Champions League quarter-final draw: Everything you need to know

The 2022/23 Champions League quarter-final draw will take place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday, 17 March.

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The ceremony begins at 13:00 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Who’s in the Champions League quarter-final draw?

Bayern Munich (GER), Benfica (POR), Chelsea (ENG), Inter Milan (ITA), Manchester City (ENG), AC Milan (ITA), Napoli (ITA), Real Madrid (ESP)

Can teams from the same country play each other in the Champions League quarter-finals?

Yes, it is an open draw. There are no seedings and no country protection, so clubs can face opposition from the same national association and teams they previously came up against in the group stage.

How does the Champions League quarter-final draw work?

Eight balls containing the names of the quarter-finalists are placed in a large central bowl and shuffled. The first team drawn plays its first match at home, against the second team drawn. The procedure is repeated with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete the quarter-final pairings.

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Are the Champions League semi-finals drawn at the same time?

Yes. For the semi-final draw, four balls containing slips of paper marked ‘Winners of quarter-final 1’ to ‘Winners of quarter-final 4’ are placed in a large central bowl and shuffled.

The first and second balls drawn determine the first semi-final pairing, the first ball drawn representing the home team for the first leg. The procedure is repeated with the remaining balls in the bowl to complete the semi-final pairings.

There will then be a third draw to determine the ‘home’ side in the final for administrative reasons.

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Where is the final?

The 2022/23 Champions League final will take place on 10 June 2023 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, venue for Liverpool’s famous comeback victory over AC Milan in the 2005 showpiece.

Quarter-finals dates?

The first legs take place on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 April, with the return legs scheduled for 18 and 19 April. The semi-finals will be on 9/10 and 16/17 May with the final on Saturday, 10 June.

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City and stadium clashes

Based on the decision received from the relevant local authorities and as confirmed by the national association, AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano, who both share the same stadium for home matches, cannot play on the same night, nor at home within 24 hours.

As is the case each season when it comes to determining the match calendar after all competition draws, Paragraph 23.02 of the competition regulations (currently for the competition cycle 21/24) and the associated principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, set out the process to resolve stadium or city clashes.

In this case, should both clubs be drawn with the same sequence (first or second leg at home), AC Milan, being the domestic champion, will have priority, irrespective of the opponents of either team.

Therefore, the match involving AC Milan will not be reversed.

The full fixture list will be available after the draw ceremony, by 19:00 (SA time) at the latest.

Are there away goals in the knockout stage?

No. The away-goals rule was abolished from the start of the 2021/22 season with drawn ties now going to extra time and penalties regardless of the aggregate scoreline.

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