By Tom Morgan, in Monaco
Harry Kane is heading to Old Trafford after all – as his new club Bayern Munich drew Manchester United in the Champions League draw.
The recently-departed Tottenham forward’s showdown against the club that failed to bid for him this summer makes for the most intriguing tie.
Newcastle United’s return to top European competition after 20 years, meanwhile, may make Eddie Howe wince. They are in arguably the most competitive group this year, facing AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain.
Arsenal have drawn Sevilla and PSV in their group while reigning champions Manchester City’s toughest fixture appears to be against RB Leipzig.
As well as the intriguing first chance to see Kane back on English soil, United’s clash with Bayern will draw memories of the club’s finest hour, the treble win in 1999. It is the German champions who came out on top in the sides’ last Champions League encounter, however, in the 2014 quarter-finals.
Erik ten Hag’s United side will also be up against Copenhagen of Denmark and Turkish side Galatasaray in Group A.
How the Champions League draw unfolded
06:17 PM BST
Erling Haaland collecting the Uefa men’s player of the year award
I won the Treble at 22 years old, I’m living the dream and feeling really good. I’m so happy, but it gives me so much more motivation to win trophies like the one that was just there [the Champions League].
It’s about keeping the head clear. Even more eyes will be on me and the team after winning the Champions League. We have to be more prepared and more sharp.
I like when Pep shouts at me, because he tries to get something in my brain that he doesn’t think I have!
06:08 PM BST
Wiegman dedicates her award to the Spanish team in wake of Luis Rubiales kiss scandal
Thanks everyone for voting, especially colleagues it’s really special and I’m honoured.
It feels a little different. We all know the issues around the Spanish team and it really hurts as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and a human.
I would like to dedicated this award to the Spanish team, who played such great football that everyone enjoyed, and they deserve to be celebrated and listened to.
06:05 PM BST
Sarina Wiegman is on stage collecting her Uefa Women’s Coach of the Year award
Wiegman has managed England’s Lionesses to 30 wins in 39 games. She says she is less focused on her winning record than continuing to improve every day with the team, cultivating their style of play and the environment around the squad.
05:53 PM BST
The eight Champions League groups
Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray
Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Lens
Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga, Union Berlin
Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan, Salzburg, Real Sociedad
Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio, Celtic
Group F: Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United
Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
Group H: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Antwerp
05:52 PM BST
Young Boys join Manchester City from pot four
Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys
City will be heavily odds-on to win that group without breaking sweat. Guardiola might even have the freedom to rotate from early on.
05:52 PM BST
Lens complete Arsenal’s group
Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Lens
Mikel Arteta will have no complaints with that. It has the feel of a Europa League group in truth, but the job still needs to be done.
05:51 PM BST
Manchester United’s group now complete
Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Galatasaray
One heavyweight tie, but United should still fancy qualifying for the knockout rounds.
05:47 PM BST
Newcastle have been handed a real group of death!
Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Newcastle United.
Some cracking nights to look forward to, but almost as tough as it could have been, bar drawing Real Madrid.
05:45 PM BST
The groups that await Newcastle (C, D, E, F or H)
Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Copenhagen
Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven,
Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid, Braga
Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan, Salzburg,
Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio
Group F: Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan
Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade
Group H: Barcelona, Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk
05:44 PM BST
Copenhagen the third team in Manchester United’s group
That will make United fans feel more confident after such a tough pot one draw.
Red Star Belgrade are the third side in Manchester City’s group.
Newcastle out next.
05:40 PM BST
Arsenal’s group also features PSV…
A repeat of last season’s Europa League group stage. A repeat of the 2007 last-16 tie which saw Arsenal knocked out on away goals by Alex’s header.
05:35 PM BST
How the groups look at halfway
Group A: Bayern Munich, Manchester United
Group B: Sevilla, Arsenal
Group C: Napoli, Real Madrid
Group D: Benfica, Inter Milan
Group E: Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid
Group F: Paris St-Germain, Borussia Dortmund
Group G: Manchester City, RB Leipzig
Group H: Barcelona, Porto
05:35 PM BST
Manchester City will face RB Leipzig
Pep Guardiola will not be too upset with that from pot two, a repeat of their tie last season. Gvardiol will face his former club.
05:32 PM BST
Manchester United are out….
And they will face Bayern Munich in Group A!
A repeat of the 1999 final, and memories of Sir Alex Ferguson’s “typical Germans” comment after Rafael’s red card in 2010. Plus David Moyes’ only season at Old Trafford.
05:30 PM BST
Arsenal are out of the bowl….
They have a one in six chance of drawing Bayern Munich and Harry Kane…
But they have avoided that draw. They will face last year’s Europa League winners Sevilla in Group B.
05:28 PM BST
Time for pot two now
Arsenal and Manchester United fans stay tuned.
05:26 PM BST
How the eight pot one clubs have been allocated
Group A: Bayern Munich
Group B: Sevilla
Group C: Napoli
Group D: Benfica
Group E: Feyenoord
Group F: Paris St-Germain
Group G: Manchester City
Group H: Barcelona
05:22 PM BST
Here we go!
The balls in pot one are being shuffled.
05:20 PM BST
Just a reminder on country protection…
Teams from the same country cannot meet in the Champions League until the quarter-finals, so there will be no all-Premier League ties. One of the English clubs could face Celtic, though.
05:18 PM BST
Giorgio Marchetti is on stage
A familiar face to those of us who have sat through these Uefa draws over the years. He says we are about to be given some matches “which will set our hearts racing”.
05:16 PM BST
Joe Cole and Eric Abidal the former players involved in the draw
Abidal says he has great memories of winning the 2011 final with Barcelona at Wembley.
