Champions League Draw Friday: Last-16 opponents, schedule, format and Atletico confirmed as a Liverpool possibility
The Champions League Draw on Friday at 11: 00 GMT will set the last-16 ties and place every qualifying side on a side of the bracket, meaning clubs will immediately know potential quarter-final and semi-final paths. The Champions League Draw matters because eight play-off winners join the top-eight league-phase finishers and the new seeding rules will shape home advantage through to the semi-finals.
Champions League Draw: what the draw will decide
The draw will pair the eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs with the top eight sides from the league-phase table, and will also allocate a side of the bracket for all teams. From the draw stage onward the competition adopts a knockout format: every fixture other than the final is contested over two legs. The bracket outcome will show who each team could meet in the quarter-final, semi-final and final.
Who is already in the last 16
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already in the hat before the final play-offs concluded. Newcastle joined them in the last 16 after a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag in the play-off round. Top seeds Arsenal will be drawn against Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta.
Play-off winners and confirmed possible ties
- Newcastle secured their place with a 9-3 aggregate victory over Qarabag and will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16.
- Atletico Madrid completed a 7-4 aggregate victory over Club Brugge and are confirmed as one of Liverpool's two possible opponents in the last 16.
- The Juventus–Galatasaray tie evolved through two notable stages in the week: Galatasaray held a 5-2 advantage after the first leg in Istanbul, and subsequently came through in extra time to beat Juventus 7-5 on aggregate, setting up the chance to play Liverpool or Tottenham.
- Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting in the last 16.
- Bayer Leverkusen will play either Bayern Munich or Arsenal.
- Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain saw off Monaco and are set to face Chelsea or Barcelona.
- Real Madrid are set to play Sporting or Manchester City.
- Atalanta defeated Borussia Dortmund and will play Arsenal or Bayern Munich.
Club-by-club last-16 possibilities
With the play-offs concluded, clubs can narrow the field of potential opponents. The immediate possibilities are:
- Arsenal: Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta
- Chelsea: Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain
- Liverpool: Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray
- Manchester City: Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid
- Newcastle: Chelsea or Barcelona
- Tottenham: Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray
Newcastle will also discover on Friday whether Tottenham or Liverpool are potential quarter-final opponents, and whether their bracket places them on course for a potential semi-final with Manchester City or Arsenal.
Dates, schedule and the final venue
The draw itself will take place on Friday, February 27, at 11: 00 GMT and will determine the last-16, quarter-final and semi-final pairings. Last-16 first legs are scheduled for either 10 or 11 March, with the reverse fixtures on 17–18 March. The Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary will host the 2025–26 final on 30 May. Schedule is subject to the usual competition confirmation and could change.
Seeding, bracket mechanics and what’s new this season
Seeding in the last 16 is influenced by teams' final ranking in the league phase: seeded sides are those that finished in the top eight of the league-phase table, and they are given the advantage of playing the second leg of their last-16 ties at home. This season introduces a further change: the position teams finished in the league phase will also influence seeding for the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
- Teams finishing first to fourth in the league phase will be seeded for the quarter-finals and will receive the home advantage for the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
- The two sides who finish top and runner-up in the league phase will be seeded for the semi-finals and would play the second leg of their semi-final at home should they reach that stage.
- If a seeded team does not progress to the quarter-finals or semi-finals, the team that knocks them out will inherit their seeding position.
Questions and wider context
Clubs already know the opponents they could face in the Champions League last 16, but several broader storylines remain active: could seven Premier League clubs qualify for the Champions League? Are Italian clubs on the brink of a historic Champions League embarrassment? These themes will be clarified further as the bracket takes shape on Friday.
Friday's draw will crystallize matchups, bracket routes and seeding consequences for the coming knockout rounds; teams, coaches and fans will learn both immediate opponents and the potential road to the final at the Puskás Aréna.
