Uefa Champions League Draw: uefa champions league draw to decide last-16 ties, dates and format
Sixteen teams will discover their opponents in the uefa champions league draw on Friday, when the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final bracket is set and sides learn potential paths to the final. The draw takes place on Friday February 27 at 11: 00 GMT (6: 00 ET) and will allocate a side of the bracket so teams will know who they could meet in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
Uefa Champions League Draw: timing, bracket and knockout format
The draw on Friday will bring together the eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs and the top eight sides from the league-phase table. From this point 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, and the draw will also allocate a side of the bracket so teams can trace potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents.
English clubs already through and Newcastle's route
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already in the hat before midweek, and Newcastle joined them in the last 16 after a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag in the play-off round. Newcastle will face Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16, and on Friday they will also find out 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. At the start of the week English sides had four possible opponents each; with the midweek play-offs concluding that list has been narrowed to two for the draw.
Play-off outcomes shaping specific last-16 ties
Several play-off results have already determined the pools of last-16 opponents. Atletico Madrid will meet either Tottenham or Liverpool. Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting. Bayer Leverkusen will play Bayern Munich or Arsenal, while Atalanta's defeat of Borussia Dortmund means they will play Arsenal or Bayern Munich. Paris Saint-Germain saw off Monaco and are set to face Chelsea or Barcelona. Galatasaray came through in extra time to beat Juventus 7-5 on aggregate and will play either Liverpool or Tottenham. Real Madrid will face Sporting or Manchester City. Top seeds Arsenal are due to be drawn against Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta.
Seeding changes and how they shape quarter-final and semi-final advantage
Seeding for the last 16 will be influenced by teams' final ranking in the league phase, with seeded sides—those that finished in the top eight of the league phase—given the advantage of playing second legs at home. This is the first season in which the positions teams placed in the league phase 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 home advantage in their quarter-final second legs. The two sides who finish top and runner-up in the league will 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.
Schedule, live coverage and the final venue
The draw for the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be made on Friday February 27, with live coverage of the draw beginning at 11am. The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary will host the 2025-26 final on 30 May. With the bracket now being allocated on Friday, clubs will be able to map potential routes through the two-legged ties that precede that final.
