2020–21 UEFA Champions League

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2020–21 UEFA Champions League
The Estádio do Dragão in Porto hosted the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
8 August 2020 – 30 September 2020
Competition proper:
20 October 2020 – 29 May 2021
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 79 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsEngland Chelsea (2nd title)
Runners-upEngland Manchester City
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored366 (2.93 per match)
Attendance180,049 (1,440 per match)
Top scorer(s)Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
10 goals
Best player(s)
(Note: All statistics do not include qualifying play-offs)

The 2020–21 UEFA Champions League was the 66th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 29th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.

2020 UEFA Champions League Final, but it was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe to the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.[5] Istanbul was again appointed to host the final of the 2021 edition, but was eventually moved to Estádio do Dragão after Turkey was placed on the United Kingdom's red list for tourists and hosting it in England was ruled out.[6]

Bayern Munich were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, whom they had beaten in the previous year's final. As the winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, Chelsea played against Villarreal, the winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup. They were also the European entry for the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup. Since they had already qualified to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage through their league performance, the berth originally reserved for the Champions League title holders has been transferred to the Champions of the 2020–21 Süper Lig, Beşiktaş, the 11th ranked association according to the next season access-list.

The 2020–21 season was the last season of UEFA European club competitions to feature the away goals rule.[7]

Association team allocation

A total of 79 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League (the exception being Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]

  • Associations 1–4 each have four teams qualify.
  • Associations 5–6 each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–55 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.
  • The winners of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League and 2019–20 UEFA Europa League are each given an additional entry if they do not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League through their domestic leagues. However, the Champions League and Europa League title holders have qualified through their domestic leagues, meaning the two additional entries are not necessary for this season.

Association ranking

For the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2014–15 to 2018–19.[9]

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

  • (UCL) – Additional berth for UEFA Champions League title holders
  • (UEL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa League title holders
Association ranking for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1  Spain 103.569 4
2  England 85.462
3  Italy 74.725
4  Germany 71.927
5  France 58.498 3
6  Russia 50.549
7  Portugal 48.232 2
8  Belgium 39.900
9  Ukraine 38.900
10  Turkey 34.600
11  Netherlands 32.433
12  Austria 31.250
13  Czech Republic 28.675
14  Greece 27.600
15  Croatia 27.375
16  Denmark 27.025 1
17  Switzerland 26.900
18  Cyprus 24.925
19  Serbia 22.250
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20  Scotland 22.125 1
21  Belarus 21.875
22  Sweden 20.900
23  Norway 20.200
24  Kazakhstan 19.250
25  Poland 19.250
26  Azerbaijan 19.000
27  Israel 18.625
28  Bulgaria 17.500
29  Romania 15.950
30  Slovakia 15.625
31  Slovenia 15.000
32  Liechtenstein 13.500 0
33  Hungary 10.500 1
34  North Macedonia 8.000
35  Moldova 7.750
36  Albania 7.500
37  Republic of Ireland 7.450
38  Finland 7.275
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
39  Iceland 7.250 1
40  Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.125
41  Lithuania 6.750
42  Latvia 5.625
43  Luxembourg 5.500
44  Armenia 5.250
45  Malta 5.125
46  Estonia 5.000
47  Georgia 4.750
48  Wales 4.125
49  Montenegro 4.125
50  Faroe Islands 4.000
51  Gibraltar 4.000
52  Northern Ireland 3.875
53  Kosovo 2.500
54  Andorra 1.831
55  San Marino 0.666

Distribution

The following is the access list for this season.[10]

Access list for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round
(4 teams)
  • 4 champions from associations 52–55
First qualifying round
(34 teams)
  • 33 champions from associations 18–51 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 1 winner from preliminary round
Second qualifying round Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 3 champions from associations 15–17
  • 17 winners from first qualifying round
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
Third qualifying round Champions Path
(10 teams)
  • 10 winners from second qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(6 teams)
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 3 winners from second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round Champions Path
(8 teams)
  • 3 champions from associations 12–14
  • 5 winners from third qualifying round (Champions Path)
League Path
(4 teams)
  • 1 third-placed team from association 6
  • 3 winners from third qualifying round (League Path)
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 11 champions from associations 1–11
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 5 third-placed teams from associations 1–5
  • 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 4 winners from play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 winners from play-off round (League Path)
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from group stage

