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The change in UEFA Champions League format has altered the way the knockout stage is structured in a significant way.
After the thrilling conclusion to the 2025/26 league phase, which saw clubs jockeying for position until the final kick of the final match, the spotlight now turns to the knockout stage where 24 teams will battle for European supremacy.
The top eight finishers in the league phase advanced straight to the Round of 16, while the sixteen teams below them contested a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight qualifiers.
The Sporting News details exactly how the matchups are decided, who can play who, and where each team's pathway to Champions League glory can be drawn.
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Champions League bracket, explained
In the new Champions League format, which follows what is known as the Swiss Model, the knockout-stage bracket is largely predetermined by final league-phase positions, although not entirely.
There was a draw following the league phase (taking place on Friday, January 30 this year) to set the playoff-round matchups and another prior to the Round of 16 to set the entire rest of the bracket.
In both the knockout playoffs and the Round of 16, each qualifier has only two possible opponents against whom they can be drawn.
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Possible opponents for every team in knockout playoffs
In the Champions League knockout playoffs, the top qualifiers from the league phase are drawn against the lowest-finishing qualifiers, and so on.
The matchups are as follows:
- 9th & 10th vs. 23rd & 24th
- 11th & 12th vs. 21st & 22nd
- 13th & 14th vs. 19th & 20th
- 15th & 16th vs. 17th & 18th
The table below shows how the ties were drawn.
League-phase position in brackets
| Real Madrid (9th) vs. Benfica (24th) | |
| Inter Milan (10th) vs. Bodo/Glimt (23rd) | |
| Paris Saint-Germain (11th) vs. Monaco (21st) | |
| Newcastle United (12th) vs. Qarabag (22nd) | |
| Juventus (13th) vs. Galatasaray (20th) | |
| Atletico Madrid (14th) vs. Club Brugge (19th) | |
| Atalanta (15th) vs. Borussia Dortmund (17th) | |
| Bayer Leverkusen (16th) vs. Olympiacos (18th) |
Possible opponents for every team in Round of 16
In the Champions League Round of 16, the eight winners from the knockout playoffs are drawn against the top eight finishers from the league phase, again according to those final positions.
The matchups are as follows:
- 1st & 2nd in league phase vs. winner of 15/16 vs. 17/18
- 3rd & 4th in league phase vs. winner of 13/14 vs. 19/20
- 5th & 6th in league phase vs. winner of 11/12 vs. 21/22
- 7th & 8th in league phase vs. winner of 9/10 vs. 23/24
The table below shows how the seeding worked in the Champions League Round of 16 for the 2025/26 season. The teams in bold are those who were drawn against that particular seeded opponent.
| Team (league-phase pos.) | Possible opponents |
| Arsenal (1st) | Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen |
| Bayern Munich (2nd) | Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen |
| Liverpool (3rd) | Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid |
| Tottenham Hotspur (4th) | Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid |
| Barcelona (5th) | Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United |
| Chelsea (6th) | Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United |
| Sporting CP (7th) | Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid |
| Manchester City (8th) | Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid |
Champions League knockout bracket, matchups for 2025/26
The schedule and matchups for the 2025/26 Champions League knockout playoffs were set at the draw on Friday, January 30.
Following that round, the schedule and matchups for the rest of the Champions League knockout phase were determined at the Round of 16 draw on February 27. There are no further draws from that point on, as the entirety of the bracket will be set at that point.
2025/26 Champions League knockout stage schedule
Playoff Round — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Feb. 17 | 12:45 p.m. | KO5: Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus |
| Feb. 17 | 3 p.m. | KO1: Benfica 0-1 Real Madrid |
| Feb. 17 | 3 p.m. | KO3: Monaco 2-3 Paris Saint-Germain |
| Feb. 17 | 3 p.m. | KO7: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta |
| Feb. 18 | 12:45 p.m. | KO4: Qarabag 1-6 Newcastle United |
| Feb. 18 | 3 p.m. | KO2: Bodo/Glimt 3-1 Inter Milan |
| Feb. 18 | 3 p.m. | KO6: Club Brugge 3-3 Atletico Madrid |
| Feb. 18 | 3 p.m. | KO8: Olympiacos 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen |
Playoff Round — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Feb. 24 | 12:45 p.m. | KO6: Atletico Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge |
| Feb. 24 | 3 p.m. | KO8: Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos |
| Feb. 24 | 3 p.m. | KO4: Newcastle United 3-2 Qarabag |
| Feb. 24 | 3 p.m. | KO2: Inter Milan 1-2 Bodo/Glimt |
| Feb. 25 | 12:45 p.m. | KO7: Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund |
| Feb. 25 | 3 p.m. | KO3: Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Monaco |
| Feb. 25 | 3 p.m. | KO5: Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray |
| Feb. 25 | 3 p.m. | KO1: Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica |
Round of 16 — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Mar. 10 | 1:45 p.m. | M4: Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool |
| Mar. 10 | 2 p.m. | M5: Newcastle United 1-1 Barcelona |
| Mar. 10 | 2 p.m. | M3: Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham |
| Mar. 10 | 2 p.m. | M2: Atalanta 1-6 Bayern Munich |
| Mar. 11 | 1:45 p.m. | M1: Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal |
| Mar. 11 | 2 p.m. | M6: PSG 5-2 Chelsea |
| Mar. 11 | 2 p.m. | M7: Bodo/Glimt 3-0 Sporting CP |
| Mar. 11 | 2 p.m. | M8: Real Madrid 3-0 Man City |
Round of 16 — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Mar. 17 | 1:45 p.m. | M7: Sporting CP vs. Bodo/Glimt |
| Mar. 17 | 2 p.m. | M6: Chelsea vs. PSG |
| Mar. 17 | 2 p.m. | M8: Man City vs. Real Madrid |
| Mar. 17 | 2 p.m. | M1: Arsenal vs. Bayer Leverkusen |
| Mar. 18 | 1:45 p.m. | M5: Barcelona vs. Newcastle United |
| Mar. 18 | 2 p.m. | M3: Tottenham vs. Atletico Madrid |
| Mar. 18 | 2 p.m. | M4: Liverpool vs. Galatasaray |
| Mar. 18 | 2 p.m. | M2: Bayern Munich vs. Atalanta |
Quarterfinals — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Apr. 7-8 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | |
| Apr. 7-8 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | |
| Apr. 7-8 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | |
| Apr. 7-8 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Quarterfinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Quarterfinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | |
| Apr. 14-15 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Semifinals — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Apr. 28-29 | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF4 | |
| Apr. 28-29 | SF2: Winner, QF2 vs. Winner, QF3 |
Semifinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| May 5-6 | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF4 | |
| May 5-6 | SF2: Winner, QF2 vs. Winner, QF3 |
Champions League final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| May 30 | 3 p.m. | SF1: Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 | Puskas Arena (Budapest, Hungary) |
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