Champions League draw sets Benfica vs Real Madrid rematch as Qarabag land Newcastle

Mo. Basuony

Published: January 30, 2026 12:01 PM ET

Champions League draw

The champions league draw for the 2025-26 knockout phase play-offs has locked in eight two-legged ties, headlined by Benfica vs Real Madrid and a long-haul trip for Newcastle to Qarabag. The matchups were confirmed in Nyon, Switzerland, and the winners will move into the round of 16 to join the top eight from the league phase.

For fans searching ucl draw or cl draw updates, the key point is that the bracket is now taking shape: the play-off round is fixed, and the next draw (for the round of 16) comes after these ties are completed.

Champions league draw time and how it worked

The champions league draw time was 6:00 a.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026 (12:00 CET) at UEFA’s House of European Football in Nyon. The uefa champions league draw paired clubs ranked 9th–24th after the league phase into seeded vs unseeded matchups, with two legs to decide who advances.

The play-offs are scheduled for Feb. 17–18 (first legs) and Feb. 24–25 (second legs). Unless otherwise stated, kickoffs are set for 3:00 p.m. ET (21:00 CET), with select matches at 12:45 p.m. ET (18:45 CET).

Benfica vs Real Madrid: immediate reunion

Benfica vs Real Madrid arrives with extra heat because the clubs just met in the league phase, and Benfica’s late surge to win set up a rematch almost immediately. Benfica host the first leg in Lisbon, before Real Madrid bring it back to the Bernabéu for the second leg.

From a tactical standpoint, the tie is a clash of Real Madrid’s knockout pedigree against a Benfica side that has looked comfortable turning games chaotic—exactly the sort of environment that can punish small mistakes over 180 minutes.

Qarabag and the “quarabag” search spike

The draw also sent Newcastle to Qarabag—often spelled Qarabağ, and frequently misspelled online as quarabag—in what is set to be one of the most travel-heavy ties of the round. Qarabag will host the first leg in Azerbaijan before the return fixture in England.

For Newcastle, the matchup is about managing schedule strain as much as opponent quality. Qarabag’s home atmosphere and travel demands have historically made European ties there uncomfortable for visiting teams.

UCL draw fixtures and dates in ET

Below is the full play-off slate (home team listed first for the first leg), with leg dates and listed kickoff times converted to Eastern Time.

Tie (first leg host)	First leg (ET)	Second leg (ET)
Galatasaray vs Juventus	Tue, Feb. 17 — 12:45 p.m.	Wed, Feb. 25 — 3:00 p.m.
Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain	Tue, Feb. 17 — 3:00 p.m.	Wed, Feb. 25 — 3:00 p.m.
Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta	Tue, Feb. 17 — 3:00 p.m.	Wed, Feb. 25 — 12:45 p.m.
Benfica vs Real Madrid	Tue, Feb. 17 — 3:00 p.m.	Wed, Feb. 25 — 3:00 p.m.
Qarabag vs Newcastle	Wed, Feb. 18 — 12:45 p.m.	Tue, Feb. 24 — 3:00 p.m.
Club Brugge vs Atlético de Madrid	Wed, Feb. 18 — 3:00 p.m.	Tue, Feb. 24 — 12:45 p.m.
Bodø/Glimt vs Inter	Wed, Feb. 18 — 3:00 p.m.	Tue, Feb. 24 — 3:00 p.m.
Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen	Wed, Feb. 18 — 3:00 p.m.	Tue, Feb. 24 — 3:00 p.m.

Champions league bracket: what’s next after the play-offs

The champions league bracket is now clearer, but the round-of-16 pairings won’t be finalized until the next draw after the play-offs conclude. The top eight sides already through to the round of 16 are Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern München, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP, and Tottenham.

The next key date is the round of 16 draw on Feb. 27, 2026, after which the knockout calendar continues: