The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw is right around the corner and expectedly, Europe's best teams are left in the competition.
As South African football fans eagerly await the draw ceremony, it's important to mention that defending champions Manchester City are favourites to retain their title, while clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint Germain are other likely winners of this year's trophy.
In this article, we'll introduce the qualified teams, when the draw will take place and where you can watch it live in South Africa.
The teams in the UCL quarter-final draw
Eight teams have qualified for this season's UCL quarter-finals and it's the very best of them all that will fight for the prestigious trophy.
- Real Madrid: Los Blancos picked a 1-0 victory away in Germany before playing out a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home to reach the last 8 in a 2-1 aggregate score.
- Manchester City: The reigning champions recorded a 3-1 scoreline in both home and away games against Copenhagen to advance into the quarter-final.
- Arsenal: The Gunners booked their place in the UCL quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after a 4-2 penalty shootout victory against FC Porto. Both sides won 1-0 in their home games to set up the dramatic end to the tie.
- Bayern Munich: The Bavarians booked their spot in the last 8 after overturning a 1-0 loss to Lazio in the first leg with a 3-0 victory at home.
- Paris Saint Germain: PSG returned to the last 8 of the Champions League following a convincing 4-1 aggregate score in the Round of 16 against Real Sociedad, a tie superstar striker Kylian Mbappe netted three of the team's four goals.
- Barcelona: The Blaugrana made a comeback to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2020 after eliminating Napoli 4-2 on aggregate with Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scoring on both legs.
- Atletico Madrid: Colchoneros shocked Inter Milan and the football world at the Wanda Metropolitano during their Round of 16 second leg by coming from 0-2 aggregate deficit to tie the score at 2-2 in regulation time. After both sides failed to win in extra time, Atleti dumped out last season's finalists 3-1 in the penalty shootout.
- Borussia Dortmund: After their 1-1 draw in Netherlands, a goal in each half of the second leg secured Schwarzgelben a place in the UCL quarter-finals as they overcame high-flying PSV 3-1 on aggregate.
When is the UCL quarter-final draw taking place?
Without further ado, the UCL quarter-final draw will take place on Friday, 15 March 2024 at the House of European Football located in Nyon, Switzerland.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 11 PM GMT for football fans in the United Kingdom, 7 AM ET for football fans in the United States, and 1 PM SAST for football fans in South Africa.
We'll have a confirmed path to the finals as not only a draw for the quarter-finals will be made, but semi-final and final pairings will also be decided.
Where to watch UCL quarter-final draw live in South Africa
Excited viewers in South Africa will be able to catch the UCL quarter-final draw live on UEFA's official website, uefa.com.
The draw ceremony will also be available to watch live on an official UEFA broadcast partner's network like Supersport.
South African fans can also keep an eye on the live updates from UEFA's official social media handles.
This article was most recently revised and updated 6 months ago