Cole describes Wembley as very romantic venue for English teams, and recalls sneaking into the old Wembley without a ticket as a kid.
05:11 PM BST
A piano occupies the stage…no sign of Alexis Sanchez
05:07 PM BST
We are now in the hands of Uefa…
The draw begins with a solo saxophone piece, which was curiously artistic by the standards of clinical Uefa minimalism. Now we await a succession of montages and introductions before the balls actually start being drawn.
04:59 PM BST
Joe Cole is part of today’s draw
He believes everyone will want to avoid Newcastle of the pot four teams (remember, the other English teams cannot draw them). Cole also thinks Arsenal are better positioned to enjoy a run through the tournament than Manchester United.
04:53 PM BST
Wembley a good omen for City and Guardiola?
The City manager has swept up several domestic cups at Wembley but the national stadium has also proved a lucky charm for Guardiola in European competition and hosts this season’s final.
Guardiola was part of Johann Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ at Barcelona which won the European Cup for the first time in the club’s history, beating Sampdoria 1-0 at Wembley in 1992. Ronald Koeman scored the winner with a trademark free-kick.
He then went on to manage Barcelona to European Cup success at Wembley in 2011, when they pulverised Manchester United.
04:49 PM BST
Luis Figo is in the building
04:39 PM BST
A reminder of last night’s results
There are 14 winners of the European Cup in the 32-team group stage draw after PSV Eindhoven advanced beyond Rangers in the play-offs.
PSV, the European champion in 1988, beat Rangers 5-1 in their play-off second leg to complete a 7-3 aggregate score.
Royal Antwerp have not played in the competition since 1957 yet also sealed their place in the draw by winning 2-1 at AEK Athens.
Copenhagen completed the line up with a 1-1 draw at home to competition debutant Raków Częstochowa having already won 1-0 in Poland.
04:37 PM BST
In case you’ve missed the music over the summer…
04:21 PM BST
How to watch this evening’s draw
In the UK, Champions League rights holders TNT Sports will broadcast the draw live on TNT Sport 1.
Alternatively, the draw is being streamed for free on Uefa’s website and YouTube channel.
In America, the draw is being shown on Paramount+. American viewers can also watch for free on the Uefa website or YouTube channel.
04:07 PM BST
Looks like Inter Milan legend Javier Zanetti will be part of today’s draw
04:03 PM BST
Newcastle’s potential opponents
Pot one: Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica, Feyenoord
Pot two: Real Madrid, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto
Pot three: Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, AC Milan, Braga, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, PSV
Best-case scenario: Feyenoord, Porto, Copenhagen, Newcastle United
Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Newcastle United
04:02 PM BST
Manchester United’s potential opponents
Pot one: Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica, Feyenoord
Pot three: Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, AC Milan, Braga, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, PSV, Young Boys
Pot four: Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Celtic, Union Berlin, Lens, Antwerp, Young Boys
Best-case scenario: Feyenoord, Manchester United, Copenhagen, Antwerp
Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Manchester United, AC Milan, Real Sociedad
04:02 PM BST
Arsenal’s potential opponents
Pot one: Sevilla, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG, Benfica, Feyenoord
Pot three: Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, AC Milan, Braga, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, PSV, Copenhagen
Pot four: Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Celtic, Union Berlin, Lens, Antwerp, Young Boys
Best-case scenario: Feyenoord, Arsenal, Copenhagen, Antwerp
Worst-case scenario: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Sociedad
04:02 PM BST
Manchester City’s potential opponents
Pot two: Real Madrid, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto
Pot three: Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg, AC Milan, Braga, Lazio, Red Star Belgrade, PSV, Copenhagen
Pot four: Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Celtic, Union Berlin, Lens, Antwerp, Young Boys
Best-case scenario: Man City, Porto, Salzburg, Young Boys
Worst-case scenario: Man City, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Galatasaray
04:01 PM BST
This year’s Champions League pots
04:01 PM BST
Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United await their fate
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of the 2023-24 Champions League group stage draw with Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United the Premier League’s four representatives.
Pep Guardiola’s City are the European Cup holders after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul in last season’s final, when Rodri’s winner sealed the Treble. City have lost Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona and Kevin De Bruyne to injury, but midfield reinforcements have arrived in the shape of Mateo Kovacic and the imminent signing of Mathues Nunes. City also paid £77.8 million to make Josko Gvardiol the second-most expensive defender ever. The Croatian played against City in this competition with RB Leipzig last season, and City are strong favourites to retain their crown for good reason.
Arsenal are returning to Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2016-17 and Mikel Arteta will be involved in his first Champions League matches as a manager. Arsenal’s record in European competition is poor for a club of their stature, and Arteta did not manage to crack the Europa League in three attempts. That said, the squad is stronger this season and the Champions League will demand greater attention. The balance of power has also shifted decisively towards the Premier League since Arsenal were last in the Champions League
Winning the Carabao Cup and securing a top-four finish was viewed as a successful first season at Manchester United for Erik ten Hag, and the three-time European Cup winners have not made it beyond the quarter-finals since 2011. It has been an unconvincing start to the season for United and they are scrambling to add a midfielder and emergency left-back before the close of the transfer window. Their Europa League exit to Sevilla was one of the lows of last season.
Newcastle United are making their first appearance in the Champions League since 2002-03. There will be doubts about whether Newcastle have the reserves of quality to compete at home and abroad, but the intensity of Eddie Howe’s team will make St James’ Park an uncompromising venue for any Champions League club. Their long absence from European competition puts them in pot four, leaving them to hope for a favourable draw. A group featuring both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid is a possibility.
We expect the draw to commence at 5pm.