chelsea 6 4 2 0 14 2 12 14 Advance to knockout phase 0 0 1 1 3 02 nbsp Sevilla 6 4 1 1 9 8 1 13 0 4 3 2 1 03 nbsp Krasnodar 6 1 2 3 6 11 5 5 Transfer to Europa League 0 4 1 2 1 04 nbsp Rennes 6 0 1 5 3 11 8 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 Source UEFA Group F edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DOR LAZ BRU ZEN1 nbsp Borussia Dortmund 6 4 1 1 12 5 7 13 Advance to knockout phase 1 1 3 0 2 02 nbsp Lazio 6 2 4 0 11 7 4 10 3 1 2 2 3 13 nbsp Club Brugge 6 2 2 2 8 10 2 8 Transfer to Europa League 0 3 1 1 3 04 nbsp Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 0 1 5 4 13 9 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 Source UEFA Group G edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV BAR DKV FER1 nbsp Juventus 6 5 0 1 14 4 10 15 a Advance to knockout phase 0 2 3 0 2 12 nbsp Barcelona 6 5 0 1 16 5 11 15 a 0 3 2 1 5 13 nbsp Dynamo Kyiv 6 1 1 4 4 13 9 4 Transfer to Europa League 0 2 0 4 1 04 nbsp Ferencvaros 6 0 1 5 5 17 12 1 1 4 0 3 2 2 Source UEFANotes a b Tied on head to head points 3 Head to head goal difference Juventus 1 Barcelona 1 Group H edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAR RBL MUN IBFK1 nbsp Paris Saint Germain 6 4 0 2 13 6 7 12 a Advance to knockout phase 1 0 1 2 5 12 nbsp RB Leipzig 6 4 0 2 11 12 1 12 a 2 1 3 2 2 03 nbsp Manchester United 6 3 0 3 15 10 5 9 Transfer to Europa League 1 3 5 0 4 14 nbsp Istanbul Basaksehir 6 1 0 5 7 18 11 3 0 2 3 4 2 1 Source UEFANotes a b Tied on head to head points 3 Head to head away goals Paris Saint Germain 1 RB Leipzig 0 Knockout phase editMain article 2020 21 UEFA Champions League knockout phase In the knockout phase teams played 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 was as follows In the draw for the round of 16 the eight group winners were seeded and the eight group runners up were unseeded The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams with the seeded teams hosting the second leg Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other In the draws for the quarter finals onwards there were no seedings and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other As the draws for the quarter finals and semi finals were held together before the quarter finals were played the identity of the quarter final winners was not known at the time of the semi final draw A draw was also held to determine which semi final winner was designated as the home team for the final for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue Bracket edit Round of 16Quarter finalsSemi finalsFinal 29 May Porto nbsp Lazio112 nbsp Bayern Munich426 nbsp Bayern Munich213 nbsp Paris Saint Germain a 303 nbsp Barcelona112 nbsp Paris Saint Germain415 nbsp Paris Saint Germain101 nbsp Manchester City224 nbsp Borussia Monchengladbach000 nbsp Manchester City224 nbsp Manchester City224 nbsp Borussia Dortmund112 nbsp Sevilla224 nbsp Borussia Dortmund325 nbsp Manchester City0 nbsp Chelsea1 nbsp Atalanta011 nbsp Real Madrid134 nbsp Real Madrid303 nbsp Liverpool101 nbsp RB Leipzig000 nbsp Liverpool224 nbsp Real Madrid101 nbsp Chelsea123 nbsp Porto a e t a 224 nbsp Juventus134 nbsp Porto01 td, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
