European football has been back for some time. The Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have been underway for nearly three weeks now. But the start of another Champions League season, when the continent’s premier clubs square off under the floodlights on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, that’s when the term “European football” truly comes to the fore.
And every Champions League campaign begins well before the group stage’s Matchday 1. Qualifying may have been happening since June, but it’s the group draw, tonight in Istanbul, is truly the beginning of all 32 participating clubs’ journey to the final on June 10 — back here, in the biggest city in Turkey.
Are you feeling the hype yet? Join us in the celebrations, as we bring you all the buzz, buildup and bravado as UEFA sets the field for the 2022-23 Champions League.
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16.07 BST: Before we get too carried away with the 2022-23 edition of the tournament, let’s take a moment to reflect on last season’s Champions League. UEFA have released their annual technical report of the previous campaign’s competition, and we’ve compiled the key takeaways from all 106 pages of analysis. Read the full story.
16.00 BST: Right, we are an hour away from the draw kicking into high gear, but let’s get this party started. Our Gab Marcotti is on the ground in Istanbul, sending along every last detail, so you don’t miss a moment of the day’s big event.
Seagull + Stadium…. pic.twitter.com/uR9aWWE9yt
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) August 25, 2022
