Who’s Still Standing in the Champions League and Which Teams Will Face Off in the Quarter-Finals?

Champions League Draws

The draw for the group stage of the Champions League was conducted on August 28th in Monaco. The 36 teams that qualified were distributed into four pots, comprising nine teams each, based on their UEFA club coefficients. Notably, the reigning Champions League holders, Paris Saint-Germain, automatically secured the top spot in Pot 1.

The drawing process was a combination of manual selection and automated software, randomly matching teams with eight distinct opponents, determining their home and away fixtures.

Each club received two opponents from each of the four pots—one for a home match and one for an away match. Teams were prohibited from facing others from their own association and could only draw a maximum of two teams from the same association.

The knockout play-off draw occurred on January 30th, involving teams that finished the group stage in the 9th to 24th positions.

The final draw, which determined the match-ups for the Round of 16 and onward, took place on Friday, February 27th. This draw included teams that ranked in the top eight from the group stage, as well as the eight winners from the knockout play-offs.

The draw was broadcast live on UEFA.com and through the official UEFA Champions League app. With the bracket now established, no further draws will occur this season.

The remaining six teams in the competition (seeded order):

1. Arsenal (ENG), 2. Bayern Munich (GER), 7. Sporting CP (POR), 9. Real Madrid (ESP), 11. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), 14. Atletico Madrid (ESP)

Knockout Play-off Round Results:

Real Madrid (9) 3-1 Benfica (24)

Inter Milan (10) 2-5 Bodo/Glimt (23)

PSG (11) 5-4 Monaco (21)

Newcastle (12) 9-3 Qarabag (22)

Juventus (13) 5-7 Galatasaray (20)

Atletico Madrid (14) 7-4 Club Brugge (19)

Atalanta (15) 4-3 Borussia Dortmund (17)

Bayer Leverkusen (16) 2-0 Olympiacos (18)

Round of 16 Results:

PSG (11) 8-2 Chelsea (6)

Galatasaray (20) 4-1 Liverpool (3)

Real Madrid (9) 5-1 Manchester City (8)

Atalanta (15) 2-10 Bayern Munich (2)

Newcastle (12) 3-8 Barcelona (5)

Atletico Madrid (14) 7-5 Tottenham Hotspur (4)

Bodo/Glimt (23) 3-5 Sporting CP (7)

Bayer Leverkusen (16) 1-3 Arsenal (1)

Quarter-final Matches:

Quarter-final 1: PSG 4-0 Liverpool

Quarter-final 2: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

Quarter-final 3: Barcelona 2-3 Atletico Madrid

Quarter-final 4: Sporting vs Arsenal

Semi-final Matches:

Semi-final 1: PSG vs winner of Quarter-final 2

Semi-final 2: Atletico Madrid vs winner of Quarter-final 4

Key Dates for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League

League Phase first matchday: September 16th-18th, 2025

League Phase last matchday: January 28th, 2026

Knockout play-off draw: January 30th

Knockout play-offs: February 17th and 18th (first legs), February 24th and 25th (second legs)

Final draw (for Round of 16 and onwards): February 27th, 2026

Round of 16: March 10th and 11th (first legs), March 17th and 18th (second legs)

Quarter-finals: April 7th and 8th (first legs), April 14th and 15th (second legs)

Semi-finals: April 28th and 29th (first legs), May 5th and 6th (second legs)

Final: May 30th

When & Where is the 2025/26 Champions League Final?

The Champions League final is scheduled for May 30th, 2026, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. This stadium, which is fully seated, has a capacity of 67,215 and will host the final for the first time in Hungary.

Understanding the UEFA Champions League Format

This season, as with the last, marks a significant shift in the structure of UEFA’s premier tournament, having replaced the former 32-team group stage with a new 36-team league format.

Each of the 36 teams is set to play eight matches. The top eight teams at the conclusion of the league phase automatically progress to the Round of 16, while the eight bottom teams are eliminated without a drop to the Europa League.

Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter the knockout play-off round, from which a further eight teams will advance to the Round of 16. A final draw for the knockout stages will occur after the knockout playoffs.

The Round of 16 will consist of the top eight (seeded) teams facing the unseeded teams. Subsequently, the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals will proceed as is usual in knockout competitions.