Changes were made to the default access list since the Champions League title holders, Bayern Munich, and the Europa League title holders, Sevilla, which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stage, already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. However, as a result of schedule delays to both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 European seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019–20 European season. Therefore, the changes to the access list that should be made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds had been played and/or their draws had been made. UEFA used "adaptive re-balancing" to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined, and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the title holders were determined would not be impacted (Regulations Article 3.04).[8] The following changes were made:

  • At the time when the draws for the first qualifying round and second qualifying round (Champions Path) were held on 9 and 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated as one of the eight quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, Lyon, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic league. Therefore, these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 18–19 and 25–26 August 2020, were not changed even though after the semi-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, which were played on 18–19 August 2020, it was confirmed both finalists, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Champions League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, "adaptive re-balancing" started from the third qualifying round (Champions Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
    • The champions of association 11 (Netherlands), Ajax, entered the group stage instead of the play-off round (Champions Path).
    • The champions of associations 13 and 14 (Czech Republic and Greece), Slavia Prague and Olympiacos, entered the play-off round (Champions Path) instead of the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
  • At the time when the draw for the second qualifying round (League Path) was held on 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated as four of the quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen, Copenhagen and Basel, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. Therefore, this draw proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 25–26 August 2020, were not changed even though after the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, which were played on 10–11 August 2020, it was confirmed all four semi-finalists, Sevilla, Manchester United, Internazionale and Shakhtar Donetsk, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, "adaptive re-balancing" started from the third qualifying round (League Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
    • The third-placed team of association 5 (France), Rennes, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round (League Path).
    • The third-placed team of association 6 (Russia), Krasnodar, entered the play-off round (League Path) instead of the third qualifying round (League Path).

Teams

In early April 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice.[11] UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions.[12] After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020, UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions, although in some special cases where it is not possible, UEFA would develop guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup.[13][14] After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020, UEFA announced that if a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems, the national associations concerned are required to select their participating teams for the 2020–21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019–20 domestic competitions, and UEFA reserves the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deems the termination of the competitions not legitimate, or the selection procedure not objective, transparent and non-discriminatory, or the team is perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly. A suspended domestic competition may also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit.[15][16] All leagues should communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intend to restart their competitions,[17] but this deadline was later extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations must enter their teams by 3 August 2020.[5]

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 are subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

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

Qualified teams for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
Entry round Teams
GS Germany Bayern Munich (1st)TH England Manchester United (3rd) Germany RB Leipzig (3rd) Portugal Porto (1st)
Spain Sevilla (4th)EL England Chelsea (4th) Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach (4th) Belgium Club Brugge (Abd-1st)[Note BEL]
Spain Real Madrid (1st)
Juventus (1st
)
France Paris Saint-Germain (Abd-1st)[Note FRA] Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (1st)
Spain Barcelona (2nd) Italy Inter Milan (2nd) France Marseille (Abd-2nd)[Note FRA] Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir (1st)
Spain Atlético Madrid (3rd)
Atalanta (3rd
)
France Rennes (Abd-3rd)[Note FRA] Netherlands Ajax (Abd-1st)[Note NED]
England Liverpool (1st)
Lazio (4th
)
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)
England Manchester City (2nd)[Note ENG] Germany Borussia Dortmund (2nd) Russia Lokomotiv Moscow (2nd)
PO CH Austria Red Bull Salzburg (1st) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (1st) Greece Olympiacos (1st)
LP Russia Krasnodar (3rd)
Q3 LP Portugal Benfica (2nd) Belgium Gent (Abd-2nd)[Note BEL] Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (2nd)
Q2 CH Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Denmark Midtjylland (1st) Switzerland Young Boys (1st)
LP Turkey Beşiktaş (3rd)[Note TUR] Austria Rapid Wien (2nd) Greece PAOK (2nd)
Netherlands AZ (Abd-2nd)[Note NED] Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň (2nd)
Lokomotiva (2nd
)
Q1 Cyprus Omonia (Abd-1st)[Note CYP] Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv (1st) Republic of Ireland Dundalk (1st) Estonia Flora (1st)
Serbia Red Star Belgrade (1st) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (1st) Finland KuPS (1st) Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st)
Scotland Celtic (Abd-1st)[Note SCO] Romania CFR Cluj (1st) Iceland KR (1st) Wales Connah's Quay Nomads (Abd-1st)[Note WAL]
Belarus Dynamo Brest (1st) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (1st) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo (Abd-1st)[Note BIH] Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (Abd-1st)[Note MNE]
Sweden Djurgårdens IF (1st) Slovenia Celje (1st) Lithuania Sūduva (1st) Faroe Islands (1st)
Norway Molde (1st) Hungary Ferencváros (1st) Latvia Riga (1st) Gibraltar Europa (Abd-1st)[Note GIB]
Kazakhstan Astana (1st) North Macedonia Sileks (Abd-2nd)[Note MKD] Luxembourg Fola Esch (Abd-1st)[Note LUX]
Poland Legia Warsaw (1st) Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Armenia Ararat-Armenia (1st)
Azerbaijan Qarabağ (Abd-1st)[Note AZE] Albania Tirana (1st) Malta Floriana (Abd-1st)[Note MLT]
PR Northern Ireland Linfield (Abd-1st)[Note NIR] Kosovo Drita (1st) Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes (1st)
Tre Fiori (Abd-1st)[Note SMR]

