UEFA Champions League 2019–20

The 2019–20 UEFA Champions League will be the 65th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 28th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

The final will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. The winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League will earn the right to play against the winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League in the 2020 UEFA Super Cup; they will also qualify for the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar. They will also automatically qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage, and if they have already qualified through their league performance, the berth reserved will be given to the champions of the 2019–20 Eredivisie, the 11th-ranked association according to next season's access list.

The video assistant referee (VAR) system will be used in the competition from the play-off round onwards.

Liverpool are the defending champions.

Association team allocation
A total of 79 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate in the 2019–20 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:
 * 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 2018–19 UEFA Champions League and 2018–19 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League through their domestic league.

Association ranking
For the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2018 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2013–14 to 2017–18.

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

Distribution
The following is the access list for this season.

Changes are made to the default access list, if the Champions League and/or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues. In any case where a spot in the Champions League is vacated, teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds of the appropriate path are promoted accordingly.
 * In the default access list, the Champions League title holders qualify for the group stage. However, since the Champions League title holders (Liverpool) have qualified via their domestic league (as second place in the 2018–19 Premier League), the following changes to the access list were made:
 * The champions of association 11 (Austria) entered the group stage instead of the play-off round.
 * The champions of association 13 (Czech Republic) entered the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round.
 * The champions of association 15 (Greece) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
 * The champions of associations 18 and 19 (Israel and Cyprus) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
 * In the default access list, the Europa League title holders qualify for the group stage. However, since the Europa League title holders (Chelsea) qualified for the group stage via their domestic league (as third place in the 2018–19 Premier League), the following changes to the access list were made:
 * The third-placed team of association 5 (France) entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round.
 * The runners-up of associations 10 and 11 (Turkey and Austria) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.

Teams
League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Champions League title holders; EL: Europa League title holders).

Round and draw dates
The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).

Preliminary round
Note: All qualified teams below are listed with their 2019 UEFA club coefficients (CC).

In the preliminary round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2019 UEFA club coefficients, and then drawn into one-legged semi-final and final ties, which will be played in Pristina, Kosovo. The losers of both semi-final and final rounds enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

A total of four teams play in the preliminary round.

Seeded teams:
 * 🇬🇮 Lincoln Red Imps CC: 4.250
 * 🇦🇩 FC Santa Coloma CC: 4.000

Unseeded teams:
 * 🇸🇲 Tre Penne CC: 0.750
 * Feronikeli CC: 0.500

Qualifying rounds
In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2019 UEFA club coefficients, and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties.

First qualifying round
A total of 32 teams are expected to play in the first qualifying round: 31 teams which enter in this round, and the winners of the preliminary round. The losers enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Celtic CC: 31.000
 * 🇧🇾 BATE Borisov CC: 27.500
 * 🇰🇿 Astana CC: 27.500
 * 🇧🇬 Ludogorets Razgrad CC: 27.000
 * 🇦🇿 Qarabağ CC: 22.000
 * 🇸🇮 Maribor CC: 18.500
 * 🇷🇸 Red Star Belgrade CC: 16.750
 * 🇲🇩 Sheriff Tiraspol CC: 12.250
 * 🇳🇴 Rosenborg CC: 11.500
 * 🇫🇮 HJK CC: 9.000
 * 🇮🇪 Dundalk CC: 7.000
 * 🇱🇺 F91 Dudelange CC: 6.250
 * 🇲🇰 Shkëndija CC: 6.000
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The New Saints  CC: 6.000
 * 🇸🇰 Slovan Bratislava CC: 6.000
 * 🇸🇪 AIK CC: 5.500

Unseeded teams:
 * 🇱🇹 Sūduva CC: 4.250
 * 🇲🇹 Valletta CC: 4.250
 * Winners of preliminary round CC: 4.250
 * 🇧🇦 Sarajevo CC: 4.250
 * 🇵🇱 Piast Gliwice CC: 3.850
 * 🇷🇴 CFR Cluj CC: 3.500
 * 🇭🇺 Ferencváros CC: 3.500
 * 🇪🇪 Nõmme Kalju CC: 3.500
 * 🇲🇪 Sutjeska Nikšić CC: 3.000
 * 🇦🇱 Partizani CC: 3.000
 * 🇮🇸 Valur CC: 2.750
 * Linfield CC: 2.250
 * 🇫🇴 HB Tórshavn CC: 1.500
 * 🇱🇻 Riga FC CC: 1.125
 * 🇦🇲 Ararat-Armenia CC: 1.050
 * Saburtalo Tbilisi CC: 0.950

Second qualifying round
The second qualifying round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and League Path (for league non-champions). The losers from both Champions Path and League Path enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.

A total of 24 teams are expected to play in the second qualifying round:

Champions Path

Four teams which enter in this round, and the 16 winners of the first qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Winners of match involving Celtic CC: 31.000
 * Copenhagen CC: 31.000
 * Dinamo Zagreb CC: 29.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇧🇾 BATE Borisov CC: 27.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇰🇿 Astana CC: 27.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇧🇬 Ludogorets Razgrad CC: 27.000
 * 🇨🇾 APOEL CC: 25.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇦🇿 Qarabağ CC: 22.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇸🇮 Maribor CC: 18.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇷🇸 Red Star Belgrade CC: 16.750

Unseeded teams:
 * 🇮🇱 Maccabi Tel Aviv CC: 16.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇲🇩 Sheriff Tiraspol CC: 12.250
 * Winners of match involving 🇳🇴 Rosenborg CC: 11.500
 * Winners of match involving 🇫🇮 HJK CC: 9.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇮🇪 Dundalk CC: 7.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇱🇺 F91 Dudelange CC: 6.250
 * Winners of match involving 🇲🇰 Shkëndija CC: 6.000
 * Winners of match involving 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The New Saints  CC: 6.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇸🇰 Slovan Bratislava CC: 6.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇸🇪 AIK CC: 5.500

League Path

Four teams which enter in this round.

