The draw to decide the knockout rounds will take place on Friday as Europe’s elite discover their last-16 opponents
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The Champions League trophy is the ultimate prize in Budapest at the end of May
The Champions League trophy is the ultimate prize in Budapest at the end of May (Reuters)
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The Champions League knockout rounds are set to be mapped out this week as the draw for the last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals takes place in Nyon, Switzerland.
The midweek play-off games will send eight more sides into the round of 16 to join the top eight from the league phase. Five Premier League teams – Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – have already qualified for the knockout rounds, with Newcastle set to join them via the play-offs.
The outline of the draw has already been made, with teams grouped into small pools of possible opponents based on their league placings.
Arsenal, who finished top of the league phase, are likely facing a Bundesliga team, with both Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen poised to progress from the play-offs; Man City could meet Real Madrid; Liverpool and Tottenham could meet Atletico Madrid; while Chelsea and Newcastle could draw each other.
When is the draw?
The Champions League last-16 draw will take place in Nyon at 11pm GMT (12pm local time) on Friday 27 February.
How to watch online
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website, YouTube channel and Champions League app.
Which teams have qualified for the last-16?
The top eight sides in this season’s Champions League league phase await in the knockout rounds. They are:
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur
Barcelona
Chelsea
Sporting CP
Manchester City
Who is in the play-offs?
The teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase went into the play-offs. Here are the results from the first legs, with the second legs to be played this week:
Galatasaray 5–2 Juventus
Monaco 2–3 Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica 0–1 Real Madrid
Dortmund 2–0 Atalanta
Qarabag 1–6 Newcastle United
Olympiacos 0–2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bodø/Glimt 3–1 Inter Milan
Club Brugge 3–3 Atletico Madrid
Who can each team draw?
The teams have been grouped into seeded couplets according to how they finished in the league phase, so, for example, either Arsenal (who finished top) or Bayern Munich (who finished second) will play the winners of either Bodo/Glimt v Inter Milan or Benfica v Real Madrid.
Barcelona and Chelsea will be drawn against the winners of:
Monaco v PSG and Qarabag v Newcastle
Liverpool and Tottenham will be drawn against the winners of:
Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray v Juventus
Sporting and Manchester City will be drawn against the winners of:
Bodo/Glimt v Inter Milan and Benfica v Real Madrid
Arsenal and Bayern Munich will be drawn against the winners of:
Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta and Olympiakos v Bayer Leverkusen
What are the match dates?
The last-16 ties will take place in mid-March. Here are the remaining round dates:
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)