UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Knockout Phase Playoffs Draw
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Which teams are through to the UCL last 16 after League Phase?
After a dramatic Matchday 8 in the League Phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, the top eight teams were decided, and there were several surprises in the final standings, with the likes of reigning champions PSG and perennial contenders Real Madrid missing out on the coveted spots.
While only three English teams have won the UCL title in the last 13 years, the Premier League’s representatives dominated the group stage. Of the six EPL teams in the competition, five secured their spot directly in the Round of 16, with Newcastle being the only exception, finishing in 12th place.
Arsenal set the benchmark, finishing with a perfect record of eight wins from eight matches, confirming our Champions League predictions. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur claimed third and fourth, respectively. Chelsea were sixth, while Manchester City rounded out the standings in eighth place.
The three remaining spots in the top eight went to Bayern Munich (2nd), Barcelona (5th) and Sporting Lisbon (7th). Notably, no teams from the Serie A or Ligue 1 were able to crack a top-eight finish during the League Phase of the competition.
Champions League Knockout Phase Playoffs Draw
The 16 teams that entered the Champions League Knockout Phase Playoffs draw were paired together based on their position at the end of the League Phase to form seeded and unseeded pairings. Teams that finished ninth to 16th were seeded, while 17th to 24th were unseeded.
Among the most notable seeded teams in the draw were defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, last season's runners-up Inter Milan, the most successful team in UCL history Real Madrid, and the Premier League’s final representative Newcastle United.
The draw produced a few mouth-watering fixtures, including an all-French affair with PSG set to face Monaco. Benfica and Real Madrid will lock horns once again after their dramatic end to the League Phase, in which the Eagles denied Los Blancos a top-eight finish. Newcastle and Qarabag will meet in their first-ever Knockout Phase Playoff.
Champions League Knockout Playoff draw confirmed
- Benfica vs Real Madrid
- Bodo/Glimt vs Inter Milan
- Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain
- Qarabag vs Newcastle United
- Galatasaray vs Juventus
- Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta
- Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen
The seeded teams in the Knockout Phase will play the second leg of their Playoff ties at home. Once the Knockout Phase is complete, another draw will be held to determine the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. The next UCL draw will take place on February 27.
Knockout Phase draw and fixture dates
Knockout Playoffs: 17-18 February (first legs); 24-25 February (second legs)
Round of 16: 10-11 March (first legs); 17-18 March (second legs)
Quarter-finals: 7-8 April (first legs); 14-15 April (second legs)
Semi-finals: 28-29 April (first legs); 5-6 May (second legs)
Final: 30 May
