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2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Estádio de Dragão
Estádio do Dragão in Porto hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
8 August 2020 – 30 September 2020
Competition proper:
20 October 2020 – 29 May 2021
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 79
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of England Chelsea
Runner-upFlag of England Manchester City
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored366 (2.93 per match)
Attendance180,049 (1,440 per match)
Top scorer(s)Flag of Norway Erling Haaland
(10 goals)

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.

Chelsea defeated Manchester City 1–0 in the final, which was played at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal. The Atatürk 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 Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Istanbul was again appointed to host the final of the 2021 edition, but was eventually moved to Estádio do Dragão after Turkey was placed on the United Kingdom's red list for tourists and hosting it England was ruled out.

Bayern Munich were the defending champions, but 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 automatically qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage, and will play against Villarreal, the winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup. They will also be the European entry for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Association team allocation[]

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:

  • 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 league.

Association ranking[]

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.

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
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1 Flag of Spain Spain 103.569 4
2 England England 85.462
3 Flag of Italy Italy 74.725
4 Germany Germany 71.927
5 Flag of France France 58.498 3
6 Flag of Russia Good One Russia 50.549
7 Flag of Portugal Portugal 48.232 2
8 Belgium Belgium 39.900
9 Flag of Ukraine Ukraine 38.900
10 Flag of Turkey Turkey 34.600
11 Netherlands Netherlands 32.433
12 Flag of Austria Austria 31.250
13 Flag of Czech Czech Republic 28.675
14 Flag of Greece.svg Greece 27.600
15 Croatia Croatia 27.375
16 Flag of Denmark Denmark 27.025 1
17 Switzerland rectangle Switzerland 26.900
18 Flag of Cyprus Cyprus 24.925
19 Flag of Serbia Serbia 22.250
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20 Scotland Scotland 22.125 1
21 Belarus Flag Belarus 21.875
22 Flag of Sweden Good one Sweden 20.900
23 Flag of Norway Norway 20.200
24 Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 19.250
25 Flag of Poland Poland 19.250
26 Flag of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 19.000
27 Flag of Israel Israel 18.625
28 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 17.500
29 Romania Romania 15.950
30 Slovakia flag hi res Slovakia 15.625
31 Flag of Slovenia Slovenia 15.000
32 Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 13.500 0
33 Flag of Hungary Hungary 10.500 1
34 Flag of Macedonia North Macedonia 8.000
35 Flag of Moldova Moldova 7.750
36 Flag of Albania Albania 7.500
37 Flag of Republic Ireland Republic of Ireland 7.450
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
38 Flag of Finland Finland 7.275 1
39 Flag of Iceland Iceland 7.250
40 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.125
41 Flag of Lithuania Lithuania 6.750
42 Latvia Latvia 5.625
43 Luxembourg Luxembourg 5.500
44 Flag of Armenia Armenia 5.250
45 Malta Malta 5.125
46 Flag of Estonia Estonia 5.000
47 Flag of Georgia Georgia 4.750
48 Flag of Wales Wales 4.125
49 Flag of Montenegro Montenegro 4.125
50 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 4.000
51 Flag of Gibraltar Gibraltar 4.000
52 Flag of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3.875
53 Flag of Kosovo Kosovo 2.500
54 Flag of Andorra Andorra 1.831
55 San Marino San Marino 0.666

Distribution[]

The following is the default access list.

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 the preliminary round
Second qualifying round Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 3 champions from associations 15–17
  • 17 winners from the first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round Champions Path
(12 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 13–14
  • 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 Champions Path
(8 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 11–12
  • 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)
  • Champions League title holders
  • Europa League title holders
  • 10 champions from associations 1–10
  • 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

Changes were made to the 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 which teams are the Champions League and Europa League title holders cannot be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds have been played and/or their draws have been made. UEFA will use "adaptive re-balancing" to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders are determined, and "will ensure that the competition rounds of the qualifying phase that have already been drawn or played at the moment the titleholders are determined will not be impacted." (Regulations Article 3.04) The following scenarios are possible:

  • 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[]

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. 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. 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. 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. All leagues should communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intend to restart their competitions, but this deadline was later extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations must enter their teams by 3 August 2020.

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.

