UEFA Champions League dates
Friday, June 20, 2008
Article summary
It may be only a month since Manchester United FC defeated Chelsea FC in Moscow, but the 2008/09 season starts on 15 July and uefa.com has the dates.
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Article body
It may be only a month since Manchester United FC defeated Chelsea FC to win the UEFA Champions League, but the 2008/09 season kicks off on 1 July with the first and second qualifying round draw for games taking place a fortnight later.
Dates
Twenty-eight teams enter in the first qualifying round in July, with a further 14 coming in at the next stage. The eventual 14 winners in that phase will then take on 18 teams for 16 places in the group stage, with as many places already filled and the draw for the competition proper taking place in Monaco on 28 August. The matches then begin on 16/17 September, all leading to the final at Rome's Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday 27 May 2009 – the last to take place before the showpiece is moved to the weekend.
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