2025-26 Champions League round of 16 draw summary: teams, games, dates, bracket

So there we have it. Real Madrid vs Manchester City and PSG vs Chelsea are probably the standout ties, while Barcelona and Arsenal are the big names who will be happiest with the hands they have been dealt. Thanks very much for joining me for the draw, stay tuned to AS USA to find out the exact dates of each game on March 10-11 and March 17-18.

Bodø/Glimt and Sporting's once-in-a-lifetime chance

Finally, I don't think Bodø/Glimt or Sporting will ever get a better chance to reach a Champions League quarterfinal. The Norwegians are in completely uncharted territory, of course, while the Portuguese side did reach the quarterfinals of the European Cup in 1983, but have never gone beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League. One of the two will play either Leverkusen or Arsenal in the quarterfinals. 

Arsenal's path to the semifinals opens up

Arsenal also look to have done pretty well from the draw, it should be said. The Premier League leaders face Bayer Leverkusen, and will take on either Bodø/Glimt or Sporting for a place in the semifinals should they get past the Germans. That's where they might run into Barcelona, or maybe Atleti. 

Barcelona's 'kind' Champions League draw

Don't shoot me down, fans of any team in Barcelona's side of the bracket, but I reckon Hansi Flick and his boys will be thinking that could've been a lot worse. They're unlikely to have it easy against Newcastle in the round of 16, but they don't have to face one of the very top European teams. It looks as if Atlético Madrid and Arsenal will be their toughest challengers as they look to return to the Champions League final for the first time since 2015. 

PSG take on Chelsea

The other matchup that neither team will be happy with, in my view, is PSG against Chelsea. The two teams most recently met in the final of the Club World Cup in the U.S., with the Premier League club running out 3-0 winners, to the surprise of many. 

Bayern could be next for Madrid or City

The winner of the Madrid vs City clash could come up against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, which I'm going to suggest is bad news. However, Atalanta might also have something to say about that. 

Real Madrid vs Manchester City the standout clash

I believe Real Madrid and Manchester City will be meeting for the 12th and 13th times in the Champions League since 2020. Incredibly, the all-time record in 15 overall games is 5 wins apiece and 5 draws.  But 15 Champions Leagues/European Cups to 1. Ouch.

Bodø/Glimt having a slash in their name is quite confusing when it comes to draws, it turns out...

2025-26 Champions League semifinal draw

- PSG/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool vs Real Madrid/Manchester City/Atalanta/Bayern Munich

- Newcastle/Barcelona/Atlético Madrid/Tottenham vs Bodø/Glimt/Sporting/Bayer Leverkusen/Arsenal

2025-26 Champions League quarterfinal draw

- PSG/ Chelsea vs Galatasaray/Liverpool

- Real Madrid/Manchester City vs Atalanta/Bayern Munich

- Newcastle/Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid/Tottenham

- Bodø/Glimt/Sporting vs Bayer Leverkusen/Arsenal

UEFA have wrapped things up already, which was much faster than I thought. If you bare with me for a moment, I'll get the potential quarterfinal and semifinal matchups up in just a second. 

When is the 2025-26 Champions League round of 16?

We don't have long to wait for the round of 16 games to come around following today's draw. The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, and the second legs will follow on 17 and 18 March. As I said a few minutes ago, we'll know which games are on which day later on today. 

Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal

A trip to Germany for Arsenal, the best team in the league phase. They will face Bayer Leverkusen. 

Atalanta vs Bayern Munich

Another fresh tie as Bayern travel to Atalanta. 

Atlético Madrid vs Tottenham

The first meeting between these two since 1963. 

Atlético Madrid vs Tottenham.

Galatasaray vs Liverpool

Galatasaray and Liverpool also met in the league phase, and will meet again!

Newcastle vs Barcelona

Newcastle will face Barcelona again, the teams having met in the league phase (2-1 to Barça). 

PSG vs Chelsea

No PSG vs Barcelona, but that's a big one anyway. 

PSG vs Chelsea.

Bodø/Glimt vs Sporting

That City draw means it'll be Bodø/Glimt vs Sporting.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City first out!

There we have it...again.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City. 

Round of 16 schedule

By the way, exact dates for each game won't be known until later today. 

Right, here we go. The fun stuff is about to begin. Come on Ivan. 

Champions League round-of-16 draw explainer

We're now getting a draw explainer from UEFA, which, of course, we've already gone through in detail. But just incase.