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 Teams
GS Germany Bayern Munich (1st)TH Spain Sevilla (4th)EL Spain Real Madrid (1st) Spain Barcelona (2nd)
Spain Atlético Madrid (3rd) England Liverpool (1st) England Manchester City (2nd)[Note ENG] England Manchester United (3rd)
England Chelsea (4th) Italy Juventus (1st) Italy Inter Milan (2nd) Italy Atalanta (3rd)
Italy Lazio (4th) Germany Borussia Dortmund (2nd) Germany RB Leipzig (3rd) Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach (4th)
France Paris Saint-Germain (Abd-1st)[Note FRA] France Marseille (Abd-2nd)[Note FRA] France Rennes (Abd-3rd)[Note FRA] Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)
Russia Lokomotiv Moscow (2nd) Portugal Porto (1st) Belgium Club Brugge (Abd-1st)[Note BEL] Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (1st)
Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir (1st) Netherlands Ajax (Abd-1st)[Note NED]
PO CH Austria Red Bull Salzburg (1st) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (1st) Greece Olympiacos (1st)
LP Russia Krasnodar (3rd)
Q3 LP Portugal Benfica (2nd) Belgium Gent (Abd-2nd)[Note BEL] Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (2nd)
Q2 CH Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Denmark Midtjylland (1st) Switzerland Young Boys (1st)
LP Turkey Beşiktaş (3rd)[Note TUR] Netherlands AZ (Abd-2nd)[Note NED] Austria Rapid Wien (2nd) Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň (2nd)
Greece PAOK (2nd) Croatia Lokomotiva (2nd)
Q1 Cyprus Omonia (Abd-1st)[Note CYP] Serbia Red Star Belgrade (1st) Scotland Celtic (Abd-1st)[Note SCO] Belarus Dynamo Brest (1st)
Sweden Djurgårdens IF (1st) Norway Molde (1st) Kazakhstan Astana (1st) Poland Legia Warsaw (1st)
Azerbaijan Qarabağ (Abd-1st)[Note AZE] Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv (1st) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (1st) Romania CFR Cluj (1st)
Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (1st) Slovenia Celje (1st) Hungary Ferencváros (1st) North Macedonia Sileks (Abd-2nd)[Note MKD]
Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Albania Tirana (1st) Republic of Ireland Dundalk (1st) Finland KuPS (1st)
Iceland KR (1st) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo (Abd-1st)[Note BIH] Lithuania Sūduva (1st) Latvia Riga (1st)
Luxembourg Fola Esch (Abd-1st)[Note LUX] Armenia Ararat-Armenia (1st) Malta Floriana (Abd-1st)[Note MLT] Estonia Flora (1st)
Georgia Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) Wales Connah's Quay Nomads (Abd-1st)[Note WAL] Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (Abd-1st)[Note MNE] Faroe Islands (1st)
Gibraltar Europa (Abd-1st)[Note GIB]
PR Northern Ireland Linfield (Abd-1st)[Note NIR] Kosovo Drita (1st) Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st) San Marino Tre Fiori (Abd-1st)[Note SMR]

Schedule[]

The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise). The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020. All qualifying matches, excluding the play-off round, will be played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw (except the preliminary round which will be played at neutral venue), and will be played behind closed doors.

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, but it was eventually held at nearby Geneva.

Schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying 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 2020
Second qualifying round 10 August 2020 25–26 August 2020
Third qualifying round 31 August 2020 15–16 September 2020
Play-off Play-off round 1 September 2020 22–23 September 2020 29–30 September 2020
Group stage Matchday 1 1 October 2020
(Geneva)
20–21 October 2020
Matchday 2 27–28 October 2020
Matchday 3 3–4 November 2020
Matchday 4 24–25 November 2020
Matchday 5 1–2 December 2020
Matchday 6 8–9 December 2020
Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021
Quarter-finals 19 March 2021 6–7 April 2021 13–14 April 2021
Semi-finals 27–28 April 2021 4–5 May 2021
Final 29 May 2021 at Estádio do Dragão, Porto

The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws 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 leg
Qualifying 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 2020
Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 21–22 July 2020 28–29 July 2020
Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 4–5 August 2020 11 August 2020
Play-off Play-off round 3 August 2020 18–19 August 2020 25–26 August 2020
Group stage Matchday 1 27 August 2020
(Monaco)
15–16 September 2020
Matchday 2 29–30 September 2020
Matchday 3 20–21 October 2020
Matchday 4 3–4 November 2020
Matchday 5 24–25 November 2020
Matchday 6 8–9 December 2020
Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021
Quarter-finals 19 March 2021 6–7 April 2021 13–14 April 2021
Semi-finals 27–28 April 2021 4–5 May 2021
Final 29 May 2021 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic[]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the following special rules are applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs:

