Arsenal are finally back involved in the Champions League this season, and the draw for the group stage will take place this week.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MAY 20: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal FC at City Ground on May 20, 2023 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal FC at City Ground on May 20, 2023. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The Champions League group stage draw is set to take place on Thursday, 31st August, with Arsenal involved in the competition following their second-place Premier League finish in 2022/23.

The draw will take place at 17:00 BST, streamed on UEFA.tv, with Arsenal set to be in Pot 2.

As a result, Arsenal will draw one team from Pot 1, one team from Pot 3, and one team from Pot 4, avoiding other teams in Pot 2. Arsenal will also avoid the other English teams in the draw.

For the time being, the teams in each pot haven’t been officially confirmed, as the final set of qualifiers this week could affect some placements in Pot 3 and 4.

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But Arsenal’s position as a Pot 2 team is nailed on due to the club’s strong coefficient score.

Who will be in the Champions League draw?

COLOGNE, GERMANY - MAY 27: Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Munich poses for a photo with the Bundesliga Meisterschale trophy after the team's victory in the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and FC Bayern München at RheinEnergieStadion on May 27, 2023 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY: Serge Gnabry of FC Bayern Munich poses for a photo with the Bundesliga Meisterschale trophy after the team’s victory in the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Köln and FC Bayern München at RheinEnergieStadion on May 27, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The draw will feature 32 teams in total, with 26 of those currently confirmed.

We’re still waiting on the final six playoff rounds to learn the last six teams involved in this year’s Champions League, but here are the 26 we know:

  • England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle
  • Spain: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla
  • Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Union Berlin
  • Italy: Inter Milan, Lazio, AC Milan, Napoli
  • France: Lens, Paris Saint-Germain
  • Portugal: Benfica, Porto
  • Netherlands: Feyenoord
  • Austria: Salzburg
  • Scotland: Celtic
  • Serbia: Crvena Zvezda
  • Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

The Pot 1 teams are fully confirmed, so Arsenal are guaranteed to face one of Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica, or Feyenoord.

The other Pot 1 team is Manchester City, who are ineligible to draw Arsenal.

From Pot 2, Arsenal are set to avoid Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, and FC Porto.

Champions League fixture dates

Gabriel Magalhaes with the new Champions League ball (Photo via Arsenal)
Gabriel Magalhaes with the new Champions League ball (Photo via Arsenal)
  • Matchday 1: 19/20th September, 2023
  • Matchday 2: 3/4th October, 2023
  • Matchday 3: 24/25th October, 2023
  • Matchday 4: 7/8th November, 2023
  • Matchday 5: 28/29th November, 2023
  • Matchday 6: 12/13th December, 2023

The exact fixtures will be confirmed after the draw, and there’s usually a bit of a delay while the various clubs sort out any potential logistical issues.

One bonus for Arsenal this year is that no other London clubs have qualified for the Champions League, so there won’t be any fixture clashes in the capital.

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