The season
The 2022/23 competition used the format we call “eight groups, then knockouts”. Eight groups of four, then two-legged knockout rounds from the last sixteen. 32 clubs from 15 countries took part, and Manchester City won it, beating Inter Milan in the final.
By our squad ratings, Liverpool had the strongest squad in the field, with a best eleven averaging 87. Manchester City were the second strongest squad: among the favourites, if not the clear one. Their opponents in the final, Inter Milan, rated 85.
Germany sent the most clubs, 5. 8 of the 15 nations in the field had a single representative.
The highest-rated player in the competition, by our estimates, was Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain, a CDM rated 91.
Thirty-two clubs played eight groups of four, home and away. The top two from each group went into the round of sixteen, and from there every tie was played over two legs until the single-match final. There was no away-goals rule: ties level on aggregate went to extra time and penalties.
The strongest squads
Our rating for each club is the average of its best eleven players that season, on the scale the game uses.
- 1LiverpoolEngland87
- 2Manchester CityEngland87
- 3Real MadridSpain87
- 4ChelseaEngland86
- 5FC BarcelonaSpain86
- 6FC Bayern MunichGermany86
- 7Paris Saint-GermainFrance86
- 8Atlético MadridSpain85
The best players in the field
- 1 NeymarParis Saint-Germain · CDM91
- 2Paul PogbaJuventus · CM90
- 3Thibaut CourtoisReal Madrid · GK90
- 4Kevin De BruyneManchester City · LM89
- 5Mohamed SalahLiverpool · LW89
- 6Alisson BeckerLiverpool · GK88
- 7Antoine GriezmannAtlético Madrid · ST88
- 8Dani CarvajalReal Madrid · LB88
- 9David AlabaReal Madrid · RB88
- 10Harry KaneTottenham Hotspur · ST88
The groups
Replay 2022/23 in Magic Nights
In Magic Nights you can take charge of any of these 32 clubs, with the squad they had that season, and play the competition in this exact format. Win it with the favourites, or try the hardest job in the game: lifting the trophy with a club from the bottom half of the field.