Champions League Standings: champions league standings and every potential match in the 2025–26 Round of 16
champions league standings are shifting as the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League league phase has ended and the knockout phase playoffs are now halfway done, with four more teams securing their spot in the next round. The second legs took center stage on Tuesday and the results have clarified potential round of 16 matchups ahead of the final draw.
Knockout play-offs update
The draw for the knockout play-offs took place on January 30th, involving the teams that finished the league phase in places ninth to 24th. The knockout play-offs first legs are scheduled for February 17th and 18th, with second legs on February 24th and 25th. With the second legs this week, four more ties were decided and a total of 12 teams are already qualified for the next stage.
Key results this week
In the early kickoff Atlético Madrid avoided an upset and pummeled Club Brugge 4–1 in the second leg to progress to the last 16; that result left the overall tie at Atletico Madrid 7-4 Club Brugge. Newcastle United completed their dismantling of Qarabağ. Bayer Leverkusen got the job done against Olympiacos in comfortable fashion, winning 2-0 in the tie listed as Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Olympiacos. The biggest upset of the campaign so far came from Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, who went into San Siro and built on their first-leg advantage to eliminate last year’s finalists Inter Milan.
Champions League Standings: teams already through
The eight sides that progress straight to the round of 16 having finished in the top eight of the league phase are listed with their associations: 1. Arsenal (ENG), 2. Bayern Munich (GER), 3. Liverpool (ENG), 4. Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), 5. Barcelona (ESP), 6. Chelsea (ENG), 7. Sporting CP (POR), 8. Manchester City (ENG).
Teams advancing to the play-offs
The teams that finished the league phase in places 9 to 24 — and thus were involved in the knockout play-offs draw — are: 9. Real Madrid (ESP), 10. Inter Milan (ITA), 11. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), 12. Newcastle (ENG), 13. Juventus (ITA), 14. Atletico Madrid (ESP), 15. Atalanta (ITA), 16. Bayer Leverkusen (GER), 17. Borussia Dortmund (GER), 18. Olympiacos (GRE), 19. Club Brugge (BEL), 20. Galatasaray (TUR), 21. Monaco (FRA), 22. Qarabag (AZE), 23. Bodo/Glimt (NOR), 24. Benfica (POR).
Format, dates and the final draw
The league phase draw took place on August 28th in Monaco. The 36 qualified teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient, except for the Champions League title holders, Paris Saint-Germain, who were automatically placed as the top seed in Pot 1. The 36 teams were manually drawn while automated software then determined their eight different opponents at random and which of those matches were at home or away. Each team received two opponents from each of the four pots, one at home and one away. Teams could not draw opponents from their own association and could be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. The league phase first matchday ran September 16th-18th, 2025, and the league phase last matchday was January 28th, 2026. The final draw for the round of 16 and beyond will take place on Friday, February 27th, 2026; that draw will involve the teams that finish in the top eight of the league phase plus the eight knockout play-off winners. The draw will be streamed live online and on the official competition app.
Potential matchups and scenarios
With 12 teams already qualified and the remaining play-off winners to be decided in late February, the potential Champions League round of 16 matchups are starting to take shape. Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen are among the sides in contention. Newcastle United, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain are also in the mix. Some absolutely thrilling contests could be brewing as the round of 16 potential matchups get narrowed down. A round of 16 "Der Klassiker" between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund could be in the cards; if that matchup does not materialize, then top-seeded Arsenal would be forced into a bout against Borussia Dortmund.
Other teams mentioned in overall coverage of the competition include Ajax (NED), Athletic Club (ESP), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), FC Copenhagen (DEN), Kairat Almaty (KAZ), Marseille (FRA), Napoli (ITA), Pafos (CYP), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL), Slavia Prague (CZE) and Villarreal (ESP).
As the knockout play-offs conclude on February 24th and 25th and the final draw looms on February 27th, the competition calendar and these results mean the champions league standings and the full bracket for the last 16 will be clarified in short order.
