Geneva: Ajax has completed the 32-team Champions League line-up that sees Liverpool spearhead another English challenge in the group-stage draw on Thursday.
After all-English finals in both UEFA club competitions last season, defending champion Liverpool, Premier League title holder Manchester City and Europa League winner Chelsea are all in the pot of eight top-seeded teams.
Runner-up Tottenham is joined in the pot of second-seeded teams by Ajax, its semi-final opponent last season which advanced from the playoff round on Wednesday. England seeks to lift European soccer’s most iconic trophy for the 14th time.
Spain has a record 18 titles, though those were won by just two clubs — 13 for Real Madrid, five for Barcelona. Five different English clubs have won the competition which kicked off 64 years ago. A familiar group of national champions from Europe’s top leagues completes the top-seeded pot: Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and, back after a three-year gap, Zenit St. Petersburg. USD 2.1 BILLION PRIZE FUND The 32 teams, from 16 different countries, will again share prize money of 1.95 billion euros (USD 2.16 billion) from UEFA. The total revenue is 3.25 billion ($3.6 billion) for broadcasting and commercial sales across the Champions League, Europa League and season-opening Super Cup.
The title winner in Istanbul on May 30 should get at least 100 million euros (USD 111 million). All 32 clubs get a basic fee of 15.25 million euros (USD 16.9 million) plus more based on match results, a share of national television rights, and a ranking of their historical record in UEFA competitions. Seeding the Teams UEFA’s seeding for pots 2 to 4 grades teams by their Champions League and Europa League results in the previous five years.
Last season, Liverpool and Ajax both emerged from pot No. 3. Of 11 former European champions in the draw, four will come from the pot of second-seeded teams: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Benfica. Third-seeded teams include Salzburg, which is entering the group stage for the first time in 24 years with new American coach Jesse Marsch. (AP)
