The UEFA Champions League qualifying playoffs have concluded, and now 32 teams remain in Europe’s biggest competition. On Thursday, in Monaco, UEFA will draw those teams together into eight groups of four and determine who will play each other in the Champions League group stage.
Champions League draw live stream: How to watch online as UEFA announces 2016-17 group stage
The 32 teams that qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage will learn their fate on Thursday.
Starting last season, the draw got a different format from years passed. The reigning champions -- Real Madrid -- and the winners of the top seven leagues in Europe are all top seeds. This means that Leicester City and CSKA Moscow, despite being among the weakest teams in the competition by UEFA coefficient, can’t be drawn against Europe’s top teams. It’s also unfortunate for Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, who would have been in the top pot under the old rules.
In the group stage, two teams from the same country can’t be drawn against each other. The earliest that two teams from the same country can face off is the quarterfinals. You can find the pots and rules here.
You can stream the draw online at UEFA.com, as well as on Fox Sports Go and Fox Soccer 2 Go if you’re in the United States. For listings from other countries, check out Live Soccer TV.
Date/time: Thursday. 12 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. local
TV: Fox Sports 1
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