Seeding in the Champions League 2021/2022

UEFA European Cup Football
by Bert Kassies

This page shows the list of seeded and unseeded clubs for draws in the qualifying rounds and the group stage of the Champions League 2021/2022. The UEFA Club Ranking of 2021 determines the seeding of the clubs in the tables below. See Qualification 2021/2022 for a list of qualified clubs, and Access List 2021/2022 for an overview of berths per country. More detailed information may also be found in the official CL regulations (pdf or online).

This seeding list is according to the format of the 2021-24 period. All clubs eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League are transferred to the Europa League or the Europa Conference League. For details, see the new Access List 2021/2022 and 2021-24 qualifying scheme. The 2nd and 3rd qualifying rounds, and the play-off round of the Champions League are split into two sections: one for champions and one for non-champions.

Although the regulations no longer require the use of regional groups (as used before 2009), until now UEFA still uses some kind of regionalization in the first qualifying rounds. At first the clubs are divided into seeded and unseeded clubs, and then the seeded and unseeded clubs are split into regional groups. The general approach seems to use the North/Central/South scheme, but no specific rules are known.

The Champions League title holder (Chelsea) qualified already for the CL group stage by the domestic league. The access list will be re-balanced as follows:

  1. The champion of Turkey (Besiktas) moves from CL-PO to CL-GS,
  2. The champion of Denmark (Brøndby IF) moves from CL-Q3 to CL-PO,
  3. The champion of Czech Republic (Slavia Praha) moves from CL-Q2 to CL-Q3,
  4. The champions of Greece (Olympiakos Piraeus) and Serbia (Red Star Belgrade) move from CL-Q1 to CL-Q2,
  5. As a result there will be only 16 CL-Q1 losers in ECL-Q2ch, one of them gets a bye to ECL-Q3ch (to be determined by a draw).

CL-PR: Preliminary round (4 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
HB Torshavn              Far   2.250             Inter Club d'Escaldes    And   1.500
FC Prishtina             Kos   2.250             Folgore                  Sma   1.000

The preliminary round of the Champions League is in the form of a mini-tournament (June 22-25, Albania) and consist of 3 matches: 2 semi-finals and a final. See UEFA Champions League preliminary round draw for more info.

CL-Q1: 1st Qualifying Round for Champions (32 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Dinamo Zagreb            Cro  44.500             Riga FC                  Lat   5.500
Ludogorets Razgrad       Bul  28.000             HJK Helsinki             Fin   5.500
Malmö FF                 Swe  18.500             Linfield Belfast         Nir   5.250
CFR Cluj                 Rom  16.500             CS Fola Esch             Lux   5.250
Legia Warsaw             Pol  16.500             Shakhtior Saligorsk      Bls   5.250
Sheriff Tiraspol         Mol  14.500             Neftchi Baku             Azb   5.000
Ferencváros              Hun  13.500             Maccabi Haifa            Isr   4.875
Shkendija Tetovo         Mac   9.000             Shamrock Rovers          Irl   4.750
Slovan Bratislava        Svk   7.500             Connah's Quay            Wal   4.750
Dinamo Tbilisi           Geo   6.500             Valur Reykjavik          Isl   4.250
Zalgiris Vilnius         Lit   6.500             Bodø/Glimt               Nor   4.200
Alashkert FC             Arm   6.500             Hibernians FC            Mlt   3.750
Flora Tallinn            Est   6.250             Mura Murska Sobota       Slo   3.000
Buducnost Podgorica      Mon   6.000             Teuta Durrës             Alb   2.750
Kairat Almaty            Kaz   6.000             FC Prishtina *p          Kos   2.250
Lincoln Red Imps         Gib   5.750             FK Borac Banja Luka      Bos   1.600

Before the draw the 32 clubs of the 1st round are divided into 4 groups of 8 clubs each. See UEFA Champions League 1st qualifying round draw for more info. The draw groups are as follows:
Group 1
seeded: Malmö FF, Legia Warsaw, Slovan Bratislava, Lincoln Red Imps
unseeded: Riga FC, CS Fola Esch, Shamrock Rovers, Bodø/Glimt
Group 2
seeded: CFR Cluj, Shkendija Tetovo, Alashkert FC, Buducnost Podgorica
unseeded: HJK Helsinki, Connah's Quay, Mura Murska Sobota, FK Borac Banja Luka
Group 3
seeded: Ludogorets Razgrad, Sheriff Tiraspol, Dinamo Tbilisi, Kairat Almaty
unseeded: Shakhtior Saligorsk, Neftchi Baku, Maccabi Haifa, Teuta Durrës
Group 4
seeded: Dinamo Zagreb, Ferencváros, Zalgiris Vilnius, Flora Tallinn
unseeded: Linfield Belfast, Valur Reykjavik, Hibernians FC, winner of CL-PR

The draw for the 2nd qualifying round is made before the results of the preliminary round and the 1st qualifying round are known. Clubs of the preliminary round and the 1st qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved. The following unseeded teams qualified (and are seeded in the draw with the coefficient of their opponent in the 1st qualifying round): Mura Murska Sobota beat Shkendija Tetovo (9.000), Neftchi Baku beat Dinamo Tbilisi (6.500), and HJK Helsinki beat Buducnost Podgorica (6.000).

