Champions League Knockout Rounds 2026
The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has reached its decisive phase. Following a dramatic playoff round that eliminated heavyweights like Internazionale and Juventus, the round-of-16 draw has paired 16 remaining contenders on the road to the Budapest final. Below is a complete guide covering every qualified club, each confirmed matchup with kick-off times, the full bracket layout, and an analysis of how the league phase standings continue to shape the tournament.
Which clubs are still in the competition?
Sixteen teams remain in contention for European club football's greatest prize. The top eight finishers in the revamped league phase earned direct passage to the round of 16 and received seeded status for the draw. Each seeded side was then matched with one of the eight unseeded clubs that progressed through the knockout playoff round, with pairings determined by final league phase positions.
Seeded teams (top eight in league phase):
- Arsenal
- Bayern Munich
- Liverpool
- Tottenham
- Barcelona
- Chelsea
- Sporting CP
- Manchester City
Unseeded teams (knockout playoff round winners):
- Real Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Newcastle United
- Atletico Madrid
- Atalanta
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Galatasaray
- Bodø/Glimt
What are the matchups?
All eight round-of-16 ties are confirmed, with first legs taking place on March 10–11 and return legs on March 17–18. Each matchup is a two-legged affair decided on aggregate score.
| Date | Match | Kick-off (ET / GMT) |
| First Legs | ||
| March 10 | Galatasaray vs. Liverpool | 1:45 p.m. / 5:45 p.m. |
| March 10 | Atalanta vs. Bayern Munich | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 10 | Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 10 | Newcastle United vs. Barcelona | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 11 | Bayer Leverkusen vs. Arsenal | 1:45 p.m. / 5:45 p.m. |
| March 11 | Real Madrid vs. Manchester City | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 11 | Bodø/Glimt vs. Sporting CP | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 11 | Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| Second Legs | ||
| March 17 | Sporting CP vs. Bodø/Glimt | 1:45 p.m. / 5:45 p.m. |
| March 17 | Arsenal vs. Bayer Leverkusen | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 17 | Chelsea vs. Paris Saint-Germain | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 17 | Manchester City vs. Real Madrid | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 18 | Barcelona vs. Newcastle United | 1:45 p.m. / 5:45 p.m. |
| March 18 | Bayern Munich vs. Atalanta | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 18 | Liverpool vs. Galatasaray | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
| March 18 | Tottenham vs. Atletico Madrid | 4:00 p.m. / 8:00 p.m. |
What does the bracket look like?
The bracket is now locked in, giving every remaining side a clear view of the path through the quarterfinals, semifinals, and on to the final. UEFA's format means that each round-of-16 winner already knows their likely quarterfinal opponent, removing the traditional redraw that used to take place between rounds.
With the bracket finalized, clubs and supporters alike can map out the full journey to Budapest. The structure splits into two distinct halves — the Silver Path and the Blue Path — each producing one finalist.
How is the bracket shaping up?
Blue Path (bottom half)
Arsenal appear to have drawn the more favorable side of the bracket. The Gunners are expected to be strong favorites in every matchup through at least the semifinal stage. Barcelona could emerge as their biggest obstacle on this route, but should the Blaugrana falter earlier, Arsenal's passage to the Budapest final looks relatively unobstructed.
Silver Path (top half)
The upper half of the bracket reads like a who's who of European royalty. Manchester City and Real Madrid collide in the Champions League knockouts for a fifth consecutive season — a rivalry that has defined the competition in recent years. Only one of PSG, Chelsea, and Liverpool can advance past the semifinal. Layer in Bayern Munich — winners of seven out of eight league phase fixtures — as the top seed, and this route to the final becomes an authentic gauntlet.
All signs point to another gripping conclusion once the knockout rounds get underway.
Why did it matter where teams finished in the league phase table?
Last season offered a vivid illustration of how the reformed format can shape a club's entire campaign. Manchester City failed to secure a top-eight spot until the final matchday of the league phase. Their 22nd-place finish consigned them to the knockout playoff round, where — as an unseeded team — they were drawn against seeded Real Madrid. The defending champions dispatched City 6-3 on aggregate across two legs.
Paris Saint-Germain, by contrast, showed that the additional playoff fixture does not necessarily act as a disadvantage. PSG swept past Brest in the playoffs and sustained that momentum all the way to the title.
This season, the benefits of a high league phase placing are evident once more. Arsenal and Bayern Munich, two of the top finishers, avoided meeting European heavyweights Real Madrid and PSG in the round of 16 — gaining a significant strategic advantage heading into the business end of the tournament.
FAQ
First legs are scheduled for March 10–11, with second legs following on March 17–18. All matches kick off at either 1:45 p.m. ET (5:45 p.m. GMT) or 4:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. GMT).
The top eight finishers in the league phase received seeded status and were drawn against the eight unseeded teams that won their knockout playoff ties. Pairings were based on each club's final position in the league phase standings.
Internazionale and Juventus were among the notable casualties during the playoff round, failing to advance past the new knockout playoff stage introduced under UEFA's revamped format.
UEFA splits the bracket into two halves. The Silver Path (top half) features clubs like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool, PSG, and Chelsea. The Blue Path (bottom half) includes Arsenal, Barcelona, Tottenham, and Newcastle United, among others. Each path produces one finalist for the Budapest showpiece
A top-eight finish grants direct round-of-16 entry and seeded status, allowing those clubs to avoid facing each other and the strongest unseeded sides early on. Last season, Manchester City's 22nd-place finish forced them into an extra round and a tough draw against Real Madrid, demonstrating the tangible consequences of league phase performance.
Sergey Ilyin
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