After the league phase of the Champions League has ended, its time for the second part of the tournament in the 2025/26 season, the knock-out rounds, played always in two matches except for the final. But since last season, instead of going straight to round of 16, an extra knock-out play-off will take place, with teams ranked 9-24.
The top 8 teams have qualified for round of 16 (Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting and Manchester City), and teams below will play this extra round, with rivals being decided on a draw on Friday, January 30, at 12:00 PM CET (noon), 11:00 AM GMT.
The draw (which will also decide the rivals for the same phase in the Europa League, after the games are played on Thursday) will be broadcast on UEFA.com and their official video channels.
How does the Champions League draw work:
However, it will not be completely random, as the order of the table is important. Teams ranked 9th or 10th will only face teams either 23rd or 24th; teams ranked 11th or 12th will only face either teams 21st or 22nd, and so on...
Teams ranked 9-16 will play the second leg of the play-off at home, but the winner will lose that privilege in the following rounds...
Knowing that, these are the potential pairings that can happen after the Champions League draw on January 30:
Real Madrid or Inter vs. Bodo/Glimt or Benfica
PSG or Newcastle vs. Qarabag FK or Monaco
Juventus or Atlético de Madrid vs. Club Brugge or Galatasaray
Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen vs. Dortmund or Olympiacos
So yes, a potential repeat of the Real Madrid vs. Benfica that punished Madrid to ninth position and saved Benfica could happen. There is a fifty per cent chance...
After that, these are the dates you need to know for the remaining of the competition:
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Draw for round of 16: February 27
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)
Who do you want to win UEFA Champions League 2025/26?