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The league phase of the UEFA Champions League concluded on Wednesday in thrilling fashion as the final 18 games all took place at the same time.
The top eight in the standings all qualified automatically for the Round of 16, while the 16 teams below them enter the playoff phase.
These teams will now be drawn into eight two-legged matchups, the winners of which will take their place in the last-16 draw at the end of February.
The draw takes place today (Friday, January 30) at 12 p.m. local time in Nyon, Switzerland (6 a.m. ET).
MORE: All teams in this season's Round of 16 or knockout playoffs
Teams in Champions League knockout playoffs
The teams that finished from ninth to 24th place in the league phase enter the knockout-playoff round.
The first eight (ninth to 16th) are seeded and will play the second leg of their playoff at home.
Seeded teams
| Club | Nation |
| Real Madrid | Spain |
| Inter Milan | Italy |
| Paris Saint-Germain | France |
| Newcastle United | England |
| Juventus | Italy |
| Atletico Madrid | Spain |
| Atalanta | Italy |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Germany |
Unseeded teams
| Club | Nation |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| Olympiacos | Greece |
| Club Brugge | Belgium |
| Galatasaray | Turkey |
| Monaco | France |
| Qarabag | Azerbaijan |
| Bodo/Glimt | Norway |
| Benfica | Portugal |
How the draw for the knockout playoffs works
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.
After Friday's playoffs draw, there will be another draw 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.
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 seeding works in the Champions League knockout-playoff round for the 2025/26 season.
| League phase pos. | Possible opponents |
| 9th (Real Madrid) | 23rd (Bodo/Glimt) or 24th (Benfica) |
| 10th (Inter Milan) | 23rd (Bodo/Glimt) or 24th (Benfica) |
| 11th (PSG) | 21st (Monaco) or 22nd (Qarabag) |
| 12th (Newcastle United) | 21st (Monaco) or 22nd (Qarabag) |
| 13th (Juventus) | 19th (Club Brugge) or 20th (Galatasaray) |
| 14th (Atletico Madrid) | 19th (Club Brugge) or 20th (Galatasaray) |
| 15th (Atalanta) | 17th (Borussia Dortmund) or 18th (Olympiacos) |
| 16th (Bayer Leverkusen) | 17th (Borussia Dortmund) or 18th (Olympiacos) |
| 17th (Borussia Dortmund) | 15th (Atalanta) or 16th (Bayer Leverkusen) |
| 18th (Olympiacos) | 15th (Atalanta) or 16th (Bayer Leverkusen) |
| 19th (Club Brugge) | 13th (Juventus) or 14th (Atletico Madrid) |
| 20th (Galatasaray) | 13th (Juventus) or 14th (Atletico Madrid) |
| 21st (AS Monaco) | 11th (PSG) or 12th (Newcastle) |
| 22nd (Qarabag) | 11th (PSG) or 12th (Newcastle) |
| 23rd (Bodo/Glimt) | 9th (Real Madrid) or 10th (Inter Milan) |
| 24th (Benfica) | 9th (Real Madrid) or 10th (Inter Milan) |
UEFA Champions League knockout playoff draw result
This section will be updated once the draw is completed on Friday.
Seeded teams in bold.
| Real Madrid vs. Bodo/Glimt or Benfica | |
| Inter Milan vs. Bodo/Glimt or Benfica | |
| Paris Saint-Germain vs. Monaco or Qarabag | |
| Newcastle United vs. Monaco or Qarabag | |
| Juventus vs. Club Brugge or Galatasaray | |
| Atletico Madrid vs. Club Brugge or Galatasaray | |
| Atalanta vs. Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos | |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs. Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos |
When are the Champions League knockout playoffs?
The first legs of the playoff matches will take place over February 17-18, 2026. The return legs are a week later over February 24-25.
MORE: Complete list of round dates for this season's Champions League knockout phase
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