New Champions League dates confirmed ahead of 2022 World Cup

UEFA have announced significant changes for the 2022/2023 Champions League campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The tournament in Qatar is set to have an impact on planning for next season.

It will be the first time the competition will be played in the middle of a European season, as FIFA approved for it to be played in November and December.

UEFA has now announced that the first group-stage fixtures will be played on September 6 or 7 – one week earlier than usual.

The second round of matches have been scheduled for a fortnight after.

Group fixtures will run up until November 1 and 2 – almost one month earlier than a regular season.

The final matches of the group stage did not take place until early December during last season.

The round of 16 fixtures will be played across the week commencing February 14 and 21, with the return legs scheduled for the week commencing March 7 and 14.

Quarter-final ties will be played on April 11/12 and April 18/19, with the last-four fixtures taking place May 9/10 and May 16/17.

The final is scheduled for June 10, 2023 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul