NYON, Switzerland (AP) — The Champions League for next season formally got underway on Tuesday with four national league winners from Europe taking part in the draw for the preliminary round.
The first draw of the 2023-24 season was made one day after new champion Manchester City’s victory parade to fans at home. It paired Atlètic Club d’Escaldes of Andorra with Budućnost Podgorica of Montenegro, and San Marino’s Tre Penne with Icelandic champion Breidablik.
Iceland will host a knockout bracket of single-leg games from June 27-30. The winner will advance to the first qualifying round which is played from July 11-19.
The first qualifying round includes Sheriff, Ferencváros and Maccabi Haifa, which in recent seasons played in the elite group stage of the competition. That draw is made next Tuesday.
Losing teams in the preliminary round transfer across to the third-tier Europa Conference League qualifying rounds. They should eventually earn at least 700,000 euros ($750,000) in prize money from UEFA.
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