  • Prior to each draw, UEFA will publish the list of known travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All teams must inform UEFA if there are other existing restrictions other than those published. If a team fails to do so which as a consequence the match cannot take place, the team is considered responsible and to have forfeited the match.
  • If travel restrictions imposed by the home team's country prevent the away team from entering, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise they are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • If travel restrictions imposed by the away team's country prevent the away team from leaving or returning, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise UEFA will decide on a venue.
  • If after the draw, new restrictions imposed by either the home team's or away team's country prevent the match from taking place, the team of that country are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • If either team refuses to play the match, they are considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refuse to play or are responsible for a match not taking place, both teams are disqualified.
  • If a team has players and/or officials tested positive for COVID-19 preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they are considered to have forfeited the match.
  • In all cases, the two teams may agree to play the match at the away team's country or at a neutral country, subject to UEFA's approval. UEFA has the final authority to decide on a venue for any match, or to reschedule any match if necessary.
  • If, for any reason, the qualifying phase and play-offs cannot be completed before the deadline set by UEFA, UEFA will decide on the principles for determining the teams qualified for the group stage.

Four countries (Poland, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus) have provided neutral venue hubs which allow matches to be played at their stadiums without restrictions.

Preliminary round[]

Main article:2020–21 UEFA Champions League preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round was held on 17 July 2020, 12:00 CEST. The semi-finals were played on 8 August at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland. The final was due to be played at the same venue on 11 August but the match was cancelled after two players from Drita tested positive for COVID-19 and Linfield were awarded a technical 3–0 win.

Bracket[]

Semi-final round Final round
                           
  8 August  Kosovo Drita 2  
Nyon  Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes 1  
  11 August  Kosovo Drita 0
  Nyon  Northern Ireland Linfield (awd.) 3
8 August  San Marino Tre Fiori 0
  Nyon  Northern Ireland Linfield 2  


Summary[]

The semi-finals were played on 8 August at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland. The final was due to be played at the same venue on 11 August but the match was cancelled after two players from Drita tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus and Linfield were awarded a technical 3–0 win.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Semi-final round
Tre Fiori Flag of San Marino 0–2 Flag of Northern Ireland Linfield
Drita Flag of Kosovo 2–1 Flag of Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes
Team 1  Score  Team 2
Final round
Drita Flag of Kosovo 0–3
(awd.)
Flag of Northern Ireland Linfield

Qualifying rounds[]

Main article:2020–21 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds

First qualifying round[]

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 9 August 2020, 12:00 CEST. 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.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Ferencváros Flag of Hungary 2–0 Flag of Sweden Djurgårdens IF
Celtic Flag of Scotland 6–0 Flag of Iceland KR
Legia Warsaw Flag of Poland 1–0 Flag of Northern Ireland Linfield
Sheriff Tiraspol Flag of Moldova 2–0 Flag of Luxembourg Fola Esch
Connah's Quay Nomads Flag of Wales 0–2 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
Red Star Belgrade Flag of Serbia 5–0 Flag of Gibraltar Europa
Budućnost Podgorica Flag of Montenegro 1–3 Flag of Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
Ararat-Armenia Flag of Armenia 0–1 (a.e.t.) Flag of Cyprus Omonia
Floriana Flag of Malta 0–2 Flag of Romania CFR Cluj
Maccabi Tel Aviv Flag of Israel 2–0 Flag of Latvia Riga
Qarabağ Flag of Azerbaijan 4–0 Flag of North Macedonia Sileks
Dinamo Tbilisi Flag of Georgia 0–2 Flag of Albania Tirana
Dynamo Brest Flag of Belarus 6–3 Flag of Kazakhstan Astana
Molde Flag of Norway 5–0 Flag of Finland KuPS
Flora Flag of Estonia 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)
Flag of Lithuania Sūduva
Celje Flag of Slovenia 3–0 Flag of Republic of Ireland Dundalk
Flag of Faroe Islands 3–0
(awd.)
Flag of Slovakia Slovan Bratislava

The losers will enter the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

Second qualifying round[]

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 12:00 CEST. The matches were played on 25 and 26 August 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Champions Path
CFR Cluj Flag of Romania 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p)
Flag of Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
Young Boys Flag of Switzerland 3–1 Flag of Faroe Islands
Celtic Flag of Scotland 1–2 Flag of Hungary Ferencváros
Sūduva Flag of Lithuania 0–3 Flag of Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
Legia Warsaw Flag of Poland 0–2 (a.e.t.) Flag of Cyprus Omonia
Celje Flag of Slovenia 1–2 Flag of Norway Molde
Ludogorets Razgrad Flag of Bulgaria 0–1 Flag of Denmark Midtjylland
Dynamo Brest Flag of Belarus 2–1 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
Qarabağ Flag of Azerbaijan 2–1 Flag of Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
Tirana Flag of Albania 0–1 Flag of Serbia Red Star Belgrade
Team 1  Score  Team 2
League Path
AZ Flag of Netherlands 3–1 (a.e.t.) Flag of Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň
PAOK Flag of Greece 3–1 Flag of Turkey Beşiktaş
Lokomotiva Flag of Croatia 0–1 Flag of Austria Rapid Wien

Third qualifying round[]

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020, 12:00 CEST. The matches were played on 15 and 16 September 2020.