Notes

  1. ^
    Azerbaijan (AZE): The 2019–20 Azerbaijan Premier League was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Qarabağ (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, entering the first qualifying round.[19]
  2. ^
    Belgium (BEL): The 2019–20 Belgian First Division A was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. The top two teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Club Brugge (who were declared champions) and Gent, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Royal Belgian Football Association, entering the group stage and third qualifying round respectively.[20]
  3. ^
    Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH): The 2019–20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Sarajevo (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entering the first qualifying round.[21]
  4. ^
    Cyprus (CYP): The 2019–20 Cypriot First Division was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Omonia, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Cyprus Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[22]
  5. ^
    England (ENG): Manchester City, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Premier League, qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 14 February 2020 due to alleged breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[23] However, Manchester City appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[24] and on 13 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was overturned and they can play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[25]
  6. ^
    France (FRA): The 2019–20 Ligue 1 was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The top three teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Paris Saint-Germain (who were declared champions), Marseille and Rennes, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the French Football Federation, entering the group stage.[26]
  7. ^
    Gibraltar (GIB): The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gibraltar. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Europa, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Gibraltar Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[27]
  8. ^
    Luxembourg (LUX): The 2019–20 Luxembourg National Division was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Fola Esch, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Luxembourg Football Federation, entering the first qualifying round.[28]
  9. ^
    Malta (MLT): The 2019–20 Maltese Premier League was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Floriana (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Malta Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[29]
  10. ^
    Montenegro (MNE): The 2019–20 Montenegrin First League was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montenegro. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment, Budućnost Podgorica (who were already assured of the title by then and were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Montenegro, entering the first qualifying round.[30]
  11. ^
    Netherlands (NED): The 2019–20 Eredivisie was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The top two teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Ajax and AZ, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Royal Dutch Football Association, entering the group stage and second qualifying round respectively.[31]
  12. Football Federation of North Macedonia, entering the first qualifying round.[32]
  • ^
    Northern Ireland (NIR): The 2019–20 NIFL Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonement, Linfield (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Irish Football Association, entering the preliminary round.[33]
  • Tre Fiori (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the San Marino Football Federation, entering the preliminary round.[34]
  • ^
    Scotland (SCO): The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Celtic (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Scottish Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[35]
  • ^
    Turkey (TUR): Trabzonspor, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[36] Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[37] but on 30 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld.[38] As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team, qualified for this berth.
  • ^
    Wales (WAL): The 2019–20 Cymru Premier was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The top team of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Connah's Quay Nomads (who were declared champions), were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League by the Football Association of Wales, entering the first qualifying round.[39]
  • Schedule

    The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland unless otherwise stated).[40] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[41] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[42] All qualifying matches, excluding the play-off round, were played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw (except the preliminary round which was played at neutral venue).[5][43]

    The group stage draw was originally to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon,[44] but it was eventually held at nearby Geneva.

    Schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
    Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
    Qualifying Preliminary round 17 July 2020 8 August 2020 (semi-final round) 11 August 2020 (final round)
    First qualifying round 9 August 2020 18–19 August 2020
    Second qualifying round 10 August 2020 25–26 August 2020
    Third qualifying round 31 August 2020 15–16 September 2020
    Play-off Play-off round 1 September 2020 22–23 September 2020 29–30 September 2020
    Group stage Matchday 1 1 October 2020
    (Geneva)
    20–21 October 2020
    Matchday 2 27–28 October 2020
    Matchday 3 3–4 November 2020
    Matchday 4 24–25 November 2020
    Matchday 5 1–2 December 2020
    Matchday 6 8–9 December 2020
    Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021
    Quarter-finals 19 March 2021 6–7 April 2021 13–14 April 2021
    Semi-finals 27–28 April 2021 4–5 May 2021
    Final 29 May 2021 at Estádio do Dragão, Porto

    The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).

    Original schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
    Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
    Qualifying Preliminary round 9 June 2020 23 June 2020 (semi-final round) 26 June 2020 (final round)
    First qualifying round 16 June 2020 7–8 July 2020 14–15 July 2020
    Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 21–22 July 2020 28–29 July 2020
    Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 4–5 August 2020 11 August 2020
    Play-off Play-off round 3 August 2020 18–19 August 2020 25–26 August 2020
    Group stage Matchday 1 27 August 2020
    (Monaco)
    15–16 September 2020
    Matchday 2 29–30 September 2020
    Matchday 3 20–21 October 2020
    Matchday 4 3–4 November 2020
    Matchday 5 24–25 November 2020
    Matchday 6 8–9 December 2020
    Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021
    Quarter-finals 19 March 2021 6–7 April 2021 13–14 April 2021
    Semi-finals 27–28 April 2021 4–5 May 2021
    Final 29 May 2021 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul

    Major revision to schedule

    The major revision to schedule of the competition, as planned before relocation the final from Istanbul, was as follows (all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).

    Major revision to schedule for 2020–21 UEFA Champions League
    Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
    Qualifying Preliminary round 9 June 2020 23 June 2020 (semi-final round) 26 June 2020 (final round)
    First qualifying round 16 June 2020 7–8 July 2020 14–15 July 2020
    Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 21–22 July 2020 28–29 July 2020
    Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 4–5 August 2020 11 August 2020
    Play-off Play-off round 3 August 2020 18–19 August 2020 25–26 August 2020
    Group stage Matchday 1 27 August 2020
    (Monaco)
    15–16 September 2020
    Matchday 2 29–30 September 2020
    Matchday 3 20–21 October 2020
    Matchday 4 3–4 November 2020
    Matchday 5 24–25 November 2020
    Matchday 6 8–9 December 2020
    Knockout phase Round of 16 14 December 2020 16–17 & 23–24 February 2021 9–10 & 16–17 March 2021
    Quarter-finals 19 March 2021 6–7 April 2021 13–14 April 2021
    Semi-finals 27–28 April 2021 4–5 May 2021
    Final 29 May 2021 at Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg

    Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

    Krasnodar players on Matchday 2 group stage with limited capacity in the stands.

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the following special rules were applicable to the competition:[45][46]

    • If there were
      travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
      that prevented the away team from entering the home team's country or returning to their own country, the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team's country that allowed the match to take place.
    • If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place, they were considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place, both teams were disqualified.
    • If a team had players and/or officials tested positive for
      SARS-2 coronavirus
      preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they were considered to have forfeited the match.

    On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage onward, with a sixth allowed in extra time. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. Consequently, a maximum of twelve players could be listed on the substitute bench.[47]

    All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors.[43] Following the partial return of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage onward could be played at 30% capacity if allowed by the local authorities.[48]

    The final was originally scheduled to be played at the

    2020 final to Lisbon as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the final hosts were shifted back a year, with the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey instead planning to host the 2021 final.[5] However, on 13 May 2021 UEFA announced that the final would be relocated to Porto in order to allow fans to attend the match.[6]

    Qualifying rounds

    Preliminary round

    The draw for the preliminary round was held on 17 July 2020, 12:00 CEST.[49] The semi-finals were played on 8 August at the

    SARS-2 coronavirus
    , and Linfield were awarded a technical 3–0 win.

    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    Semi-final round
    Tre Fiori San Marino
    0–2 Northern Ireland Linfield
    Drita Kosovo 2–1 Andorra Inter Club d'Escaldes
    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    Final round
    Drita Kosovo 0–3
    (awd.)[note 1]
    Northern Ireland Linfield

    The losers of both semi-final and final rounds entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

    First qualifying round

    The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 9 August 2020, 12:00 CEST.[55] The matches were played on 18 and 19 August 2020. The match between KÍ and Slovan Bratislava was cancelled due to Slovan Bratislava players being put into quarantine after one player had tested positive for

    SARS-2 coronavirus
    , and KÍ were awarded a technical 3–0 win.