Every club that has qualified already knows they will be playing one of two teams in the round of 16. The bracket for the subsequent rounds, the quarterfinals and the semifinals, has also been partly set, and will be completed in today's drawn.

As it stands, the teams that qualified via the knockout phase playoffs know which side of the bracket they will be on. For instance, Real Madrid know they will face PSG in the semifinals if both teams win in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

However, the clubs that qualified automatically from the league phase could end up on either side of the bracket, which will be determined in today’s draw.

Draw rules: Can teams from the same country meet?

Draw rules? What draw rules?

As with the playoffs, teams from the same country can face each other, and clubs who met in the league phase can also be drawn together again.

The only restriction is that a seeded team must face an unseeded team in the round of 16.

Ivan Rakitic to conduct round of 16 draw

It wasn't a secret, but Ivan Rakitic, who won the trophy with Barcelona in 2015, is the man who will be picking the teams in today's draw. He's currently getting buttered up by Pedro Pinto, who reckons the Croat could still be playing out there: “You're in great shape,” says the UEFA man. 

UEFA deputy general sectary Giorgio Marchetti is now with us to give a recap of the playoffs in a little more detail. And he's going to introduce us to the big-name star who will be conducting the draw. 

Unseeded teams: Round of 16 playoff qualifiers

Conversely, these eight unseeded teams already know which side of the bracket they are on. They just don't know who else will be on it. They will host the first leg of their round of 16 matchup, and have a road game in the second leg.

Real Madrid, PSG, Newcastle, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Bodø/Glimt

Seeded teams: Round of 16 league phase qualifiers

The top eight teams in the league phase qualified automatically for the round of 16, skipping the playoffs. They are seeded for the draw and could end up on either side of the bracket. Additionally, they will play the first leg of the round of 16 on the road, and have the second leg at home.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, Manchester City

UEFA are giving us a reminder of the teams involved in the draw, so let's do the same. 

2025-26 Champions League round of 16 draw underway

Here we go! We're underway in Nyon with UEFA host Pedro Pinto leading the charge, as usual. 

PSG vs Barcelona also a possibility

Holders PSG against Barcelona is one of the other potential standout ties in the round of 16. These two have also met on a number of occasions in recent years, with some enthralling matchups. Nobody will ever forget that 6-1 remontada at Camp Nou in 2017, will they? If you're not old enough to remember, then you missed out big time. 

Real Madrid vs Manchester City... again??

This may be a controversial question, but do we really need another Real Madrid vs Manchester City tie in the Champions League? It could happen in the round of 16 and if it does, it will be the fourth season in a row they will have faced each other. The new UCL format was designed to ensure more games between the top teams, but there's also an argument it dilutes them when they do meet so often. Are we getting to that stage with Madrid vs City?

Champions League

How to watch the draw for the Champions League round of 16: date, times, where to stream

Ten minutes to go! It's still not too late to tune in to the draw yourself. Luckily, there's a simple way to follow the action from Switzerland. My esteemed colleague William Allen has the details. 

2025-26 Champions League possible semifinals

- PSG/Barcelona/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool/Tottenham vs Real Madrid/Sporting/Manchester City/Atalanta/Arsenal/Bayern Munich

-Newcastle/Chelsea/Barcelona/Atlético Madrid/Tottenham/Liverpool vs Bodø/Glimt/Manchester City/Sporting/Bayer Leverkusen/Bayern Munich/Arsenal

2025-26 Champions League: possible quarterfinals

- PSG/Barcelona/Chelsea vs Galatasaray/Liverpool/Tottenham

- Real Madrid/Sporting/Manchester City vs Atalanta/Arsenal/Bayern Munich

- Newcastle/Chelsea/Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid/Tottenham/Liverpool

- Bodø/Glimt/Manchester City/Sporting vs Bayer Leverkusen/Bayern Munich/Arsenal

2025-26 Champions League round-of-16 draw pairings

- PSG vs Barcelona or Chelsea

- Galatasaray vs Liverpool or Tottenham

- Real Madrid vs Sporting or Manchester City

- Atalanta vs Arsenal or Bayern Munich

- Newcastle vs Chelsea or Barcelona

- Atlético Madrid vs Tottenham or Liverpool

- Bodø/Glimt vs Manchester City or Sporting

- Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich or Arsenal

Round of 16 draw incoming!

Just under 20 minutes to go until lift-off at UEFA HQ. Let's have another little look at who could be drawn to face who in the round of 16 (and beyond), as we already have a rough idea. 

