2021–22 UEFA Champions League

The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League was the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

2021–22 UEFA Champions League
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
22 June – 25 August 2021
Competition proper:
14 September 2021 – 28 May 2022
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 80 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Real Madrid (14th title)
Runners-upEngland Liverpool
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored380 (3.04 per match)
Attendance4,402,255 (35,218 per match)
Top scorer(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
15 goals
Best player(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)[1]
Best young playerVinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)[2]

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1–0 in the final, which was played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, for a record-extending 14th European Cup title, and their fifth in nine years.[3] It was originally scheduled to be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.[4] However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the hosts were shifted back a year, with Saint Petersburg scheduled to host the 2022 final.[5] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which commenced in February 2022, the final was eventually moved to Saint-Denis.[4] As the winners, Real Madrid automatically qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, as well as earning the right to play against the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup and participate in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, both of which they went on to win.

Chelsea were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid.

This season was the first since 1999–2000 (the first season after the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League) are organised by UEFA. No changes were made to the format of the Champions League, but teams that were eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round of the Champions League were now transferred to the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League.[6]

On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Accordingly, if in a two-legged tie two teams scored the same number of aggregate goals, the winner of the tie would not be decided by the number of away goals scored by each team but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams scored the same number of goals in extra time, the winner would be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[7]

Association team allocation

A total of 80 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein,[Note LIE] which did not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]

  • Associations 1–4 each had four teams qualify.
  • Associations 5–6 each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each had two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE] each had one team qualify.
  • The winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League and 2020–21 UEFA Europa League were each given an additional entry if they did not qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League through their own domestic league. (As Chelsea, the Champions League title holders, did qualify through their own domestic league this season, the additional entry for the Champions League title holders was re-allocated.)

Association ranking

For the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.[9]

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

  • (UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1  Spain 102.283 4 +1 (UEL)
2  England 90.462
3  Germany 74.784
4  Italy 70.653
5  France 59.248 3
6  Portugal 49.449
7  Russia 45.549 2
8  Belgium 37.900
9  Ukraine 36.100
10  Netherlands 35.750
11  Turkey 33.600
12  Austria 32.925
13  Denmark 29.250
14  Scotland 27.875
15  Czech Republic 27.300
16  Cyprus 26.750 1
17  Switzerland 26.400
18  Greece 26.300
19  Serbia 25.500
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20  Croatia 24.875 1
21  Sweden 22.750
22  Norway 21.750
23  Israel 19.625
24  Kazakhstan 19.250
25  Belarus 18.875
26  Azerbaijan 18.750
27  Bulgaria 17.375
28  Romania 16.700
29  Poland 16.625
30  Slovakia 15.875
31  Liechtenstein 13.500 0 [Note LIE]
32  Slovenia 13.000 1
33  Hungary 12.875
34  Luxembourg 8.000
35  Lithuania 7.875
36  Armenia 7.625
37  Latvia 7.625
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
38  Albania 7.375 1
39  North Macedonia 7.375
40  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.875
41  Moldova 6.750
42  Republic of Ireland 6.700
43  Finland 6.500
44  Georgia 5.750
45  Malta 5.750
46  Iceland 5.375
47  Wales 5.000
48  Northern Ireland 4.875
49  Gibraltar 4.750
50  Montenegro 4.375
51  Estonia 4.375
52  Kosovo 4.000
53  Faroe Islands 3.750
54  Andorra 2.831
55  San Marino 0.666

Distribution

The following is the access list for this season.[10] As the Champions League title holders, Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league (as fourth place in the 2020-21 Premier League), the following changes to the access list were made:

  • The champions of association 11 (Turkey) enter the group stage instead of the play-off round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 13 (Denmark) enter the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 15 (Czech Republic) enter the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of associations 18 (Greece) and 19 (Serbia) enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round (Champions Path).
Access list for 2021–22 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
(32 teams)
  • 31 champions from associations 20–51 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
  • 1 winner from the preliminary round
Second qualifying round
(26 teams)		 Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 16–19
  • 16 winners from the first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round
(20 teams)		 Champions Path
(12 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 14–15
  • 10 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(8 teams)
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 2 third-placed teams from associations 5–6
  • 3 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round
(12 teams)		 Champions Path
(8 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 12–13
  • 6 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(4 teams)
  • 4 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path)
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • Europa League title holders
  • 11 champions from associations 1–11
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 4 third-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 4 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 winners from the play-off round (League Path)
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

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 were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).

CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[12]

Qualified teams for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Entry round Teams
Group stage England Chelsea (4th)TH Spain Villarreal (EL) Spain Atlético Madrid (1st) Spain Real Madrid (2nd)
Spain Barcelona (3rd) Spain Sevilla (4th) England Manchester City (1st) England Manchester United (2nd)
England Liverpool (3rd) Germany Bayern Munich (1st) Germany RB Leipzig (2nd) Germany Borussia Dortmund (3rd)
Germany VfL Wolfsburg (4th) Italy Inter Milan (1st) Italy Milan (2nd) Italy Atalanta (3rd)
Italy Juventus (4th) France Lille (1st) France Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) Portugal Sporting CP (1st)
Portugal Porto (2nd) Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st) Belgium Club Brugge (1st) Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (1st)
Netherlands Ajax (1st) Turkey Beşiktaş (1st)
Play-off round CH Austria Red Bull Salzburg (1st) Denmark Brøndby (1st)
Third qualifying round CH Scotland Rangers (1st) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (1st)
LP France Monaco (3rd) Portugal Benfica (3rd) Russia Spartak Moscow (2nd) Belgium Genk (2nd)
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (2nd)
Second qualifying round CH Cyprus Omonia (1st) Switzerland Young Boys (1st) Greece Olympiacos (1st) Serbia Red Star Belgrade (1st)
LP Netherlands PSV Eindhoven (2nd) Turkey Galatasaray (2nd) Austria Rapid Wien (2nd) Denmark Midtjylland (2nd)
Scotland Celtic (2nd) Czech Republic Sparta Prague (2nd)
First qualifying round Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Sweden Malmö FF (1st) Norway Bodø/Glimt (1st) Israel Maccabi Haifa (1st)
Kazakhstan Kairat (1st) Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk (1st) Azerbaijan Neftçi Baku (1st) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (1st)
Romania CFR Cluj (1st) Poland Legia Warsaw (1st) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (1st) Slovenia Mura (1st)
Hungary Ferencváros (1st) Luxembourg Fola Esch (1st) Lithuania Žalgiris (1st) Armenia Alashkert (1st)
Latvia Riga (1st) Albania Teuta (1st) North Macedonia Shkëndija (1st) Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac Banja Luka (1st)
Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers (1st) Finland HJK (1st) Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st)
Malta Hibernians (Abd-2nd)[Note MLT] Iceland Valur (Abd-1st)[Note ISL] Wales Connah's Quay Nomads (1st) Northern Ireland Linfield (1st)
Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps (1st) Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (1st) Estonia Flora (1st)
Preliminary round Kosovo Prishtina (1st) Faroe Islands HB (1st) Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st) San Marino Folgore (1st)

Notes

  1. ^
    Iceland (ISL): The 2020 Úrvalsdeild was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland. 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, Valur (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Iceland.[13]
  2. ^
    Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all played in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
  3. ^
    Malta (MLT): The 2020–21 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, Ħamrun Spartans, were declared champions but were subsequently banned from competing in European competitions for a match fixing case dating back to 2013. As a result, the second-placed team, Hibernians, were selected to play in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League by the Malta Football Association.[14][15][16]

Schedule

All matches were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from the preliminary round final, which was played on a Friday, and the final, which was played on a Saturday. The third qualifying round second legs were only played on a Tuesday due to the 2021 UEFA Super Cup on the following Wednesday. Scheduled kick-off times starting from the play-off round were 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET.[17]

All draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, except the group stage draw, which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18]

