As one UEFA Champions League campaign comes to a close, attention quickly turns to the next.
While one club will taste ultimate triumph in 2021-22, every other will be desperate to lift the title next season.
As a yearly tournament, second chances are just months away for sides as they set their sights on Champions League success in 2022-23.
The Sporting News breaks down everything you need to know for the next season of UCL action.
MORE: Teams qualified to the 2022-23 Champions League
UEFA Champions League schedule 2022-23
- Qualifying rounds: June 21-Aug. 9, 2022
- Playoffs: Aug. 16-24, 2022
- Group stage: Sept. 7-Nov. 2, 2022
- Round of 16: Feb. 14-March 15, 2023
- Quarterfinals: April 11-19, 2023
- Semifinals: May 9-17, 2023
- Final: June 10, 2023
The path to UEFA Champions League qualification will begin for some sides as early as June 21 when the preliminary qualifying rounds are held in the form of semifinals and a final.
After that, three further rounds of two-leg, aggregate-goal qualifiers will be held in July and August before the group stage proper kicks off in early September.
Due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar being held at the end of the year, the Champions League group stage will be accelerated and last less than two months, concluding on Nov. 2.
There will then be a three-month break in Champions League action before the competition’s knockout stages begin in mid-February.
The 2022-23 Champions League final will then be held a bit later than usual, on June 10 in Istanbul.
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Changes in Champions League format coming
UEFA confirmed in May 2022 that the UEFA Champions League group stage will grow from 32 to 36 teams from the 2024-25 season onwards.
Along with an increase in clubs, the format of the competition is also set to change considerably.
Rather than the current group stage which consists of six matches, the competition will soon adopt a system where teams must play eight games prior to the knockout stage with all sides placed in a single league table.
The top eight teams in the standings after eight matches will progress directly to the next round, while sides sitting ninth to 24th will compete in two-legged playoffs.
Those format changes will alter the competition’s overall schedule with more group stage games needing to be played.
UEFA are yet to release any possible dates for the Champions League from 2024 onwards, but expect some scheduling alterations.