CL-Q2: 2nd Qualifying Round for Champions (20 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Dinamo Zagreb *          Cro  44.500             Mura Murska Sobota *     Slo  (9.000)
Olympiakos Piraeus       Gre  43.000             Slovan Bratislava *      Svk   7.500
Young Boys               Sui  35.000             Neftchi Baku *           Azb  (6.500)
Red Star Belgrade        Srb  32.500             Zalgiris Vilnius *       Lit   6.500
Ludogorets Razgrad *     Bul  28.000             Alashkert FC *           Arm   6.500
Malmö FF *               Swe  18.500             Flora Tallinn *          Est   6.250
CFR Cluj *               Rom  16.500             HJK Helsinki *           Fin  (6.000)
Legia Warsaw *           Pol  16.500             Kairat Almaty *          Kaz   6.000
Sheriff Tiraspol *       Mol  14.500             Lincoln Red Imps *       Gib   5.750
Ferencváros *            Hun  13.500             Omonia Nicosia           Cyp   5.550

Before the draw the 20 clubs of the 2nd round are divided into 2 groups of 6 clubs and 1 group of 8 clubs. See UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round draw for more info. The draw groups are as follows:
Group 1
seeded: Dinamo Zagreb *, Young Boys, Legia Warsaw *
unseeded: Slovan Bratislava *, Flora Tallinn *, Omonia Nicosia
Group 2
seeded: Olympiakos Piraeus, Red Star Belgrade, Sheriff Tiraspol *
unseeded: Alashkert FC *, Dinamo Tbilisi *, Kairat Almaty *
Group 3
seeded: Ludogorets Razgrad *, Malmö FF *, CFR Cluj *, Ferencváros *
unseeded: Shkendija Tetovo *, Zalgiris Vilnius *, Buducnost Podgorica *, Lincoln Red Imps *

CL-Q2nc: 2nd Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (6 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Celtic                   Sco  34.000             Rapid Wien               Aut  17.000
PSV Eindhoven            Ned  29.000             Galatasaray              Tur  17.000
Sparta Praha             Cze  17.500             FC Midtjylland           Den  13.500

The draw for the 3rd qualifying round is made before the results of the 2nd qualifying round are known. Clubs of the 2nd qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved. The following unseeded teams qualified (and are seeded in the draw with the coefficient of their opponent in the 2nd qualifying round): FC Midtjylland beat Celtic (34.000).

CL-Q3: 3rd Qualifying Round for Champions (12 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Dinamo Zagreb *          Cro  44.500             Ludogorets Razgrad *     Bul  28.000
Slavia Praha             Cze  43.500             Malmö FF *               Swe  18.500
Olympiakos Piraeus **    Gre  43.000             CFR Cluj *               Rom  16.500
Young Boys **            Sui  35.000             Legia Warsaw *           Pol  16.500
Red Star Belgrade **     Srb  32.500             Sheriff Tiraspol *       Mol  14.500
Glasgow Rangers          Sco  31.250             Ferencváros *            Hun  13.500

Before the draw the 12 clubs of the 3rd round are divided into 2 groups of 6 clubs. See UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round draw for more info. The draw groups are as follows:
Group 1
seeded: Dinamo Zagreb *, Olympiakos Piraeus *, Young Boys *
unseeded: Ludogorets Razgrad *, Legia Warsaw *, CFR Cluj *
Group 2
seeded: Slavia Praha, Red Star Belgrade *, Glasgow Rangers
unseeded: Malmö FF *, Sheriff Tiraspol *, Ferencváros *

CL-Q3nc: 3rd Qualifying Round for Non-Champions (8 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Shakhtar Donetsk         Ukr  79.000             Racing Genk              Bel  30.000
Benfica                  Por  58.000             PSV Eindhoven **         Ned  29.000
AS Monaco                Fra  36.000             Spartak Moscow           Rus  18.500
FC Midtjylland **        Den (34.000)            Sparta Praha **          Cze  17.500

The draw for the play-off round is made before the results of the 3rd qualifying round are known. Clubs of the 3rd qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved. The following unseeded teams qualified (and are seeded in the draw with the coefficient of their opponent in the 3rd qualifying round): Ferencváros beat Slavia Praha (43.500), Ludogorets Razgrad beat Olympiakos Piraeus (43.000), Sheriff Tiraspol beat Red Star Belgrade (32.500), and Malmö FF beat Glasgow Rangers (31.250).

