2021–22 UEFA Champions League

The 2021–22 UEFA Champions League was the 67th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 30th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

2021–22 UEFA Champions League
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
22 June – 25 August 2021
Competition proper:
14 September 2021 – 28 May 2022
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 80 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Real Madrid (14th title)
Runners-upEngland Liverpool
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored380 (3.04 per match)
Attendance4,402,255 (35,218 per match)
Top scorer(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
15 goals
Best player(s)Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)[1]
Best young playerVinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)[2]

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1–0 in the final, which was played at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, for a record-extending 14th European Cup title, and their fifth in nine years.[3] It was originally scheduled to be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.[4] However, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, the hosts were shifted back a year, with Saint Petersburg scheduled to host the 2022 final.[5] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which commenced in February 2022, the final was eventually moved to Saint-Denis.[4] As the winners, Real Madrid automatically qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage, as well as earning the right to play against the winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa League, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the 2022 UEFA Super Cup and participate in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, both of which they went on to win.

Chelsea were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Real Madrid.

This season was the first since 1999–2000 (the first season after the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and the newly created UEFA Europa Conference League) are organised by UEFA. No changes were made to the format of the Champions League, but teams that were eliminated from the preliminary round and first qualifying round of the Champions League were now transferred to the Europa Conference League instead of the Europa League.[6]

On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Accordingly, if in a two-legged tie two teams scored the same number of aggregate goals, the winner of the tie would not be decided by the number of away goals scored by each team but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams scored the same number of goals in extra time, the winner would be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[7]

Association team allocation

A total of 80 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein,[Note LIE] which did not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]

  • Associations 1–4 each had four teams qualify.
  • Associations 5–6 each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each had two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE] each had one team qualify.
  • The winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League and 2020–21 UEFA Europa League were each given an additional entry if they did not qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League through their own domestic league. (As Chelsea, the Champions League title holders, did qualify through their own domestic league this season, the additional entry for the Champions League title holders was re-allocated.)

Association ranking

For the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.[9]

Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

  • (UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
1  Spain102.2834+1 (UEL)
2  England90.462
3  Germany74.784
4  Italy70.653
5  France59.2483
6  Portugal49.449
7  Russia45.5492
8  Belgium37.900
9  Ukraine36.100
10  Netherlands35.750
11  Turkey33.600
12  Austria32.925
13  Denmark29.250
14  Scotland27.875
15  Czech Republic27.300
16  Cyprus26.7501
17  Switzerland26.400
18  Greece26.300
19  Serbia25.500
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
20  Croatia24.8751
21  Sweden22.750
22  Norway21.750
23  Israel19.625
24  Kazakhstan19.250
25  Belarus18.875
26  Azerbaijan18.750
27  Bulgaria17.375
28  Romania16.700
29  Poland16.625
30  Slovakia15.875
31  Liechtenstein13.5000[Note LIE]
32  Slovenia13.0001
33  Hungary12.875
34  Luxembourg8.000
35  Lithuania7.875
36  Armenia7.625
37  Latvia7.625
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
38  Albania7.3751
39  North Macedonia7.375
40  Bosnia and Herzegovina6.875
41  Moldova6.750
42  Republic of Ireland6.700
43  Finland6.500
44  Georgia5.750
45  Malta5.750
46  Iceland5.375
47  Wales5.000
48  Northern Ireland4.875
49  Gibraltar4.750
50  Montenegro4.375
51  Estonia4.375
52  Kosovo4.000
53  Faroe Islands3.750
54  Andorra2.831
55  San Marino0.666

Distribution

The following is the access list for this season.[10] As the Champions League title holders, Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league (as fourth place in the 2020-21 Premier League), the following changes to the access list were made:

  • The champions of association 11 (Turkey) enter the group stage instead of the play-off round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 13 (Denmark) enter the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of association 15 (Czech Republic) enter the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • The champions of associations 18 (Greece) and 19 (Serbia) enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round (Champions Path).
Access list for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round
(4 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 52–55
First qualifying round
(32 teams)
  • 31 champions from associations 20–51 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
  • 1 winner from the preliminary round
Second qualifying round
(26 teams)
Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 16–19
  • 16 winners from the first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round
(20 teams)
Champions Path
(12 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 14–15
  • 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
(12 teams)
Champions Path
(8 teams)
  • 2 champions from associations 12–13
  • 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)
  • Europa League title holders
  • 11 champions from associations 1–11
  • 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

Teams

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 were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and League Path (LP).

CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[12]

Qualified teams for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League
Entry roundTeams
Group stage Chelsea (4th)TH Villarreal (EL) Atlético Madrid (1st) Real Madrid (2nd)
Barcelona (3rd) Sevilla (4th) Manchester City (1st) Manchester United (2nd)
Liverpool (3rd) Bayern Munich (1st) RB Leipzig (2nd) Borussia Dortmund (3rd)
VfL Wolfsburg (4th) Inter Milan (1st) Milan (2nd) Atalanta (3rd)
Juventus (4th) Lille (1st) Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) Sporting CP (1st)
Porto (2nd) Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st) Club Brugge (1st) Dynamo Kyiv (1st)
Ajax (1st) Beşiktaş (1st)
Play-off roundCH Red Bull Salzburg (1st) Brøndby (1st)
Third qualifying roundCH Rangers (1st) Slavia Prague (1st)
LP Monaco (3rd) Benfica (3rd) Spartak Moscow (2nd) Genk (2nd)
Shakhtar Donetsk (2nd)
Second qualifying roundCH Omonia (1st) Young Boys (1st) Olympiacos (1st) Red Star Belgrade (1st)
LP PSV Eindhoven (2nd) Galatasaray (2nd) Rapid Wien (2nd) Midtjylland (2nd)
Celtic (2nd) Sparta Prague (2nd)
First qualifying round Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Malmö FF (1st) Bodø/Glimt (1st) Maccabi Haifa (1st)
Kairat (1st) Shakhtyor Soligorsk (1st) Neftçi Baku (1st) Ludogorets Razgrad (1st)
CFR Cluj (1st) Legia Warsaw (1st) Slovan Bratislava (1st) Mura (1st)
Ferencváros (1st) Fola Esch (1st) Žalgiris (1st) Alashkert (1st)
Riga (1st) Teuta (1st) Shkëndija (1st) Borac Banja Luka (1st)
Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Shamrock Rovers (1st) HJK (1st) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st)
Hibernians (Abd-2nd)[Note MLT] Valur (Abd-1st)[Note ISL] Connah's Quay Nomads (1st) Linfield (1st)
Lincoln Red Imps (1st) Budućnost Podgorica (1st) Flora (1st)
Preliminary round Prishtina (1st) HB (1st) Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st) Folgore (1st)

Notes

Schedule

All matches were played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from the preliminary round final, which was played on a Friday, and the final, which was played on a Saturday. The third qualifying round second legs were only played on a Tuesday due to the 2021 UEFA Super Cup on the following Wednesday. Scheduled kick-off times starting from the play-off round were 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET.[17]

All draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, except the group stage draw, which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18]

Schedule for 2021–22 UEFA Champions League[19]
PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingPreliminary round8 June 202122 June 2021 (semi-finals)25 June 2021 (final)
First qualifying round15 June 20216–7 July 202113–14 July 2021
Second qualifying round16 June 202120–21 July 202127–28 July 2021
Third qualifying round19 July 20213–4 August 202110 August 2021
Play-offsPlay-off round2 August 202117–18 August 202124–25 August 2021
Group stageMatchday 126 August 202114–15 September 2021
Matchday 228–29 September 2021
Matchday 319–20 October 2021
Matchday 42–3 November 2021
Matchday 523–24 November 2021
Matchday 67–8 December 2021
Knockout phaseRound of 1613 December 202115–16 & 22–23 February 20228–9 & 15–16 March 2022
Quarter-finals18 March 20225–6 April 202212–13 April 2022
Semi-finals26–27 April 20223–4 May 2022
Final28 May 2022 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Qualifying rounds

Preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round was held on 8 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[20]The preliminary round matches, which consisted of two semi-finals on 22 June 2021 and the final on 25 June 2021, were originally to be played at Gundadalur, Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands,[21] but were moved due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Faroe Islands.[22] The matches were instead played in Albania, with the semi-finals at Elbasan Arena, Elbasan and Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, and the final at Elbasan Arena.[23]

The winner of the preliminary round final advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-finals and final were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1 Score Team 2
Semi-finals
Folgore 0–2 Prishtina
HB Tórshavn 0–1 Inter Club d'Escaldes
Team 1 Score Team 2
Final
Prishtina 2–0 Inter Club d'Escaldes

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 15 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[24]The first legs were played on 6 and 7 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 14 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Fola Esch 2–7 Lincoln Red Imps2–20–5
Slovan Bratislava 3–2[A] Shamrock Rovers2–01–2
Malmö FF 2–1 Riga1–01–1
Bodø/Glimt 2–5 Legia Warsaw2–30–2
Connah's Quay Nomads 2–3 Alashkert2–20–1 (a.e.t.)
HJK 7–1 Budućnost Podgorica3–14–0
CFR Cluj 4–3 Borac Banja Luka3–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija 0–6 Mura0–10–5
Teuta 0–5 Sheriff Tiraspol0–40–1
Dinamo Tbilisi 2–4 Neftçi Baku1–21–2
Maccabi Haifa 1–3 Kairat1–10–2
Ludogorets Razgrad 2–0 Shakhtyor Soligorsk1–01–0
Ferencváros 6–1 Prishtina3–03–1
Žalgiris 5–2 Linfield3–12–1
Flora 5–0 Hibernians2–03–0
Dinamo Zagreb 5–2 Valur3–22–0

Notes

Second qualifying round

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 16 June 2021, 12:00 CEST.[25]The first legs were played on 20 and 21 July, and the second legs were played on 27 and 28 July 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb 3–0 Omonia2–01–0
Slovan Bratislava 2–3 Young Boys0–02–3
Legia Warsaw 3–1 Flora2–11–0
Alashkert 1–4 Sheriff Tiraspol0–11–3
Olympiacos 2–0 Neftçi Baku1–01–0
Kairat 2–6 Red Star Belgrade2–10–5
Lincoln Red Imps 1–4 CFR Cluj1–20–2
Malmö FF 4–3 HJK2–12–2
Ferencváros 5–1 Žalgiris2–03–1
Mura 1–3 Ludogorets Razgrad0–01–3
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
League Path
Rapid Wien 2–3 Sparta Prague2–10–2
Celtic 2–3 Midtjylland1–11–2 (a.e.t.)
PSV Eindhoven 7–2 Galatasaray5–12–1

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 19 July 2021, 12:00 CEST.[26]The first legs were played on 3 and 4 August, and the second legs were played on 10 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 Legia Warsaw1–11–0
CFR Cluj 2–4 Young Boys1–11–3
Olympiacos 3–3 (1–4 p) Ludogorets Razgrad1–12–2 (a.e.t.)
Red Star Belgrade 1–2 Sheriff Tiraspol1–10–1
Malmö FF 4–2 Rangers2–12–1
Ferencváros 2–1 Slavia Prague2–00–1
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
League Path
PSV Eindhoven 4–0 Midtjylland3–01–0
Spartak Moscow 0–4 Benfica0–20–2
Genk 2–4 Shakhtar Donetsk1–21–2
Sparta Prague 1–5 Monaco0–21–3

Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 12:00 CEST.[27]The first legs were played on 17 and 18 August, and the second legs were played on 24 and 25 August 2021.

The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Red Bull Salzburg 4–2 Brøndby2–12–1
Young Boys 6–4 Ferencváros3–23–2
Malmö FF 3–2 Ludogorets Razgrad2–01–2
Sheriff Tiraspol 3–0 Dinamo Zagreb3–00–0
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
League Path
Monaco 2–3 Shakhtar Donetsk0–12–2 (a.e.t.)
Benfica 2–1 PSV Eindhoven2–10–0

Group stage

Location of teams of the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H.