Bodø/Glimt: The surprise package

We've got through all the biggest hitters, but undoubtedly the best story so far has been that of Bodø/Glimt. “Bodø who?” some said at the start of this year’s Champions League campaign, but it's “Bodo who?” no more. They are the only team from the Arctic Circle ever to have played in the UCL, and became the first Norwegian club to win a knockout tie in the playoffs, when they shocked Inter both home and away. On top of that, they stunned both Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in their final league-phase games to sneak into the playoffs. Nobody wants to play them, I’m sure.

How Manchester City reached the round of 16

Manchester City only just sneaked into the top eight - at Real Madrid's expense - thanks to their home victory over Galatasaray in Game 8. A win in the Bernabéu was their most impressive result of the league phase, which also included triumphs over Napoli and Dortmund at the Etihad. But, as is often the case with the big boys, it was their worst results that arguably caught the eye most - a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen and a shock 3-1 loss away to Bodø/Glimt. Those setbacks kept things interesting for City right until the end, but they ultimately did just enough to finish in eighth spot.

How Barcelona reached the round of 16

There was rarely a dull moment for Barcelona in the league phase, with their eight fixtures averaging 4.5 goals per game, the highest of any of the 32 teams. Hansi Flick's boys, who finished fifth in the standings, scored six times against Olympiacos and four goals against both Sparta Praha and Copenhagen, but they lost both games against what you might call elite opposition - 2-1 at home to PSG and 3-0 away to Chelsea. Only Arsenal scored more goals (23 to 22) but Barça conceded 10 more than The Gunners.

How Liverpool reached the round of 16

Liverpool qualified for the round of 16 as the third-placed team in the league phase. The Premier League champions, who will be giving up that particular title this season, racked up a couple of big wins, thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in Germany and Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield. They also registered narrow victories over Atlético, Real Madrid and Inter, but suffered a surprise loss away to Galatasaray and were stunned 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven on Merseyside.

How Bayern Munich reached the round of 16

Bayern, who won the Champions League most recently in 2020, finished in second place in the league phase, three points behind Arsenal. The only points they dropped were in a 3-1 defeat to The Gunners at the Emirates in Game 5. Among their seven victories were an opening 3-1 home win against Chelsea, a 2-1 triumph away to PSG and back-to-back four-goal victories over Pafos (5-1) and Club Brugge (4-0).

How Arsenal reached the round of 16

We're only in the second year of the Champions League’s “new” format, but Arsenal became the first team to finish the league phrase with a 100% winning record. The Gunners’ eight straight victories included a 4-0 thumping of Atlético Madrid, a 3-1 home win over Bayern Munich and a victory by the same scoreline away to Inter at San Siro. Mikel Arteta’s team conceded only two goals in their first seven games before surprisingly letting in another two against Kairat Almaty in Game 8, before which they have already secured qualification for the round of 16.

How PSG reached the round of 16

Like Madrid, PSG, last season's winners, also made a slow start to this season’s competition, They won only four of their eight league-phase games, suffering losses to Bayern Munich and Sporting, and dropping more points against Athletic Club and Newcastle. That led to an 11th-placed finish and a playoff against fellow French side Monaco. Luis Enrique’s team benefited from playing against 10 men for much of the game in both legs, but only just sneaked through 5-4 on aggregate. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia bagged this goal at the Parc des Princes. 

How Real Madrid reached the round of 16

Let's take a look at how some of the main runners and riders got this far, starting with Real Madrid. 

You would fancy Real Madrid to finish among the top eight teams in Europe in an eight-game league phase, but for the second season in a row, the LaLiga giants needed a playoff to reach the last 16. Defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City and Benfica meant Madrid finished in ninth place, knocked into the playoffs in the final moments of their final league phase game against the Portuguese club. However, they got their revenge on Benfica, winning 1-0 in a controversial game in Lisbon before securing a nervy 2-1 home victory at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, helped by this Vinicius goal.

Champions League

Why are there six English Premier League teams in the 2025/26 Champions League round of 16?

Now, you've seen the list of clubs in the draw, and I know what you're thinking. How on earth can there be so many Premier League teams in the Champions League, never mind the round of 16? Six of the 16 remaining contenders play in the English top flight, which is 37.5% of the teams, if my math isn't failing me. What's going on there? Glad you asked. 

