Champions League draw: where to watch the draw in India?

The draw will take place in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday at 4 p.m. GMT, midday ET when the 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four

The Champions League draw will have no new names in the 32-team lineup after the last confirmed entry ended an unlikely run by a Norwegian team.

Bodø/Glimt, which spent much of the past two decades in the Norwegian second division, had been hoping to cap its recent rise by joining Europe’s elite competition but lost in extra time to Dinamo Zagreb in the playoffs Wednesday.

Dinamo joined Rangers and Copenhagen, which also advanced through their playoffs to complete a group-stage lineup stacked with 14 former former champions who have won 56 of the 67 European Cup or Champions League titles. Seven more teams are previous beaten finalists.

The elite group includes defending champions Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus, still fighting Champions League organiser UEFA in the European Court of Justice for the right to form their own breakaway competition.

The Champions League typically showcases at least one new face — Sheriff of Moldova last year, Italy’s Atalanta in 2019 — and had four debutants two years ago.

There is no such upstart this season, though some in Scotland would argue Rangers should count as a first-timer. A humiliating financial crisis 10 years ago saw the storied club liquidated and restart anew in the fourth tier of Scottish soccer.

The Rangers name is now back in the Champions League after a 12-year absence, joining Glasgow rival Celtic in the group stage.