The seeding pots for Thursday’s Champions League league phase draw have been confirmed after the final four teams clinched their place in the competition proper on Wednesday.
The 36 teams that have made it through to the league phase have been seeded into four pots based on their results in UEFA competitions over the past five years. Each team will then be drawn to face two teams from each pot, playing one of those games at home and one away.
Two-time defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain were automatically put into Pot 1, where they will be joined by the team they beat in last year’s final, Arsenal, along with fellow European heavyweights Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid.
Three-time winners Manchester United will be drawn from Pot 2 as they make their return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Alongside them will be Europa League winners Aston Villa and fellow former European champions Borussia Dortmund and FC Porto.
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Several teams in Pots 3 and 4 clinched their place in the last two days. Fenerbahce went beyond the qualifying stage for the first time since 2008-09 by sealing a 3-2 aggregate win over Lyon in the playoffs on Wednesday. Also in Pot 3 will be AEK Athens, who beat Levski Sofia 4-0 at home after a scoreless draw in the first leg to qualify for the first time since 2018-19.
Bodo/Glimt, the Norwegian side who became the feel good story of last season’s competition after a storied series of wins in January and February against Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan en route to the round of 16, will be a potentially dangerous prospect in Pot 3.
Their Norwegian compatriots Viking will make their debut in the competition proper after eliminating Dinamo Zagreb in the playoffs. Viking won 3-1 on Wednesday to advance 5-3 on aggregate and will be seeded in Pot 4.
Pot 4 also includes fellow debutantes Sabah of Azerbaijan, LASK Linz of Austria and Italian side Como, coached by former Champions League runner-up Cesc Fabregas.
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The top eight teams in the league phase will progress automatically to the round of 16, while those who finish between ninth and 24th will be drawn to face off in the knockout phase playoffs.
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) Bayern Munich (GER) Real Madrid (ESP) Liverpool (ENG) Inter (ITA) Man City (ENG) Arsenal (ENG) Barcelona (ESP) Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Borussia Borussia Dortmund (GER) Roma (ITA) Sporting CP (POR) Aston Villa (ENG) Porto (POR) Man United (ENG) Club Brugge (BEL) Real Betis (ESP) PSV (NED)
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Feyenoord (NED) Lille (FRA) Bodo/Glimt (NOR) Napoli (ITA) RB Leipzig (GER) Villarreal (ESP) Fenerbahçe (TUR) Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) Galatasaray (TUR)
Slavia Prague (CZE) Slovan Bratislava (SVK) Stuttgart (GER) AEK Athens (GRE) LASK (AUT) Como (ITA) Lens (FRA) Viking (NOR) Sabah (AZE)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
