Champions League Draw: Last-16 opponents, schedule, seeding and key play-off outcomes explained
The Champions League Draw will take place on Friday at 11: 00 GMT (Friday, February 27), when sixteen teams will discover their opponents for the knockout phase. The draw will allocate a side of the bracket for every club, revealing possible quarter-final, semi-final and final routes as the competition moves into two-legged knockout ties.
Champions League Draw: who is already in the hat and confirmed play-off outcomes
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already in the hat. Newcastle joined them in the last 16 after a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag in the play-off round. Atletico Madrid completed a 7-4 aggregate victory over Club Brugge in the knockout play-off round and is confirmed as one of Liverpool's two possible opponents. Galatasaray hold a 5-2 advantage over Juventus after the first leg in Istanbul. Paris Saint-Germain hold a 3-2 lead before hosting Monaco. Real Madrid lead Benfica 1-0. Borussia Dortmund hold a 2-0 lead over Atalanta. Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting. Bayer Leverkusen will play Bayern Munich or Arsenal.
How the bracket and seeding work in this Champions League Draw
The eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs join the top eight sides from the league-phase table in the draw, forming the last-16 field. From this point onward the competition adopts a knockout format in which each fixture other than the final is contested over two legs. Seeded sides—defined as those that finished in the top eight of the league phase—are given the advantage of playing the second leg of their last-16 ties at home.
This is the first season in which league-phase positions will also influence seeding for the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Teams finishing first to fourth at the end of the league phase will be seeded for the quarter-finals and therefore be given the home advantage in their quarter-final tie second legs. The two sides who finish top and runner-up in the league will also be seeded for the semi-finals, earning the benefit of playing the second leg of their semi-final at home should they reach that stage. If a seeded team does not progress to the quarter- or semi-finals, the team that knocks them out will inherit their seeding position.
Confirmed and potential last-16 matchups
With the play-offs concluding, many potential ties are clearer. Newcastle will face Chelsea or Barcelona after their play-off win. Atletico Madrid has set up a last-16 position that could pair them with Tottenham or Liverpool. The current matchup picture includes:
- Arsenal: Bayer Leverkusen or Borussia Dortmund/Atalanta
- Chelsea: Newcastle or Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain
- Liverpool: Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/Juventus
- Manchester City: Bodo/Glimt or Benfica/Real Madrid
- Newcastle: Chelsea or Barcelona
- Tottenham: Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/Juventus
Schedule for the last-16 ties and the wider calendar
Last-16 first legs are scheduled to take place on either 10 or 11 March, with the reverse fixtures scheduled for 17-18 March. The draw on Friday will also determine the full bracket, so clubs will know potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents immediately after the draw.
The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary will host the 2025-26 final on 30 May.
What to watch for at the draw and immediate next steps
On Wednesday the names in the hat for the last 16 were confirmed, narrowing several teams' possible opponents down to two. The draw on Friday will be for the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, confirming who each side could meet in each subsequent round. The earliest opportunity for two English sides to meet is in the last 16, when Newcastle could face Chelsea. Other potential all-English meetings could first occur in the quarter-finals, including a Manchester City v Arsenal possibility or Chelsea/Newcastle v Tottenham/Liverpool scenarios, depending on the draw.
Recent match aggregates and the remaining play-off results will feed directly into Friday's draw, which will set the charted path through the knockout stages and determine which seeded advantages apply in each tie.
