To win the Champions League, teams have to beat the best clubs around Europe. But that simplicity doesn’t take away from the buzz that builds around the knockout stage draws for UEFA’s flagship competition.
As sides in the 2023/24 tournament seal their spots in the quarter-finals, the grim inevitability of surviving minnows having to face continental behemoths begins to set in.
That’s all part of the magic, however, and fans around Europe will have their eyes glued to their nearest screen for the quarter-final draw.
Here’s when the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw will take place and how you can follow it.
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw will take place on Friday 15 March at 11:00 GMT, being held at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
The semi-final draw will also be held, meaning teams will learn their potential path to the final.
There are no rules over which teams can face others in the quarter-finals, so English sides can be paired together. The semi-final draw then plays out with four balls plucked at random, each marked ‘Winners of quarter-final 1’ to ‘Winners of quarter-final 4’.
The first ball drawn decides who plays the first leg at home.
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw will be available to watch on UEFA’s official website.
The first four teams to secure safe passage through to the Champions League quarter-finals were Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
After losing the first leg in Rome with an awful performance, the German giants had to come from behind on aggregate to secure a 3-1 win. Things were much more comfortable for PSG, who won both of their games against Real Sociedad as the Ligue 1 champions attempt to finally bag the Champions League for the first time ever in Kylian Mbappe’s last season at Parc des Princes.
Manchester City’s three goals in either leg saw off Copenhagen, while Real Madrid had to hold their nerve against RB Leipzig in a tie that finished 2-1 on aggregate.
Arsenal lost the first leg of their tie with Porto 1-0 but managed to bag a win by the same scoreline in the return fixture to send the game to penalties, where David Raya came out on top.
Two floundering national champions in Barcelona and Napoli served up entertainment across two legs but it was the Catalan giants who eventually surged to a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Jadon Sancho’s early goal helped Borussia Dortmund get past PSV Eindhoven, with the Germans eventually sealing a 3-1 aggregate win to reach the last eight for only the second time since 2017.
Last to book their place in the quarter-finals was Atletico Madrid, winning 3-2 in a penalty shootout against Inter after a 2-2 draw on aggregate. Inter were just minutes away from getting through in normal time, until an 87th minute Memphis Depay goal forced extra-time.
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Team |
|---|
|
Paris Saint-Germain |
|
Bayern Munich |
|
Manchester City |
|
Real Madrid |
|
Arsenal |
|
Barcelona |
|
Borussia Dortmund |
|
Atletico Madrid |
|
Date / Kick-off Time (GMT) |
Fixture |
|---|---|
|
13/02/24 – 20:00 |
Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City |
|
13/02/24 – 20:00 |
RB Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid |
|
14/02/24 – 20:00 |
Lazio 1-0 Bayern Munich |
|
14/02/24 – 20:00 |
Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Real Sociedad |
|
20/02/24 – 20:00 |
Inter 1-0 Atletico Madrid |
|
20/02/24 – 20:00 |
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Borussia Dortmund |
|
21/02/24 – 20:00 |
Porto 1-0 Arsenal |
|
21/02/24 – 20:00 |
Napoli 1-1 Barcelona |
|
05/03/24 – 20:00 |
Bayern Munich 3-0 Lazio (Agg. 3-1) |
|
05/03/24 – 20:00 |
Real Sociedad 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain (Agg. 1-4) |
|
06/03/24 – 20:00 |
Manchester City 3-1 Copenhagen (Agg. 6-2) |
|
06/03/24 – 20:00 |
Real Madrid 1-1 RB Leipzig (Agg. 2-1) |
|
12/03/24 – 20:00 |
Arsenal 1-0 Porto (Agg. 1-1, 4-2 pens) |
|
12/03/24 – 20:00 |
Barcelona 3-1 Napoli (Agg. 4-2) |
|
13/03/24 – 20:00 |
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Inter (Agg. 2-2, 3-2 pens) |
|
13/03/24 – 20:00 |
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 PSV Eindhoven (Agg. 3-1) |
The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final first legs are scheduled for Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 April, with the return games then kicking off on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 April. All eight fixtures will commence at 20:00 GMT.
