2008/09 Access list

Having won last season's edition, Manchester United FC led the entries for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League, which will conclude on Wednesday 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Zenit in
The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July, and the action got under way a fortnight later. The eventual 32 group stage teams, of which 16 had automatic entry, went into the draw on 28 August and began their fixtures on 16/17 September; the full calendar for this season is shown on the lower of the two tables below. Competing in the group stage for the first time along with the likes of United and last season's runners-up Chelsea FC were UEFA Cup holders FC Zenit St. Petersburg, the Russian league winners in 2007.

Provisional list
Scottish champions Celtic also began in the group stage as United were already qualified through after winning the English title, hence PFC Levski Sofia moved forward to the third qualifying round and Wisla Kraków and MTK Budapest were excused the initial stage. Portuguese runners-up Vitória SC and Dutch play-off winners FC Twente were also involved, although AC Milan's fifth-place Serie A finish means they missed out for the first time since 2001/02 and competed in the UEFA Cup instead.