DESPITE A SIXTH place finish in the Premier League, Manchester United will be playing Champions League football next season following their victory over Ajax in the Europa League final in Stockholm.
But at what stage do they enter, when does the draw take place, where will they be seeded and, can they face Liverpool?
At what stage will United enter the competition?
This season is the third in which the winners of the Europa League will gain automatic entry into the Champions League, and the first time a team other than Sevilla has benefited from the new format.
Under Uefa rules, the winner of the Europa League is only guaranteed a spot in the play-offs, the equivalent of finishing fourth in the Premier League, as Liverpool did.
However, if the winner of the Champions League has already guaranteed themselves a place in next season’s competition via their own domestic league — as both Real Madrid and Juventus have — then the Europa League winners automatically enter the draw for the group stages.
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When will that draw take place?
You’ll be waiting a while. 92 days to be exact as the draw does not take place until Thursday, 24 August in Monaco.
The way these things tend to go on, it probably won’t actually finish until the following day.
Where will everyone be seeded?
Pot 1 is exclusively for the winners of the Champions League and domestic leagues and will include the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, Monaco and Spartak Moscow.
The highest seeded teams then go into Pot 2. This is where Manchester United will go alongside Barcelona, PSG and Manchester City.
Pots 3 and 4 won’t be finalised until the playoffs are complete but will be home to the likes of Spurs, Roma, RB Leipzig, Basel and Feyenoord.
Can United play Liverpool?
No.
Even though Jose Mourinho’s side have qualified via another competition, Uefa’s National Protection rule still applies meaning teams from the same domestic league can’t face each other in the group stages.
When will be all be humming the Champions League music again?
Probably next Saturday when Real Madrid look to become the first team to defend a Champions League title.
After that, the first qualifying round kicks off on 27 June, while the group stage won’t get under way until 12 September.
What United winning the Europa League means for next season's Champions League
DESPITE A SIXTH place finish in the Premier League, Manchester United will be playing Champions League football next season following their victory over Ajax in the Europa League final in Stockholm.
But at what stage do they enter, when does the draw take place, where will they be seeded and, can they face Liverpool?
At what stage will United enter the competition?
This season is the third in which the winners of the Europa League will gain automatic entry into the Champions League, and the first time a team other than Sevilla has benefited from the new format.
Under Uefa rules, the winner of the Europa League is only guaranteed a spot in the play-offs, the equivalent of finishing fourth in the Premier League, as Liverpool did.
However, if the winner of the Champions League has already guaranteed themselves a place in next season’s competition via their own domestic league — as both Real Madrid and Juventus have — then the Europa League winners automatically enter the draw for the group stages.
When will that draw take place?
You’ll be waiting a while. 92 days to be exact as the draw does not take place until Thursday, 24 August in Monaco.
The way these things tend to go on, it probably won’t actually finish until the following day.
Where will everyone be seeded?
Pot 1 is exclusively for the winners of the Champions League and domestic leagues and will include the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, Monaco and Spartak Moscow.
The highest seeded teams then go into Pot 2. This is where Manchester United will go alongside Barcelona, PSG and Manchester City.
Pots 3 and 4 won’t be finalised until the playoffs are complete but will be home to the likes of Spurs, Roma, RB Leipzig, Basel and Feyenoord.
Can United play Liverpool?
No.
Even though Jose Mourinho’s side have qualified via another competition, Uefa’s National Protection rule still applies meaning teams from the same domestic league can’t face each other in the group stages.
When will be all be humming the Champions League music again?
Probably next Saturday when Real Madrid look to become the first team to defend a Champions League title.
After that, the first qualifying round kicks off on 27 June, while the group stage won’t get under way until 12 September.
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