    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    Ferencváros Hungary 2–0 Sweden Djurgårdens IF
    Celtic Scotland 6–0 Iceland KR
    Legia Warsaw Poland 1–0 Northern Ireland Linfield
    Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 2–0 Luxembourg Fola Esch
    Connah's Quay Nomads Wales 0–2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
    Red Star Belgrade Serbia 5–0 Gibraltar Europa
    Budućnost Podgorica Montenegro 1–3 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad
    Ararat-Armenia Armenia
    a.e.t.
    )
    Cyprus Omonia
    Floriana Malta 0–2 Romania CFR Cluj
    Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel 2–0 Latvia Riga
    Qarabağ Azerbaijan 4–0 North Macedonia Sileks
    Dinamo Tbilisi Georgia (country) 0–2 Albania Tirana
    Dynamo Brest Belarus 6–3 Kazakhstan Astana
    Molde Norway 5–0 Finland KuPS
    Flora Estonia
    a.e.t.)
    (2–4 p
    )
    Lithuania Sūduva
    Celje Slovenia 3–0 Republic of Ireland Dundalk
    Faroe Islands 3–0
    (awd.)[note 2]
    Slovakia Slovan Bratislava

    The losers entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.

    Second qualifying round

    The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 12:00 CEST.[61] The matches were played on 25 and 26 August 2020.

    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    Champions Path
    CFR Cluj Romania
    a.e.t.)
    (5–6 p
    )
    Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
    Young Boys Switzerland 3–1 Faroe Islands
    Celtic Scotland 1–2 Hungary Ferencváros
    Sūduva Lithuania 0–3 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv
    Legia Warsaw Poland
    a.e.t.
    )
    Cyprus Omonia
    Celje Slovenia 1–2 Norway Molde
    Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 0–1 Denmark Midtjylland
    Dynamo Brest Belarus 2–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
    Qarabağ Azerbaijan 2–1 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol
    Tirana Albania 0–1 Serbia Red Star Belgrade
    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    League Path
    AZ Netherlands
    a.e.t.
    )
    Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň
    PAOK Greece 3–1 Turkey Beşiktaş
    Lokomotiva Croatia
    0–1 Austria Rapid Wien

    From the ten losers of Champions Path, two teams, Tirana and Ludogorets Razgrad, determined by a draw held on 31 August 2020 after the Europa League second qualifying round draw,[62] entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League play-off round (Champions Path), while the other eight teams entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path). The losers of League Path entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).

    Third qualifying round

    The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020, 12:00 CEST.[63] The matches were played on 15 and 16 September 2020.

    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    Champions Path
    Ferencváros Hungary 2–1 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb
    Qarabağ Azerbaijan
    a.e.t.)
    (5–6 p
    )
    Norway Molde
    Omonia Cyprus
    a.e.t.)
    (4–2 p
    )
    Serbia Red Star Belgrade
    Midtjylland Denmark 3–0 Switzerland Young Boys
    Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel 1–0 Belarus Dynamo Brest
    Team 1  Score  Team 2
    League Path
    PAOK Greece 2–1 Portugal Benfica
    Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine 2–0 Netherlands AZ
    Gent Belgium 2–1 Austria Rapid Wien

    The losers of Champions Path entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League play-off round (Champions Path). The losers of League Path entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage.

    Play-off round

    The draw for the play-off round was held on 1 September 2020, 12:00 CEST.[64] The first legs were played on 22 and 23 September, and the second legs were played on 29 and 30 September 2020.

    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score
    Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Champions Path
    Slavia Prague Czech Republic 1–4 Denmark Midtjylland 0–0 1–4
    Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel 2–5 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 1–2 1–3
    Olympiacos Greece 2–0 Cyprus Omonia 2–0 0–0
    Molde Norway 3–3 (a) Hungary Ferencváros 3–3 0–0
    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score
    Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    League Path
    Krasnodar Russia 4–2 Greece PAOK 2–1 2–1
    Gent Belgium 1–5 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–2 0–3

    The losers of both Champions Path and League Path entered the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage.

    Group stage

    Location of teams of the 2020–21 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.