Schedule for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League[19]
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying Preliminary round 8 June 2021 22 June 2021 (semi-finals) 25 June 2021 (final)
First qualifying round 15 June 2021 6–7 July 2021 13–14 July 2021
Second qualifying round 16 June 2021 20–21 July 2021 27–28 July 2021
Third qualifying round 19 July 2021 3–4 August 2021 10 August 2021
Play-offs Play-off round 2 August 2021 17–18 August 2021 24–25 August 2021
Group stage Matchday 1 26 August 2021 14–15 September 2021
Matchday 2 28–29 September 2021
Matchday 3 19–20 October 2021
Matchday 4 2–3 November 2021
Matchday 5 23–24 November 2021
Matchday 6 7–8 December 2021
Knockout phase Round of 16 13 December 2021 15–16 & 22–23 February 2022 8–9 & 15–16 March 2022
Quarter-finals 18 March 2022 5–6 April 2022 12–13 April 2022
Semi-finals 26–27 April 2022 3–4 May 2022
Final 28 May 2022 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Qualifying rounds
Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds

Preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round was held on 8 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[20] The preliminary round matches, which consisted of two semi-finals on 22 June 2021 and the final on 25 June 2021, were originally to be played at Gundadalur, Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands,[21] but were moved due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands.[22] The matches were instead played in Albania, with the semi-finals at Elbasan Arena, Elbasan and Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, and the final at Elbasan Arena.[23]

The winner of the preliminary round final advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-finals and final were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-finals
Folgore San Marino 0–2 Kosovo Prishtina
HB Tórshavn Faroe Islands 0–1 Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Final
Prishtina Kosovo 2–0 Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 15 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[24] The first legs were played on 6 and 7 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Fola Esch Luxembourg 2–7 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 2–2 0–5
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 3–2[upper-alpha 1] Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 2–0 1–2
Malmö FF Sweden 2–1 Latvia Riga 1–0 1–1
Bodø/Glimt Norway 2–5 Poland Legia Warsaw 2–3 0–2
Connah's Quay Nomads Wales 2–3 Armenia Alashkert 2–2 0–1 (a.e.t.)
HJK Finland 7–1 Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica 3–1 4–0
CFR Cluj Romania 4–3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Borac Banja Luka 3–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija North Macedonia 0–6 Slovenia Mura 0–1 0–5
Teuta Albania 0–5 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 0–4 0–1
Dinamo Tbilisi Georgia (country) 2–4 Azerbaijan Neftçi Baku 1–2 1–2
Maccabi Haifa Israel 1–3 Kazakhstan Kairat 1–1 0–2
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 2–0 Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–0 1–0
Ferencváros Hungary 6–1 Kosovo Prishtina 3–0 3–1
Žalgiris Lithuania 5–2 Northern Ireland Linfield 3–1 2–1
Flora Estonia 5–0 Malta Hibernians 2–0 3–0
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 5–2 Iceland Valur 3–2 2–0

Notes

  1. Losers drawn to receive a bye to the Europa Conference League third qualifying round.

Second qualifying round

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 16 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[25] The first legs were played on 20 and 21 July, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 3–0 Cyprus Omonia 2–0 1–0
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 2–3 Switzerland Young Boys 0–0 2–3
Legia Warsaw Poland 3–1 Estonia Flora 2–1 1–0
Alashkert Armenia 1–4 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 0–1 1–3
Olympiacos Greece 2–0 Azerbaijan Neftçi Baku 1–0 1–0
Kairat Kazakhstan 2–6 Serbia Red Star Belgrade 2–1 0–5
Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar 1–4 Romania CFR Cluj 1–2 0–2
Malmö FF Sweden 4–3 Finland HJK 2–1 2–2
Ferencváros Hungary 5–1 Lithuania Žalgiris 2–0 3–1
Mura Slovenia 1–3 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 0–0 1–3
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Rapid Wien Austria 2–3 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 2–1 0–2
Celtic Scotland 2–3 Denmark Midtjylland 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands 7–2 Turkey Galatasaray 5–1 2–1

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 19 July 2021, 12:00 CEST.[26] The first legs were played on 3 and 4 August, and the second legs were played on 10 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 2–1 Poland Legia Warsaw 1–1 1–0
CFR Cluj Romania 2–4 Switzerland Young Boys 1–1 1–3
Olympiacos Greece 3–3 (1–4 p) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 1–1 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Red Star Belgrade Serbia 1–2 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–1 0–1
Malmö FF Sweden 4–2 Scotland Rangers 2–1 2–1
Ferencváros Hungary 2–1 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 2–0 0–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
PSV Eindhoven Netherlands 4–0 Denmark Midtjylland 3–0 1–0
Spartak Moscow Russia 0–4 Portugal Benfica 0–2 0–2
Genk Belgium 2–4 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 1–2
Sparta Prague Czech Republic 1–5 France Monaco 0–2 1–3

