After the three return play-off matches which were played on Tuesday (with the qualification of SL Benfica, Maccabi Haifa and Viktoria Plzen), 29 of the 32 participants in the group stage of the Champions League are known. So only three teams are missing to have all the clubs in the running for the group stage. For that, we will have to wait until tomorrow evening and the last return play-off matches. Nevertheless, the first two hats are already closed. The first will be made up of the seeds with the defending champion, the best national champions, including Paris Saint-Germain, and the winner of the Europa League. The second hat will be made up of the clubs with the highest UEFA indices. As for the third and fourth group, there are still a few vacant places with the last qualified.
Unfortunately for Olympique de Marseille, their place is assured in the last hat. With Benfica qualifying this evening, the Marseille club can no longer hope to be upgraded to pot 3. Because of this place in the last pot, OM could come across a very tough group with, for example, Real Madrid (pot 1), Liverpool (hat 2) and Inter Milan (hat 3). Conversely, if the draw is more lenient, the Marseillais can hope to have a relatively accessible group with Eintracht Frankfurt (hat 1), Sevilla FC (hat 2) and Chakhtior Donetsk (hat 3). All that remains is to hope that luck is on their side. As a reminder, the draw for the group stage of the 2022-2023 Champions League will take place on August 25 from UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.