Team 1  Score  Team 2
Champions Path
Ferencváros Flag of Hungary 2–1 Flag of Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
Qarabağ Flag of Azerbaijan 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(5–6 p)
Flag of Norway Molde
Omonia Flag of Cyprus 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)
Flag of Serbia Red Star Belgrade
Midtjylland Flag of Denmark 3–0 Flag of Switzerland Young Boys
Maccabi Tel Aviv Flag of Israel 1–0 Flag of Belarus Dynamo Brest
Team 1  Score  Team 2
League Path
PAOK Flag of Greece 2–1 Flag of Portugal Benfica
Dynamo Kyiv Flag of Ukraine 2–0 Flag of Netherlands AZ
Gent Flag of Belgium 2–1 Flag of Austria Rapid Wien

Play-off round[]

Main article:2020–21 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round#Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 1 September 2020, 12:00 CEST. 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.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Champions Path
Slavia Prague Flag of Czech Republic 1–4 Flag of Denmark Midtjylland 0–0 1–4
Maccabi Tel Aviv Flag of Israel 2–5 Flag of Austria Red Bull Salzburg 1–2 1–3
Olympiacos Flag of Greece 2–0 Flag of Cyprus Omonia 2–0 0–0
Molde Flag of Norway 3–3 (a) Flag of Hungary Ferencváros 3–3 0–0
Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
League Path
Krasnodar Flag of Russia 4–2 Flag of Greece PAOK 2–1 2–1
Gent Flag of Belgium 1–5 Flag of Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–2 0–3

Group stage[]

Main article:2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage

A total of 32 teams played in the group stage: 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. 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):

  • 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. As the Champions League title holder, Bayern Munich, were also their national champions, the champion of the association ranked seventh (Porto, champions from Portugal) was also seeded in pot 1.
  • Pot 2, 3 and 4 contained the remaining teams, seeded based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.

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 qualify for the group stage also participate in the 2020–21 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).

Krasnodar, Midtjylland, İstanbul Başakşehir and Rennes made their debut appearances in the group stage. This season became the first in the history of the Champions League in which three Russian clubs played in the group stage.

Group A[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 6 5 1 0 18 5 +13 16 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Spain Atlético Madrid 6 2 3 1 7 8 −1 9
Flag of Austria Red Bull Salzburg 6 1 1 4 10 17 −7 4 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Russia Lokomotiv Moscow 6 0 3 3 5 10 −5 3

Group B[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of Spain Real Madrid 6 3 1 2 11 9 +2 10 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 6 2 2 2 16 9 +7 8
Flag of Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 6 2 2 2 5 12 −7 8 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Italy Inter Milan 6 1 3 2 7 9 −2 6

Group C[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of England Manchester City 6 5 1 0 13 1 +12 16 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Portugal Porto 6 4 1 1 10 3 +7 13
Flag of Greece Olympiacos 6 1 0 5 2 10 −8 3 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of France Marseille 6 1 0 5 2 13 −11 3

Group D[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of England Liverpool 6 4 1 1 10 3 +7 13 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Italy Atalanta 6 3 2 1 10 8 +2 11
Flag of Netherlands Ajax 6 2 1 3 7 7 0 7 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Denmark Midtjylland 6 0 2 4 4 13 −9 2

Group E[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of England Chelsea 6 4 2 0 14 2 +12 14 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Spain Sevilla 6 4 1 1 9 8 +1 13
Flag of Russia Krasnodar 6 1 2 3 6 11 −5 5 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of France Rennes 6 0 1 5 3 11 −8 1

Group F[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Italy Lazio 6 2 4 0 11 7 +4 10
Flag of Belgium Club Brugge 6 2 2 2 8 10 −2 8 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 0 1 5 4 13 −9 1

Group G[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of Italy Juventus 6 5 0 1 14 4 +10 15 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Spain Barcelona 6 5 0 1 16 5 +11 15
Flag of Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 1 1 4 4 13 −9 4 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Hungary Ferencváros 6 0 1 5 5 17 −12 1

Group H[]

Team Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Notes
Flag of France Paris Saint-Germain 6 4 0 2 13 6 +7 12 Advance to knockout phase
Flag of Germany RB Leipzig 6 4 0 2 11 12 −1 12
Flag of England Manchester United 6 3 0 3 15 10 +5 9 Transfer to Europa League
Flag of Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir 6 1 0 5 7 18 −11 3

Knockout phase[]

Main article:2020–21 UEFA Champions League 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.