Play-off round
Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 12:00 CEST.[27] The first legs were played on 17 and 18 August, and the second legs were played on 24 and 25 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Red Bull Salzburg Austria 4–2 Denmark Brøndby 2–1 2–1
Young Boys Switzerland 6–4 Hungary Ferencváros 3–2 3–2
Malmö FF Sweden 3–2 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 2–0 1–2
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 3–0 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 3–0 0–0
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
League Path
Monaco France 2–3 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 2–2 (a.e.t.)
Benfica Portugal 2–1 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 2–1 0–0

Group stage
Main article: 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage
Location of teams of the 2021–22 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.

The draw for the group stage was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18][28] 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:

Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Ukraine and Russia, could not be drawn into the same group. Before 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.[29]

The matches were played on 14–15 September, 28–29 September, 19–20 October, 2–3 November, 23–24 November, and 7–9 December 2021. 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.

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

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MCI PAR RBL BRU
1 England Manchester City 6 4 0 2 18 10 +8 12 Advance to knockout phase — 2–1 6–3 4–1
2 France Paris Saint-Germain 6 3 2 1 13 8 +5 11 2–0 — 3–2 4–1
3 Germany RB Leipzig 6 2 1 3 15 14 +1 7 Transfer to Europa League 2–1 2–2 — 1–2
4 Belgium Club Brugge 6 1 1 4 6 20 −14 4 1–5 1–1 0–5 —
Source: UEFA

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATM POR MIL
1 England Liverpool 6 6 0 0 17 6 +11 18 Advance to knockout phase — 2–0 2–0 3–2
2 Spain Atlético Madrid 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 2–3 — 0–0 0–1
3 Portugal Porto 6 1 2 3 4 11 −7 5 Transfer to Europa League 1–5 1–3 — 1–0
4 Italy Milan 6 1 1 4 6 9 −3 4 1–2 1–2 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AJX SPO DOR BES
1 Netherlands Ajax 6 6 0 0 20 5 +15 18 Advance to knockout phase — 4–2 4–0 2–0
2 Portugal Sporting CP 6 3 0 3 14 12 +2 9[lower-alpha 1] 1–5 — 3–1 4–0
3 Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 3 0 3 10 11 −1 9[lower-alpha 1] Transfer to Europa League 1–3 1–0 — 5–0
4 Turkey Beşiktaş 6 0 0 6 3 19 −16 0 1–2 1–4 1–2 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. Tied on head-to-head points. Head-to-head goal difference: Sporting CP +1, Borussia Dortmund −1.

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RMA INT SHE SHK
1 Spain Real Madrid 6 5 0 1 14 3 +11 15 Advance to knockout phase — 2–0 1–2 2–1
2 Italy Inter Milan 6 3 1 2 8 5 +3 10 0–1 — 3–1 2–0
3 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 6 2 1 3 7 11 −4 7 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 1–3 — 2–0
4 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 6 0 2 4 2 12 −10 2 0–5 0–0 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group E

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY BEN BAR DKV
1 Germany Bayern Munich 6 6 0 0 22 3 +19 18 Advance to knockout phase — 5–2 3–0 5–0
2 Portugal Benfica 6 2 2 2 7 9 −2 8 0–4 — 3–0 2–0
3 Spain Barcelona 6 2 1 3 2 9 −7 7 Transfer to Europa League 0–3 0–0 — 1–0
4 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 0 1 5 1 11 −10 1 1–2 0–0 0–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group F

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MUN VIL ATA YB
1 England Manchester United 6 3 2 1 11 8 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase — 2–1 3–2 1–1
2 Spain Villarreal 6 3 1 2 12 9 +3 10 0–2 — 2–2 2–0
3 Italy Atalanta 6 1 3 2 12 13 −1 6 Transfer to Europa League 2–2 2–3 — 1–0
4 Switzerland Young Boys 6 1 2 3 7 12 −5 5 2–1 1–4 3–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group G