The draw for the group stage was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 August 2021.[18][28] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on the following principles:

Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Ukraine and Russia, could not be drawn into the same group. Before the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams) based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would play on different days.[29]

The matches were played on 14–15 September, 28–29 September, 19–20 October, 2–3 November, 23–24 November, and 7–9 December 2021. The top two teams of each group advanced to the round of 16. The third-placed teams were transferred to the Europa League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth-placed teams were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Sheriff Tiraspol made their debut appearance in the group stage. They were the first team from Moldova to play in the Champions League group stage.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MCI PAR RBL BRU
1 Manchester City64021810+812Advance to knockout phase2–16–34–1
2 Paris Saint-Germain6321138+5112–03–24–1
3 RB Leipzig62131514+17Transfer to Europa League2–12–21–2
4 Club Brugge6114620−1441–51–10–5
Source: UEFA

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification LIV ATM POR MIL
1 Liverpool6600176+1118Advance to knockout phase2–02–03–2
2 Atlético Madrid621378−172–30–00–1
3 Porto6123411−75Transfer to Europa League1–51–31–0
4 Milan611469−341–21–21–1
Source: UEFA

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification AJX SPO DOR BES
1 Ajax6600205+1518Advance to knockout phase4–24–02–0
2 Sporting CP63031412+29[a]1–53–14–0
3 Borussia Dortmund63031011−19[a]Transfer to Europa League1–31–05–0
4 Beşiktaş6006319−1601–21–41–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification RMA INT SHE SHK
1 Real Madrid6501143+1115Advance to knockout phase2–01–22–1
2 Inter Milan631285+3100–13–12–0
3 Sheriff Tiraspol6213711−47Transfer to Europa League0–31–32–0
4 Shakhtar Donetsk6024212−1020–50–01–1
Source: UEFA

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BAY BEN BAR DKV
1 Bayern Munich6600223+1918Advance to knockout phase5–23–05–0
2 Benfica622279−280–43–02–0
3 Barcelona621329−77Transfer to Europa League0–30–01–0
4 Dynamo Kyiv6015111−1011–20–00–1
Source: UEFA

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MUN VIL ATA YB
1 Manchester United6321118+311Advance to knockout phase2–13–21–1
2 Villarreal6312129+3100–22–22–0
3 Atalanta61321213−16Transfer to Europa League2–22–31–0
4 Young Boys6123712−552–11–43–3
Source: UEFA

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification LOSC SAL SEV WOL
1 Lille632174+311Advance to knockout phase1–00–00–0
2 Red Bull Salzburg631286+2102–11–03–1
3 Sevilla61325506Transfer to Europa League1–21–12–0
4 VfL Wolfsburg6123510−551–32–11–1
Source: UEFA

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification JUV CHE ZEN MAL
1 Juventus6501106+415Advance to knockout phase1–04–21–0
2 Chelsea6411134+9134–01–04–0
3 Zenit Saint Petersburg6123101005Transfer to Europa League0–13–34–0
4 Malmö FF6015114−1310–30–11–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams played 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 was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners were seeded, and the eight group runners-up were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals onwards were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
                      
 
 
 
 
Benfica213
 
 
 
Ajax202
 
Benfica134
 
 
 
Liverpool336
 
Inter Milan011
 
 
 
Liverpool202
 
Liverpool235
 
 
 
Villarreal022
 
Villarreal134
 
 
 
Juventus101
 
Villarreal112
 
 
 
Bayern Munich011
 
Red Bull Salzburg112
 
28 May – Saint-Denis
 
Bayern Munich178
 
Liverpool0
 
 
 
Real Madrid1
 
Sporting CP000
 
 
 
Manchester City505
 
Manchester City101
 
 
 
Atlético Madrid000
 
Atlético Madrid112
 
 
 
Manchester United101
 
Manchester City415
 
 
 
Real Madrid (a.e.t.)336
 
Chelsea224
 
 
 
Lille011
 
Chelsea134
 
 
 
