Arsenal will be part of the Champions League group stage draw on Thursday afternoon, and we now know all the teams the Gunners could face.

Leandro Trossard with the new Champions League ball (Photo via Arsenal)
Leandro Trossard with the new Champions League ball (Photo via Arsenal)

On Wednesday night, the final Champions League qualifiers were completed and the pots for the group stage draw were finalised.

Arsenal will be in Pot 2, along with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, and FC Porto. As a result, the Gunners can’t face any of those teams in the group stage.

Instead, Arsenal will draw one team from Pot 1, one team from Pot 3, and one team from Pot 4.

The other key restriction is that Arsenal can’t face any of the other English teams. So Pot 1 side Manchester City and Pot 4 side Newcastle United are both off-limits.

TOPSHOT - The Champions League Trophy stands on display during the UEFA Champions League football group stage draw ceremony in Monaco on August 24, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE
TOPSHOT – The Champions League Trophy stands on display during the UEFA Champions League football group stage draw ceremony in Monaco on August 24, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / VALERY HACHE

With all that in mind, let’s have a look at the teams Arsenal can draw from each pot.

Pot 1

  • Sevilla
  • Barcelona
  • Napoli
  • Bayern Munich
  • Paris Saint-Germain
  • Benfica
  • Feyenoord

Pot 3

  • Shakhtar Donetsk
  • RB Salzburg
  • AC Milan
  • Braga
  • PSV Eindhoven
  • Lazio
  • Red Star Belgrade
  • FC Copenhagen

Pot 4

  • Young Boys
  • Real Sociedad
  • Galatasaray
  • Celtic
  • Union Berlin
  • Royal Antwerp
  • RC Lens
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: Mikel Arteta, Head Coach of Arsenal celebrates the win during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Arsenal FC at The King Power Stadium on February 25, 2023 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND: Mikel Arteta, Head Coach of Arsenal celebrates the win during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Arsenal FC at The King Power Stadium on February 25, 2023. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

The draw will take place at 17:00 BST on Thursday, 31st August, streamed on UEFA.tv.

Champions League fixture dates

  • 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.