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LOSC SAL SEV WOL
1 France Lille 6 3 2 1 7 4 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase — 1–0 0–0 0–0
2 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10 2–1 — 1–0 3–1
3 Spain Sevilla 6 1 3 2 5 5 0 6 Transfer to Europa League 1–2 1–1 — 2–0
4 Germany VfL Wolfsburg 6 1 2 3 5 10 −5 5 1–3 2–1 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV CHE ZEN MAL
1 Italy Juventus 6 5 0 1 10 6 +4 15 Advance to knockout phase — 1–0 4–2 1–0
2 England Chelsea 6 4 1 1 13 4 +9 13 4–0 — 1–0 4–0
3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 1 2 3 10 10 0 5 Transfer to Europa League 0–1 3–3 — 4–0
4 Sweden Malmö FF 6 0 1 5 1 14 −13 1 0–3 0–1 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase
Main article: 2021–22 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
 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
                      
 
 
 
 
Portugal Benfica213
 
 
 
Netherlands Ajax202
 
Portugal Benfica134
 
 
 
England Liverpool336
 
Italy Inter Milan011
 
 
 
England Liverpool202
 
England Liverpool235
 
 
 
Spain Villarreal022
 
Spain Villarreal134
 
 
 
Italy Juventus101
 
Spain Villarreal112
 
 
 
Germany Bayern Munich011
 
Austria Red Bull Salzburg112
 
28 May – Saint-Denis
 
Germany Bayern Munich178
 
England Liverpool0
 
 
 
Spain Real Madrid1
 
Portugal Sporting CP000
 
 
 
England Manchester City505
 
England Manchester City101
 
 
 
Spain Atlético Madrid000
 
Spain Atlético Madrid112
 
 
 
England Manchester United101
 
England Manchester City415
 
 
 
Spain Real Madrid (a.e.t.)336
 
England Chelsea224
 
 
 
France Lille011
 
England Chelsea134
 
 
 
Spain Real Madrid (a.e.t.)325
 
France Paris Saint-Germain112
 
 
Spain Real Madrid033
 

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 13 December 2021, originally at 12:00 CET.[30] The draw featured multiple irregularities: Manchester United were mistakenly included in the draw for Villarreal's opponent (both were in Group F), and subsequently were selected; another ball was then drawn, with Manchester City chosen instead. In the following tie, Liverpool were mistakenly included in the draw for Atlético Madrid's opponent (both were in Group B), while Manchester United were incorrectly excluded.[31] Later that day, UEFA voided the original draw due to a "technical problem" with the draw computer, and it was entirely redone at 15:00 CET.[32] The first legs were played on 15, 16, 22 and 23 February, and the second legs were played on 8, 9, 15 and 16 March 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Red Bull Salzburg Austria 2–8 Germany Bayern Munich 1–1 1–7
Sporting CP Portugal 0–5 England Manchester City 0–5 0–0
Benfica Portugal 3–2 Netherlands Ajax 2–2 1–0
Chelsea England 4–1 France Lille 2–0 2–1
Atlético Madrid Spain 2–1 England Manchester United 1–1 1–0
Villarreal Spain 4–1 Italy Juventus 1–1 3–0
Inter Milan Italy 1–2 England Liverpool 0–2 1–0
Paris Saint-Germain France 2–3 Spain Real Madrid 1–0 1–3

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET.[33] The first legs were played on 5 and 6 April, and the second legs were played on 12 and 13 April 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea England 4–5 Spain Real Madrid 1–3 3–2 (a.e.t.)
Manchester City England 1–0 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–0
Villarreal Spain 2–1 Germany Bayern Munich 1–0 1–1
Benfica Portugal 4–6 England Liverpool 1–3 3–3

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[33] The first legs were played on 26 and 27 April, and the second legs were played on 3 and 4 May 2022.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester City England 5–6 Spain Real Madrid 4–3 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Liverpool England 5–2 Spain Villarreal 2–0 3–2

