The group stage of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League began on 16 September 1998 and ended on 9 December 1998. Eight teams qualified automatically for the group stage, while 16 more qualified via a preliminary round. The 24 teams were divided into six groups of four, and the teams in each group played against each other on a home-and-away basis, meaning that each team played a total of six group matches. For each win, teams were awarded three points, with one point awarded for each draw.
References
1998–99 UEFA Champions League group stage Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA