The knockout stages for this season's Champions League are taking shape, and the round-of-16 draw date is already in the diary
view of the draw balls during the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 Round of 16 draw at the UEFA Headquarters
The draw for this season's Champions League round of 16 will take place on February 27(Image: Kristian Skeie - UEFA, UEFA via Getty Images)
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Europe's elite clubs are frantically battling to secure their places in the next stage of the Champions League as the competition's opening phase reaches its climax. The top eight sides in the standings will progress straight through to the last 16, whilst those positioned ninth to 24th will face an additional round of knockout play-off matches.
Following a robust opening half of the tournament, the Premier League appears set to enjoy strong representation in the upcoming rounds. No fewer than six English sides are currently competing in this season's Champions League: Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle
Five of those clubs head into the last batch of league phase fixtures on Wednesday holding top-eight positions. City are the anomalies sitting outside that elite group at present after slipping up against Bodo/Glimt last week.
Securing an automatic path into the last 16 brings significant advantages, as those sides will avoid having to contest another two-legged tie in the knockout play-offs. This does mean, however, that supporters will need to wait slightly longer before discovering which qualified teams will feature in the last-16 draw.
When is the Champions League last-16 draw?
The draw for the round of 16 will take place at 11am GMT on February 27, two days after the final knockout play-off fixtures are completed. It's at this juncture that Europe's flagship competition will enter its most exclusive phase following the initial 36-team scramble for qualification.
This will also serve as the draw for the quarter-finals and semis, mapping out the remainder of the tournament. Higher-seeded sides are given priority in hosting return legs at their home stadium, and any team who manages to beat a higher-seeded opponent then assumes their seeding position.
How to watch the Champions League last-16 draw
This photograph shows the UEFA Champions League trophy, before the draw for the group stage of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League football tournament, at the Grimaldi Forum
This season's Champions League has seen the English clubs thrive(Image: FREDERIC DIDES, AFP via Getty Images)
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How the Champions League round-of-16 draw works
As previously mentioned, the top eight finishers from the league phase will progress to the last 16 and enter as the remaining seeds. The other half of the draw will consist of the eight sides who successfully navigate their play-off round fixtures, who will be unseeded.
A pre-determined bracket splits the last 16 teams into four sections, where the seeded sides from each section are paired against one of their two possible opponents. Again, the complete identities of the 16 qualified clubs won't be confirmed until the knockout play-off round concludes on February 25.
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When are the Champions League last 16 matches scheduled?
Just two weeks after the draw, the first-leg fixtures for the last 16 will be held on March 10 and March 11. The second legs will follow on March 17 and March 18, with the higher-seeded teams having the advantage of playing their return legs at home.
The Premier League has already confirmed certain matches during this period will have their kick-off times adjusted if specific teams are participating in the Champions League. For instance, if Manchester City are playing away in the Champions League on March 11, their 12.30pm kick-off at West Ham on Saturday, March 14 will be moved to the 8pm slot.
Similarly, if Liverpool are playing away in Europe on March 18, their lunchtime kick-off against Brighton on Saturday, March 21 will be rescheduled to an 8pm start. Additionally, the EFL Cup final on March 22 may also affect other kick-off times, which will be determined at a later date.
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