Final
Main article: 2022 UEFA Champions League final

The final was played on 28 May 2022 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. A draw was held on 18 March 2022, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[33]

Liverpool England0–1Spain Real Madrid
Report
  • Vinícius 59'
Attendance: 75,000[34]

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema finished the tournament as the top goalscorer, having scored 15 goals.
Rank[35]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 France Karim Benzema Spain Real Madrid 15 1106
2 Poland Robert Lewandowski Germany Bayern Munich 13 876
3 Ivory Coast Sébastien Haller Netherlands Ajax 11 668
4 Egypt Mohamed Salah England Liverpool 8 1008
5 France Christopher Nkunku Germany RB Leipzig 7 531
Algeria Riyad Mahrez England Manchester City 986
7 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United 6 611
Uruguay Darwin Núñez Portugal Benfica 613
France Kylian Mbappé France Paris Saint-Germain 673
Germany Leroy Sané Germany Bayern Munich 798
Netherlands Arnaut Danjuma Spain Villarreal 906

Top assists
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes finished the tournament as the top assist provider, having assisted 7 goals.
Rank[36]PlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played
1 Portugal Bruno Fernandes England Manchester United 7 520
2 Germany Leroy Sané Germany Bayern Munich 6 798
Brazil Vinícius Júnior Spain Real Madrid 1199
4 Brazil Antony Netherlands Ajax 5 577
5 Portugal João Mário Portugal Benfica 4 493
Spain Gerard Moreno Spain Villarreal 524
France Kylian Mbappé France Paris Saint-Germain 673
Belgium Kevin De Bruyne England Manchester City 734
England Trent Alexander-Arnold England Liverpool 794
France Étienne Capoue Spain Villarreal 1046
Croatia Luka Modrić Spain Real Madrid 1077

Team of the season

The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[37]

Pos. Player Team
GK Belgium Thibaut Courtois Spain Real Madrid
DF England Trent Alexander-Arnold England Liverpool
Germany Antonio Rüdiger England Chelsea
Netherlands Virgil van Dijk England Liverpool
Scotland Andrew Robertson England Liverpool
MF Belgium Kevin De Bruyne England Manchester City
Brazil Fabinho England Liverpool
Croatia Luka Modrić Spain Real Madrid
FW France Kylian Mbappé France Paris Saint-Germain
France Karim Benzema Spain Real Madrid
Brazil Vinícius Júnior Spain Real Madrid

Player of the Season

Young Player of the Season

European Super League controversy
Main article: European Super League

On 18 April 2021, UEFA, the Football Association, the Premier League, the Italian Football Federation, Serie A, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and La Liga learned of plans from several English, Italian and Spanish clubs to create the European Super League.[38] UEFA and the national associations announced that if such a league were to be established, its participants would be banned from playing in international and domestic competitions.[39] Later that same day, English clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur), Italian clubs (Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan) and Spanish clubs (Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid) announced the establishment of the Super League, putting them at risk of being banned.[40]

On 20 April 2021, Arsenal,[41] Liverpool,[42] Manchester City,[43] Manchester United[44] and Tottenham Hotspur[45] withdrew after the Football Association threatened to ban participating clubs from domestic football,[46] whilst Chelsea withdrew some hours later.[47] This led to the project's collapse,[48] as Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan followed the English clubs by withdrawing.[49] The Super League suspended its operations,[50] with the case to be taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to establish whether UEFA and FIFA have the exclusive right to organise competitions.[51]

On 7 June 2021, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified UEFA and FIFA of the Spanish precautionary measure – which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA and referred a cuestión preliminar (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU[52] – ruling that neither governing body could not execute sanctions against Super League clubs.[53] On 15 June 2021, it was officially confirmed that the remaining three clubs (Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid) – which did not sign the Commitment Declaration of the sanctioned other nine clubs[54] and filed a new motion to scrap the agreement UEFA signed with those nine clubs[51] – were admitted to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, pending the disciplinary proceedings UEFA opened against them but which were suspended after the Swiss notification.[55]

See also

Notes
  1. The final, originally scheduled for 21:00 CEST, was delayed 36 minutes due to security issues with fans entering the stadium.

References
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