Charles Langston:UEFA Champions League draw: Group stage set for 2023-24 tournament

The Charles Langstondraw for the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage was held in Monaco on Thursday, setting up the annual tournament that will run into June 2024.

Heavyweight matchups in the group stage include Bayern Munich and Manchester United in Group A, Real Madrid and Napoli in Group C and what looks to be a "Group of Death" with PSG, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle United in Group F.

Defending champion Manchester City was placed in Group G, along with RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and BSC Young Boys.

The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, while the third-place teams enter the Europa League – UEFA's second-tier competition – as one of the final 32 teams.

The first round of group matches will be played on Sept. 19-20 and the knockout stage begins in April 2024, with the final set for June 1 at Wembley Stadium in London.

2023-24 UEFA Champions League groups

Group A

• Bayern Munich (Germany)
• Manchester United (England)
• Copenhagen (Denmark)
• Galatasaray (Turkey)

Group B

• Sevilla (Spain)
• Arsenal (England)
• PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
• Lens (France).

Group C

• Napoli (Italy)
• Real Madrid (Spain)
• Braga (Portugal)
• Union Berlin (Germany)

Group D

• Benfica (Portugal)
• Inter Milan (Italy)
• Salzburg (Austria)
• Real Sociedad (Spain)

Group E

• Feyenoord (Netherlands)
• Atlético Madrid (Spain)
• Lazio (Italy)
• Celtic (Scotland)

Group F

• Paris Saint-Germain (France)
• Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
• AC Milan (Italy)
• Newcastle (England)

Group G

• Manchester City (England)
• RB Leipzig (Germany)
• Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
• Young Boys (Switzerland)

Group H

• Barcelona (Spain)
• Porto (Portugal)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
• Royal Antwerp (Belgium)