The Men’s UEFA Champions League is back for another year, football fans. If you’re keen to watch the biggest games of the tournament at home from Australia, here’s everything you need to know.
Let’s get into it, shall we?
Champions League tournament: What is it?
If you’re new to the comp, welcome! You’ll love it here. The UEFA Champions League competition is run by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and sees top-division European clubs compete for the title of Champion.
The format plays out like many other football comps, with a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout phase and final.
There is a Men’s and Women’s tournament. The Women’s UEFA Champion’s League tournament kicks off a little later in the year (October 2023). Today, we’re here to chat about the men’s comp.
When does the 2023/24 season kick off?
The 2023/24 Men’s UEFA Champion’s League competition kicks off bright and early (very early) on September 20, 2023.
Milan vs Newcastle and Young Boys vs RB Leipzig are the first two games in the competition, both starting at a fresh 2:45 am AEST. Set your alarms, people.
Which teams are in the group stage?
Groups A – H have been filled for the 2023/24 season, and you can find the complete list of teams competing in the UEFA Champion’s League Men’s tournament below.
- Group A: Bayern (GER), Man United (ENG), Copenhagen (DEN), Galatasaray (TUR)
- Group B: Sevilla (ESP), Arsenal (ENG), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Lens (FRA)
- Group C: Napoli (ITA), Real Madrid (ESP), Braga (POR), Union Berlin (GER)
- Group D: Benfica (POR), Inter (ITA), Salzburg (AUT), Real Sociedad (ESP)
- Group E: Feyenoord (NED), Atlético de Madrid (ESP), Lazio (ITA), Celtic (SCO)
- Group F: Paris (FRA), Dortmund (GER), Milan (ITA), Newcastle (ENG)
- Group G: Man City (ENG), Leipzig (GER), Crvena zvezda (SRB), Young Boys (SUI)
- Group H: Barcelona (ESP), Porto (POR), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Antwerp (BEL)
Read more here.
Other key dates:
As for the remainder of the tournament, here are the dates you need to keep in mind (and in the calendar).
Round of 16: Between February 14 and March 14, 2024
Quarter-finals: From April 10, 2024
Semi-finals: From May 1, 2024
When is the UEFA Champions League Grand Final?
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League final will take place on June 2, 2024, AEST. The game will be played at London’s Wembley Stadium – this is the eighth time the venue has held the major sporting event.
We’ll update you on kick-off times once those details become available for the final.
How to watch Champions League games in Australia
Wouldn’t it be nice if all the sporting matches were on the same platform? It would be, but that’s unfortunately not the reality in our streaming landscape.
When it comes to the Champions League in Australia, you could once find games over on Optus Sport. That has since changed, however. Stan Sport has since taken over the broadcasting rights for the Champions League, so this is where you will find all matches, including the final game, for the 2023/24 season.
So get your Stan Sport membership up and running if you’re hoping to catch any games from these comps in the coming seasons. A Stan Sports add-on is an additional $15 per month on top of your regular Stan membership fee (which ranges from $10 to $21 per month). You can sign up for a seven-day free trial if you like, however.
Will you be getting up in the wee hours to cheer your team on? Let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments below.
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
Lead Image Credit: Getty/UEFA Website
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