Champions League Draw: Last-16 dates, schedule, seedings and who could face the Premier League

The Champions League Draw on Friday at 11: 00 GMT will determine the last-16 opponents and the bracket paths that decide potential quarter-final, semi-final and final match-ups. The latest developments leave Atletico Madrid confirmed as one of Liverpool's possible opponents after a 7-4 aggregate win, while Newcastle sealed their place in the last 16 with a 9-3 aggregate victory over Qarabag; the draw on Friday (February 27) will confirm the remaining ties.

Champions League Draw: what will be decided at 11: 00 GMT on Friday

Sixteen teams will learn their last-16 opponents in the draw scheduled for Friday at 11: 00 GMT. The draw will also allocate each team to a side of the bracket so that all clubs will know who they could potentially meet in the quarter-final, semi-final and final. The draw on Friday February 27 covers the last 16 and sets the bracket that applies through the semi-finals.

Who is already in the hat and confirmed play-off winners

Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already confirmed 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 advanced from the knockout play-off round with a 7-4 aggregate victory over Club Brugge and are confirmed as one of Liverpool's two possible opponents. Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting. Other play-off ties have produced leading first-leg scores that will determine the final names in the hat before Friday.

Possible match-ups for Premier League sides

Clubs already know the limited list of opponents they could face in the Champions League last 16. Key permutations in play include:

• Arsenal: could be drawn against Bayer Leverkusen or Borussia Dortmund/Atalanta.
• Chelsea: could face Newcastle or Monaco/Paris Saint-Germain.
• Liverpool: could be drawn against Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/Juventus.
• Manchester City: could face Bodo/Glimt or Benfica/Real Madrid.
• Newcastle: will face Chelsea or Barcelona.
• Tottenham Hotspur: could meet Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/Juventus.

The earliest chance for two English sides to meet is in the last 16, with Newcastle potentially drawn against Chelsea. Other all-English clashes could first occur in the quarter-finals, where Manchester City could meet Arsenal, and Chelsea or Newcastle could meet Tottenham or Liverpool.

Remaining play-off ties and key first-leg leads

Several play-off ties remain decisive for who joins the last 16: Galatasaray hold a 5-2 advantage over Juventus after the first leg in Istanbul and are a possible opponent for Liverpool or Tottenham; Paris Saint-Germain hold a 3-2 lead before hosting Monaco, with the winner set to face Chelsea or Barcelona; Real Madrid lead Benfica 1-0 and can set up a tie with Sporting or Manchester City; Borussia Dortmund hold a 2-0 lead over Atalanta for the right to play Arsenal or Bayern Munich. On Wednesday the final names in the hat for the last 16 will be confirmed ahead of the draw.

Seeding, bracket mechanics and schedule for the last 16

The eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs will meet the top-eight finishers from the league-phase table in the draw. From this point the competition adopts a knockout format, with each fixture other than the final contested over two legs. Teams' final ranking in the league phase influences seeding in the last 16: seeded sides—those that finished in the top eight of the league phase—are given the advantage of playing second legs at home.

This is the first season in which league-phase position 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 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 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.

Last-16 first legs will take place on either 10 or 11 March, with the reverse fixtures scheduled for 17-18 March. The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary will host the 2025-26 final on 30 May. Schedule subject to confirmation by competition organisers; the draw on Friday will set the full list of ties and bracket lines.

Context and wider questions

With midweek play-offs concluding, the earliest knockout scenarios have narrowed from a list of four possibilities to two in many cases. Broader questions in the competition narrative include whether seven Premier League clubs could qualify for the Champions League and the note that Italian clubs are on the brink of historic Champions League embarrassment. These wider storylines will be clarified further once the draw at 11: 00 GMT on Friday settles the last-16 pairings and the bracket paths that follow.