Real Madrid (a.e.t.)325
 
Paris Saint-Germain112
 
 
Real Madrid033
 

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 13 December 2021, originally at 12:00 CET.[30] The draw featured multiple irregularities: Manchester United were mistakenly included in the draw for Villarreal's opponent (both were in Group F), and subsequently were selected; another ball was then drawn, with Manchester City chosen instead. In the following tie, Liverpool were mistakenly included in the draw for Atlético Madrid's opponent (both were in Group B), while Manchester United were incorrectly excluded.[31] Later that day, UEFA voided the original draw due to a "technical problem" with the draw computer, and it was entirely redone at 15:00 CET.[32]The first legs were played on 15, 16, 22 and 23 February, and the second legs were played on 8, 9, 15 and 16 March 2022.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Red Bull Salzburg 2–8 Bayern Munich1–11–7
Sporting CP 0–5 Manchester City0–50–0
Benfica 3–2 Ajax2–21–0
Chelsea 4–1 Lille2–02–1
Atlético Madrid 2–1 Manchester United1–11–0
Villarreal 4–1 Juventus1–13–0
Inter Milan 1–2 Liverpool0–21–0
Paris Saint-Germain 2–3 Real Madrid1–01–3

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET.[33]The first legs were played on 5 and 6 April, and the second legs were played on 12 and 13 April 2022.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Chelsea 4–5 Real Madrid1–33–2 (a.e.t.)
Manchester City 1–0 Atlético Madrid1–00–0
Villarreal 2–1 Bayern Munich1–01–1
Benfica 4–6 Liverpool1–33–3

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 12:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[33]The first legs were played on 26 and 27 April, and the second legs were played on 3 and 4 May 2022.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Manchester City 5–6 Real Madrid4–31–3 (a.e.t.)
Liverpool 5–2 Villarreal2–03–2

Final

The final was played on 28 May 2022 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. A draw was held on 18 March 2022, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[33]

Liverpool 0–1 Real Madrid
Report
  • Vinícius 59'

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema finished the tournament as the top scorer with 15 goals, and was named the inaugural Champions League Player of the Season.
Rank[35]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Karim Benzema Real Madrid151106
2 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich13876
3 Sébastien Haller Ajax11668
4 Mohamed Salah Liverpool81008
5 Christopher Nkunku RB Leipzig7531
Riyad Mahrez Manchester City986
7 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United6611
Darwin Núñez Benfica613
Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain673
Leroy Sané Bayern Munich798
Arnaut Danjuma Villarreal906

Team of the season

The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[36]

Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior was named the inaugural Champions League Young Player of the Season.
Pos.PlayerTeam
GK Thibaut Courtois Real Madrid
DF Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool
Antonio Rüdiger Chelsea
Virgil van Dijk Liverpool
Andrew Robertson Liverpool
MF Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City
Fabinho Liverpool
Luka Modrić Real Madrid
FW Kylian Mbappé Paris Saint-Germain
Karim Benzema Real Madrid
Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid

Player of the Season

Young Player of the Season

European Super League controversy

On 18 April 2021, UEFA, the Football Association, the Premier League, the Italian Football Federation, Serie A, the Royal Spanish Football Federation and La Liga learned of plans from several English, Italian and Spanish clubs to create the European Super League.[37] UEFA and the national associations announced that if such a league were to be established, its participants would be banned from playing in international and domestic competitions.[38] Later that same day, English clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur), Italian clubs (Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan) and Spanish clubs (Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid) announced the establishment of the Super League, putting them at risk of being banned.[39]

On 20 April 2021, Arsenal,[40] Liverpool,[41] Manchester City,[42] Manchester United[43] and Tottenham Hotspur[44] withdrew after the Football Association threatened to ban participating clubs from domestic football,[45] whilst Chelsea withdrew some hours later.[46] This led to the project's collapse,[47] as Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan followed the English clubs by withdrawing.[48] The Super League suspended its operations,[49] with the case to be taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to establish whether UEFA and FIFA have the exclusive right to organise competitions.[50]

On 7 June 2021, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified UEFA and FIFA of the Spanish precautionary measure – which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA and referred a cuestión preliminar (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU[51] – ruling that neither governing body could not execute sanctions against Super League clubs.[52] On 15 June 2021, it was officially confirmed that the remaining three clubs (Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid) – which did not sign the Commitment Declaration of the sanctioned other nine clubs[53] and filed a new motion to scrap the agreement UEFA signed with those nine clubs[50] – were admitted to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, pending the disciplinary proceedings UEFA opened against them but which were suspended after the Swiss notification.[54]

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