According to the results of three last rounds of qualification stage the final number of challengers for the title of the new Champion of Europe is half as much: with 76 to 38 teams.

We are waiting for the final fourth qualification round (on the 28-29th of August). And after it will end, the list of thirty two participants of an autumn group stage will finally be defined. And then, on the 30th of August, Thursday in Grimaldi Forum Monaco the draw procedure of the forthcoming stage will take place. We will remind you that according to an old tradition, all participants will be divided into four pots. Further, by choosing one team from eight groups, according to the eight first letters of the Latin alphabet from And to H will be formed. We remind you that one group can’t contain teams of one national Federation and also teams of Russia and Ukraine.

Now let’s specify what will be the roster of all four pots presented for the drawing procedure? According to modern regulations of UEFA, the defending champions of the Champions League and Europa League and also new champions of six most top national leagues will enter the first pot of seeded teams. And the roster of the second, third and fourth pots will be created according to places which are taken by participants of the tournament in the UEFA club rating.

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona (Spain), Manchester City (England), Bayern Munich (Germany), Juventus (Italy), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Pot 2: Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Porto (Portugal), Manchester United (England), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Benfica (Portugal), Napoli (Italy), Tottenham (England), Roma (Italy)

Pot 3: Liverpool (England), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Schalke (Germany), Lyon and Monaco (France), Salzburg (Austria), Ajax (Netherlands), CSKA (Russia)

Pot 4: PSV (Netherlands), Valencia (Spain), Viktoria (Czech Republic), PAOK (Greece), Brugge (Belgium), Galatasaray (Turkey), Young Boys (Switzerland), BATE (Belarus), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Inter (Italy), Hoffenheim (Germany), Crvena zvezda (Serbia), AEK (Greece), Vidi (Hungary)

As we see, now the last, Pot 4 is the fullest. In it, instead of eight there are fourteen teams. The last removal of six extra teams will take place on the night of the 30th of August, that is, after the end of all return games of the forthcoming fourth round.

It is also necessary to mention that all six extra clubs that have to be removed don’t have to be in the last Pot 4. The Portuguese Benfica (Pot 2) and also three clubs from Pot 3 – Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Salzburg (Austria) and Ajax (Netherlands) participate in the fourth round of qualification stage.

And if any of these clubs doesn’t manage to become the participant of Autumn group stage of the Champions League, its place automatically moves to the subsequent participant. Therefore here the subsequent movement of teams not only in their Pots but also from one Pot to another is possible.