Live Updates

After four rounds of preliminary qualifiers and play-offs, the Champions League group stage draw is almost upon us. 32 teams from across the continent will learn their fate within the next hour or so and will have it all covered right here.


And that's it! The group stage draw is done and dusted.

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CKSA Moscow, Wolfsburg

Group C – Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana

Group D – Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach

Group E – Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov

Group F – Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, Dinamo Zagreb

Group G – Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

Group D – Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CKSA Moscow, WOLFSBURG

Group F – Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos, DINAMO ZAGREB

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, GENT

Group G – Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, MACCABI TEL AVIV

Group E – Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE BORISOV

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, MALMO

Group C – Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, ASTANA

That's Pot 3 dealt with, then. Here's how it stands.

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CKSA Moscow

Group C – Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray

Group D – Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla

Group E – Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma

Group F – Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiakos

Group G – Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon

Group E – Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, ROMA

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia, LYON

Group C – Benfica, Atletico Madrid, GALATASARAY

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, SHAKHTAR DONETSK

Group G – Chelsea, Porto, DYNAMO KIEV

Group D – Juventus, Manchester City, SEVILLA

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA MOSCOW

Group F – Bayern Munich, Arsenal, OLYMPIAKOS

So, that's Chelsea in the same group as Jose Mourinho's former club Porto and Manchester United against Memphis Depay's former club PSV Eindhoven. Manchester City's history of tough draws has shown no signs of changing, they've been paired with 2015 runners up Juventus. Arsenal has the small matter of clashes with Bayern Munich.

Two pots down, two more to go. Here's how it stands at the minute.

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United

Group C – Benfica, Atletico Madrid

Group D – Juventus, Manchester City

Group E – Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen

Group F – Bayern Munich, Arsenal

Group G – Chelsea, Porto

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, Valencia

Group E – Barcelona, BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Group D – Juventus, MANCHESTER CITY

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg, VALENCIA

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain, REAL MADRID

Group G – Chelsea, PORTO

Group B – PSV Eindhoven, MANCHESTER UNITED

Group F – Bayern Munich, ARSENAL

Group C – Benfica, ATLETICO MADRID

Juliano Beletti has trotted out on stage to help with the drawing of Pot 2 teams.

Pot 1 has been drawn and here's how it looks.

Group A – Paris Saint-Germain

Group B – PSV Eindhoven

Group C – Benfica,

Group D – Juventus,

Group E – Barcelona

Group F – Bayern Munich,

Group G – Chelsea,

Group H – Zenit St Petersburg

Teaches absolutely nothing, mind. Pot 2 is where is gets interesting.

Group A - Paris Saint-Germain

Group B - PSV Eindhoven

Group H - Zenit St Petersburg

Group D - Juventus

Group G - Chelsea

Group F - Bayern Munich

Group C - Benfica

Group E - Barcelona

And here we go!

Javier Zanetti and Paolo Maldini are on stage to assist with the draw.

Here he is! Uefa general secretary and master of ceremonies Gianni Infantino is on stage. You always know where you are with Gianni.

Remember that 4:45pm start time? Yeah, forget about that. Uefa have a whole show pencilled in for the evening. Andres Iniesta was the first of many guests on stage just now, shyly breezing through a few questions before sneaking back to his seat.

The first of many montage videos is upon us, plenty of footage of Lionel Messi scarring Jerome Boetang for life with that wonderful solo effort in last season's semi-final. Can we just stick that on repeat until the draw is underway?

And we are underway! Well, sort of. The ceremony has begun and Peter Schmeichel is sharing hosting duties.

After today's draw, there won't be long to wait for the first round of fixtures.

Match day one: 15/16 September
Match day two: 29/30 September
Match day three: 20/21 October
Match day four: 3/4 November
Match day five: 24/25 November
Match day six: 8/9 December

Flanked by a posse of bodyguards, Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived ahead of the draw.

The prospect of a Group of Death is a very realistic one for any of the four Premier League sides. There is real depth across the third and fourth pots with Sevilla, Roma and Lyon among those lying in wait in Pot 3. Bundesliga sides Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg are the two to avoid in Pot four.

Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United all take a spot in Pot 2, leaving each of them with the prospect of being drawn into the same group with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus or Paris Saint Germain. Benfica, Zenit St Petersburg and PSV Eindhoven represent the more favourable Pot 1 options for the Premier League trio.

As the only Premier League side in Pot 1, Chelsea will be drawn alongside one of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Valencia or Porto from Pot 2.

Pot 1: Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern München, Juventus, Benfica, Paris, Zenit, PSV Eindhoven

Pot 2: Real Madrid, Atlético, Porto, Arsenal, Man United, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Man City

Pot 3: Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, Lyon, Dynamo Kyiv, Olympiacos, CSKA Moskva, Galatasaray, Roma

Pot 4: BATE Borisov,Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolfsburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Gent, Malmö, Astana

10 of the 32 sides in this afternoon's draw sealed their place via a play-off this week. Manchester United, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen were among those to confirm their places, with Louis van Gaal leading his side back into Europe's elite competition after a 7-1 aggregate victory over Club Brugge of Belgium.

Valencia meanwhile dismissed Monaco, who eliminated Arsenal at the last 16 stage of the competition last season. In another first this year, they are won of five teams in the group stage draw alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Europa League champions Sevilla.

Monaco, Sporting Lisbon, Lazio and Celtic are among the big names to have failed to reach this stage.

The 4 pots for this afternoon's draw will determine who draws who. For the first time in the competition's history, Pot 1 will consist of the competition's current holders and the champions of the top seven associations. As Barcelona enter as both European and Spanish champions, the extra spot in Pot 1 goes to Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.

The rest of the potshave been determined by the club's Uefa coefficient, which is calculated by the sum of all points won in the previous five years, plus 20% of their association's coefficient over the same period.

The VIPs are already arriving at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco this afternoon. Uefa state the draw will begin at 4:45pm UK time, but with the 2014/15 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award also to be announced, expect a lengthy ceremony as always.

Champions League