2023–24 UEFA Youth League group stage explained

The 2023–24 UEFA Youth League UEFA Champions League Path (group stage) began on 19 September and concluded on 13 December 2023.^[1] A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League Path to decide 16 of the 24 places in the knockout phase (play-offs and the round of 16 onwards) of the 2023–24 UEFA Youth League.

Draw

The youth teams of the 32 clubs which qualified for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League group stage entered the UEFA Champions League Path. If there was a vacancy (youth teams not entering), it was filled by a team defined by UEFA.

For the UEFA Champions League Path, the 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. There was no separate draw held, with the group compositions identical to the draw for the 2023–24 Champions League group stage, which was held on 31 August 2023.^[2]

Key to colours
Group winners advanced to round of 16
Group runners-up advanced to play-offs

Team Manchester City Sevilla Barcelona Napoli Bayern Munich Paris Saint-Germain Benfica Feyenoord

Team Real Madrid Manchester United Inter Milan Borussia Dortmund Atlético Madrid RB Leipzig Porto Arsenal

Team Shakhtar Donetsk Red Bull Salzburg Milan Braga PSV Eindhoven Lazio Red Star Belgrade Copenhagen

Team Young Boys Real Sociedad Galatasaray Celtic Newcastle United Union Berlin Antwerp Lens

Format

In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners advanced to the round of 16. The group runners-up would face the winners of the domestic champions path second round in the knockout round play-offs, while the third and fourth-placed teams were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria was applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see Article 14 Group formation and match system – UEFA Champions League path group stage, Regulations of the UEFA Youth League):^[3]

1. Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
4. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
5. Goal difference in all group matches;
6. Goals scored in all group matches;
7. Away goals scored in all group matches;
8. Wins in all group matches;
9. Away wins in all group matches;
10. Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
11. Drawing of lots.

Groups

Times are CET/CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Group A

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Group B

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Group C

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Group D

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Group E

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Group F

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Group G

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Group H

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External links

• • UEFA Youth League Matches: 2023–24, UEFA.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Draws | UEFA Youth League . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations.
2. Web site: 31 August 2023 . UEFA Champions League group stage draw . 31 August 2023 . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations.
3. Web site: Article 14 Group formation and match system – UEFA Champions League path group stage ● Regulations of the UEFA Youth League, 2023/24 Season . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 1 May 2023 . 5 October 2023.