Seeded teams:
 * Basel CC: 54.500
 * Olympiacos CC: 44.000

Unseeded teams:
 * PSV Eindhoven CC: 37.000
 * 🇨🇿 Viktoria Plzeň CC: 33.000

Third qualifying round
The third qualifying round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and League Path (for league non-champions). The losers from the Champions Path enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League play-off round, while the losers from the League Path enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage.

A total of 20 teams are expected to play in the third qualifying round:

Champions Path

Two teams which enter in this round, and the ten Champions Path winners of the second qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Ajax CC: 70.500
 * Winners of match involving Copenhagen CC: 31.000
 * Winners of match involving Dinamo Zagreb CC: 29.500

Seeding TBD:
 * Winners of match involving 🇨🇾 APOEL CC: 25.500
 * PAOK CC: 23.500
 * 7 winners of second qualifying round

League Path

Six teams which enter in this round, and the two League Path winners of the second qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Porto CC: 93.000
 * 🇺🇦 Dynamo Kyiv CC: 65.000
 * Winners of match involving Basel CC: 54.500
 * Winners of match involving Olympiacos CC: 44.000

Unseeded teams:
 * 🇧🇪 Club Brugge CC: 39.500
 * 🇷🇺 Krasnodar CC: 34.500
 * 🇹🇷 İstanbul Başakşehir CC: 10.500
 * 🇦🇹 LASK CC: 6.250

Play-off round
The play-off round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and League Path (for league non-champions). The losers from both Champions Path and League Path enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage.

A total of twelve teams play in the play-off round:

Champions Path

Two teams which enter in this round, and the six Champions Path winners of the third qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Winners of match involving Ajax CC: 70.500

Seeding TBD:
 * Young Boys  CC: 27.500
 * 🇨🇿 Slavia Prague CC: 21.500
 * 5 winners of third qualifying round

League Path

The four League Path winners of the third qualifying round.

Seeded teams:
 * Winners of match involving Porto CC: 93.000
 * Winners of match involving 🇺🇦 Dynamo Kyiv CC: 65.000

Unseeded teams:
 * 2 winners of third qualifying round

Group stage
The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams are seeded into four pots based on the following principles (introduced starting 2015–16 season):
 * Pot 1 contains the Champions League and Europa League title holders, and the champions of the top six associations based on their 2018 UEFA country coefficients. If either or both title holders were one of the champions of the top six associations, the champions of the next highest ranked association(s) are also seeded into Pot 1.
 * Pot 2, 3 and 4 contain the remaining teams, seeded based on their 2019 UEFA club coefficients.

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed teams enter the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League round of 32.

The youth teams of the clubs that qualify for the group stage also participate in the 2019–20 UEFA Youth League on the same matchdays, where they compete in the UEFA Champions League Path (the youth domestic champions of the top 32 associations compete in a separate Domestic Champions Path until the play-offs).

A total of 32 teams play in the group stage: 26 teams which enter in this stage, and the six winners of the play-off round (four from Champions Path, two from League Path).

Pot 1 (by association rank):
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool CC: 91.000
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chelsea CC: 87.000
 * 🇪🇸 Barcelona CC: 138.000
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City CC: 106.000
 * 🇮🇹 Juventus CC: 124.000
 * 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich CC: 128.000
 * 🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain CC: 103.000
 * 🇷🇺 Zenit St. Petersburg CC: 72.000

Pot 2:
 * 🇪🇸 Real Madrid CC: 146.000
 * 🇪🇸 Atlético Madrid CC: 127.000
 * 🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund CC: 85.000
 * 🇮🇹 Napoli CC: 80.000
 * 🇺🇦 Shakhtar Donetsk CC: 80.000
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tottenham Hotspur CC: 78.000

Pot 2 or 3: Pot 3:
 * Benfica CC: 68.000
 * 🇫🇷 Lyon CC: 61.500
 * 🇩🇪 Bayer Leverkusen CC: 61.000
 * 🇦🇹 Red Bull Salzburg CC: 54.500
 * 🇪🇸 Valencia CC: 37.000
 * 🇮🇹 Inter Milan CC: 31.000

Pot 3 or 4: Pot 4:
 * 🇷🇺 Lokomotiv Moscow CC: 28.500
 * 🇧🇪 Genk CC: 25.000
 * 🇹🇷 Galatasaray CC: 22.500
 * 🇩🇪 RB Leipzig CC: 22.000
 * 🇮🇹 Atalanta CC: 14.945
 * 🇫🇷 Lille CC: 11.699

Knockout phase
In the knockout phase, teams play 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 is as follows:
 * In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners are seeded, and the eight group runners-up are unseeded. The seeded teams are drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
 * In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association can be drawn against each other.