CL-PO: Play-off Round for Champions (8 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
FC Salzburg              Aut  59.000             Young Boys **            Sui  35.000
Dinamo Zagreb *          Cro  44.500             Sheriff Tiraspol *       Mol (32.500)
Ferencváros *            Hun (43.500)            Malmö FF *               Swe (31.250)
Ludogorets Razgrad *     Bul (43.000)            Brøndby IF               Den   7.000

See UEFA Champions League pay-off round draw for more info.

CL-POnc: Play-off Round for Non-Champions (4 clubs) 
Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Shakhtar Donetsk *3      Ukr  79.000             AS Monaco *3             Fra  36.000
Benfica *3               Por  58.000             PSV Eindhoven **         Ned  29.000
Once the play-off round has been completed, the 32 remaining clubs are drawn into eight groups of four. For the purpose of the draw the clubs are divided into 4 pots. The CL title-holder, the EL title-holder and the champions of the 6 top-ranked associations are placed in pot 1. If a title-holder is already in pot 1 then the champion of the next-ranked association is also put in pot 1. The other pots are filled according to the club ranking.

CL-GS: Group Stage (32 clubs) 
Pot 1                          coef.             Pot 2                          coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Chelsea                  Eng  98.000             Real Madrid              Esp 127.000
Villarreal               Esp  63.000             FC Barcelona             Esp 122.000
Atlético Madrid          Esp 115.000             Juventus                 Ita 120.000
Manchester City          Eng 125.000             Manchester United        Eng 113.000
Bayern München           Ger 134.000             Paris Saint-Germain      Fra 113.000
Internazionale           Ita  53.000             Liverpool                Eng 101.000
Lille OSC                Fra  14.000             Sevilla                  Esp  98.000
Sporting CP Lisbon       Por  45.500             Borussia Dortmund        Ger  90.000


Pot 3                          coef.             Pot 4                          coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
FC Porto                 Por  87.000             Besiktas                 Tur  49.000
Ajax                     Ned  82.500             Dinamo Kiev              Ukr  47.000
Shakhtar Donetsk *3      Ukr  79.000             Club Brugge              Bel  35.500
RB Leipzig               Ger  66.000             Young Boys **            Sui  35.000
FC Salzburg *4           Aut  59.000             AC Milan                 Ita  31.000
Benfica *3               Por  58.000             Malmö FF *               Swe  18.500
Atalanta                 Ita  50.500             VfL Wolfsburg            Ger  14.714
Zenit St. Petersburg     Rus  50.000             Sheriff Tiraspol *       Mol  14.500

Clubs from the same association will not be drawn into the same group and are paired to play on separate days as much as possible. The groups A-D are assigned a red colour and the groups E-H are blue. When a paired club is drawn into a group the other paired club can only be drawn into a group with another colour. The pairings are as follows: Chelsea & Manchester City, Atlético Madrid & Sevilla, Internazionale & Juventus, Bayern München & Borussia Dortmund, Lille OSC & Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid & FC Barcelona, Manchester United & Liverpool, FC Porto & Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk & Dinamo Kiev, RB Leipzig & VfL Wolfsburg, and Atalanta & AC Milan. See UEFA Champions League group stage draw for more info.

A computer draw determines the fixtures such that each club plays one home and one away match against each other club in its group. A club does not play more than two home or two away matches in a row and each club plays one home match and one away match on the first two matchdays and the last two matchdays.

The eight group-winners and eight runners-up of the group stage qualify for the round of 16. The clubs that finish this stage in third position in their group qualify for the knockout round play-offs of the Europa League. The clubs that finish this stage in fourth position in their group are eliminated.

In the draw for the round of 16 clubs from the same association, and winners and runners-up of the same group, can not be drawn against each other. The group winners are seeded above the runners-up and the runners up play the first leg at home.

CL-R16: Round of 16 (16 clubs) 
1st in CL group                                  2nd in CL group
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
Manchester City          Eng 125.000             Paris Saint-Germain      Fra 113.000
Liverpool                Eng 101.000             Atlético Madrid          Esp 115.000
Ajax                     Ned  82.500             Sporting CP Lisbon       Por  45.500
Real Madrid              Esp 127.000             Internazionale           Ita  53.000
Bayern München           Ger 134.000             Benfica *3               Por  58.000
Manchester United        Eng 113.000             Villarreal               Esp  63.000
Lille OSC                Fra  14.000             FC Salzburg *4           Aut  59.000
Juventus                 Ita 120.000             Chelsea                  Eng  98.000

For the draw of the quarter-finals and semi-finals no clubs will be seeded.

KEY:

*p=club started in preliminary round
*=club started in 1st qualifying round
**=club started in 2nd qualifying round
*3=club started in 3rd qualifying round
*4=club started in play-off round

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