Champions League Draw: Last-16 opponents, dates and seeding explained
The champions league draw will be held on Friday at 11: 00 GMT and will place 16 teams into a knockout bracket that also maps potential quarter-final and semi-final paths. The draw matters now because it will confirm opponents for clubs already qualified and for winners emerging from play-off ties.
Champions League Draw set for 11: 00 GMT on Friday, 27 February — who is in the hat
Sixteen teams will discover their opponents in the knockout draw when it begins at 11: 00 GMT on Friday, 27 February. Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already in the hat, and Newcastle joined them in the last 16 after a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag in the play-off round. On Wednesday, the names in the hat for the last-16 were confirmed as the remaining play-off ties concluded.
Play-off outcomes and remaining ties that will finish the field
Several play-off results and first-leg leads determine the final pairings. Atletico Madrid completed a 7-4 aggregate victory over Club Brugge to become one of Liverpool's two possible opponents. Galatasaray hold a 5-2 advantage over Juventus after the first leg in Istanbul and are one possible opponent for Liverpool or Tottenham. Paris Saint-Germain hold a 3-2 lead before hosting Monaco, with that winner lined up to face Chelsea or Barcelona. Borussia Dortmund have a 2-0 lead over Atalanta as they aim for the right to play Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Real Madrid lead Benfica 1-0 and can set up a tie with Sporting or Manchester City. Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting.
Which sides could meet England's qualifiers in the last 16 and beyond
Pre-draw permutations show who the six English qualifiers could face. Arsenal, as top seeds, will be drawn against one of Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta. Bayer Leverkusen could play Bayern Munich or Arsenal. Chelsea’s possible opponents are Newcastle or Monaco/PSG. Liverpool will face either Atletico Madrid or the winner of Galatasaray versus Juventus. Manchester City can draw Bodo/Glimt or the Benfica/Real Madrid winner. Newcastle know they will face Chelsea or Barcelona after their play-off win. Tottenham’s potential opponents are Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/Juventus. Newcastle will also discover on Friday whether Tottenham or Liverpool are potential quarter-final opponents and whether they are on course for a potential semi-final with Manchester City or Arsenal.
All-English clash possibilities and tournament mapping
The earliest opportunity for two English sides to meet is in the last 16, when Newcastle could come up against Chelsea. The earliest opportunity for any other all-English meetings is in the quarter-finals, when Manchester City could meet Arsenal, and when Chelsea or Newcastle could meet Tottenham or Liverpool. Friday's draw will also allocate a side of the bracket for all teams, meaning every club will know which quarter-final, semi-final and potential final opponents lie on their path.
Schedule, two-legged ties and the new seeding rules from the league phase
From the last-16 stage onward the competition adopts a knockout format, with each fixture other than the final contested over two legs. Last-16 first legs will take place on either 10 or 11 March, with the reverse fixtures scheduled for 17-18 March. The eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs join the top eight sides from the league-phase table in the draw. Seeding for the last 16 is influenced by final ranking in the league phase: seeded sides—those that finished in the top eight of the league—are given the advantage of playing second legs at home. This is the first season that league-phase position will also influence seeding for the quarter-final and semi-finals. Teams finishing first to fourth at the end of the league phase will be seeded for the quarter-finals and therefore given 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 them the benefit of playing the second leg of their semis 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.
Final venue confirmed and what Friday will resolve
The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary will host the 2025-26 final on 30 May. The draw on Friday will confirm the last-16 matchups, set the bracket sides that determine quarter-final and semi-final pairings, and confirm Liverpool’s opposition after Atletico Madrid was confirmed as one of their possible rivals. The champions league draw thus completes the immediate roadmap for the knockout phase and fixes the dates and structure clubs will follow into March and beyond.