Round of 16[]

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 14 December 2020, 12:00 CET.

Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Borussia Mönchengladbach Flag of Germany 0–4 Flag of England Manchester City 0–2 0–2
Lazio Flag of Italy 2–6 Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 1–4 1–2
Atlético Madrid Flag of Spain 0–3 Flag of England Chelsea 0–1 0–2
RB Leipzig Flag of Germany 0–4 Flag of England Liverpool 0–2 0–2
Porto Flag of Portugal 4–4 (a) Flag of Italy Juventus 2–1 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Barcelona Flag of Spain 2–5 Flag of France Paris Saint-Germain 1–4 1–1
Sevilla Flag of Spain 4–5 Flag of Germany Borussia Dortmund 2–3 2–2
Atalanta Flag of Italy 1–4 Flag of Spain Real Madrid 0–1 1–3

Quarter-finals[]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 19 March 2021, 12:00 CET.

Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Manchester City Flag of England 4–2 Flag of Germany Borussia Dortmund 2–1 2–1
Porto Flag of Portugal 1–2 Flag of England Chelsea 0–2 1–0
Bayern Munich Flag of Germany 3–3 (a) Flag of France Paris Saint-Germain 2–3 1–0
Real Madrid Flag of Spain 3–1 Flag of England Liverpool 3–1 0–0

Semi-finals[]

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 19 March 2021, after the quarter-final draw. The first legs were played on 27 and 28 April, and the second legs were played on 4 and 5 May 2021.

Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Paris Saint-Germain Flag of France 1–4 Flag of England Manchester City 1–2 0–2
Real Madrid Flag of Spain 1–3 Flag of England Chelsea 1–1 0–2

Final[]

Main article:2021 UEFA Champions League Final

The final was played on 29 May 2021 at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. A draw was held on 19 March 2021, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.

29 May 2021 (2021-05-29)
21:00
Manchester City England 0–1 England Chelsea Estádio do Dragão, Porto
Attendance: 14,110
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
Report Havertz Goal 42'

Statistics[]

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers[]

Rank Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 Flag of Norway Erling Haaland Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 345
Flag of Brazil Neymar France Paris Saint-Germain 386
Flag of England Marcus Rashford England Manchester United 416
Flag of Spain Álvaro Morata Italy Juventus 450
5 Flag of France Olivier Giroud England Chelsea 5 143
Flag of Italy Ciro Immobile Italy Lazio 327
Flag of France Alassane Pléa Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 452
8 Flag of Morocco Youssef En-Nesyri Spain Sevilla 4 236
Flag of Spain Ferran Torres England Manchester City 350
Flag of Portugal Diogo Jota England Liverpool 360
Flag of Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo Italy Juventus
Flag of France Karim Benzema Spain Real Madrid 392
Flag of Belgium Romelu Lukaku Italy Inter Milan 446
Flag of Portugal Bruno Fernandes England Manchester United 439

Top assists[]

Rank Player Team Assists Minutes played
1 Flag of Colombia Juan Cuadrado Italy Juventus 5 431
2 Flag of Belgium Kevin De Bruyne England Manchester City 4 167
3 Flag of Germany Joshua Kimmich Germany Bayern Munich 3 270
Flag of Germany Thomas Müller Germany Bayern Munich 381
Flag of France Kylian Mbappé France Paris Saint-Germain 450
Flag of France Alassane Pléa Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 452
Flag of Spain Angeliño Germany RB Leipzig 537
Flag of Serbia Dušan Tadić Netherlands Ajax 540

See also[]

External links[]

UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Champions
Flag of England Chelsea
Runners-up
Flag of England Manchester City
Knockout Stage
Eliminated in the Semi-finals
Paris Saint-Germain · Real Madrid
Eliminated in the Quarter-finals
Bayern Munich · Borussia Dortmund · Liverpool · Porto
Eliminated in the in the Last 16
Atalanta · Atlético Madrid · Barcelona · Borussia Mönchengladbach · Juventus · Lazio · Leipzig · Sevilla
Eliminated in the Group Stage
Ajax · Club Brugge · Dynamo Kyiv · Ferencváros · Inter Milan · İstanbul Başakşehir · Krasnodar · Lokomotiv Moscow · Manchester United · Marseille · Midtjylland · Olympiacos · Red Bull Salzburg · Rennes · Shakhtar Donetsk · Zenit Saint Petersburg
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