2025-26 Champions League knockout phase schedule

This is the full schedule for the Champions League knockout stages:

Round of 16

Draw: February 27

First legs: March 10-11

Second legs: March 17-18

Quarterfinals

Draw: February 27

First legs: April 7-8

Second legs: April 14-15

Semifinals

Draw: February 27

First legs: April 28-29

Second legs: May 5-6

Final

May 30 at Puskás Arena in Budapest, Hungary

When is the 2025-26 Champions League round of 16?

We don't have long to wait for the round of 16 games to come around following today’s draw. The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, and the second legs will follow on 17 and 18 March.

2025-26 Champions League semifinal draw

And just in case those potential quarterfinal matchups weren't unclear enough, have at gander at how the semifinals are shaping up:

- PSG/Barcelona/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool/Tottenham vs Real Madrid/Sporting/Manchester City/Atalanta/Arsenal/Bayern Munich

-Newcastle/Chelsea/Barcelona/Atlético Madrid/Tottenham/Liverpool vs Bodø/Glimt/Manchester City/Sporting/Bayer Leverkusen/Bayern Munich/Arsenal

Do your best.

2025-26 Champions League quarterfinal draw

Looking ahead to the quarterfinals, this will give you a gist of how things might look. Obviously, there are plenty of ifs, buts and maybes as it stands.

- PSG/Barcelona/Chelsea vs Galatasaray/Liverpool/Tottenham

- Real Madrid/Sporting/Manchester City vs Atalanta/Arsenal/Bayern Munich

- Newcastle/Chelsea/Barcelona vs Atlético Madrid/Tottenham/Liverpool

- Bodø/Glimt/Manchester City/Sporting vs Bayer Leverkusen/Bayern Munich/Arsenal

UCL round-of-16 draw: One hour to go!

An hour to go until the Champions League draw gets underway in Switzerland! Remember, it gets going at 6am ET and 3am PT. Stick with me until then for lots and lots and lots of fun and interesting stuff. 

Champions League bracket before round of 16 draw

So what does that all add up to? This is how the bracket for the tournament looks at the moment, split into two sides.   

- PSG vs Barcelona or Chelsea

- Galatasaray vs Liverpool or Tottenham

- Real Madrid vs Sporting or Manchester City

- Atalanta vs Arsenal or Bayern Munich

- Newcastle vs Chelsea or Barcelona

- Atlético Madrid vs Tottenham or Liverpool

- Bodø/Glimt vs Manchester City or Sporting

- Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich or Arsenal

Expanding on what I said before, Barcelona could find themselves on the same side of the bracket as PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but could alternatively came up against Newcastle, Bodø/Glimt and Bayer Leverkusen. All part of the fun.

Unseeded teams: Round of 16 playoff qualifiers

Conversely, these eight unseeded teams already know which side of the bracket they are on. They just don't know who else will be on it. They will host the first leg of their round of 16 matchup, and have a road game in the second leg.

Real Madrid, PSG, Newcastle, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Bodø/Glimt

Seeded teams: Round of 16 league phase qualifiers

The top eight teams in the league phase qualified automatically for the round of 16, skipping the playoffs. They are seeded for the draw and could end up on either side of the bracket. Additionally, they will play the first leg of the round of 16 on the road, and have the second leg at home.

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, Manchester City

Knockout phase playoff results: Real Madrid and PSG relief

Before this week, we only knew eight of the last 16 contenders. The other booked their spots in the draw by vitrue of winning in the knockout phase playoffs on Tuesday and Wednesday, the extra round the new Champions League format has introduced. Real Madrid and PSG were among the big names to make it through, but not without a scare. 

Champions League

Champions League round of 16 draw 2025-26: Teams, seeds, possible matchups, and how it works

In case you prefer everything I've just said, and a little bit extra, in article form, then we've also got you covered. Have a gander at this piece which will turn you into the ultimate 2025-26 Champions League round-of-16 draw expert. 

How does the round of 16 draw work?

I've given you the list of teams, but there’s more to it than just a straight draw. In fact, every club that has qualified already knows they will be playing one of two teams in the round of 16. The bracket for the subsequent rounds, the quarterfinals and the semifinals, has also been partly set, and will be completed in today’s drawn.

As it stands, the teams that qualified via the knockout phase playoffs know which side of the bracket they will be on. For instance, Real Madrid know they will face PSG in the semifinals if both teams win in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

However, the clubs that qualified automatically from the league phase could end up on either side of the bracket, which will be determined in today’s draw.

Champions League

How to watch the draw for the Champions League round of 16: date, times, where to stream

Of course, as well as coming along for the ride here, you may want to watch the draw for yourself, provided you can open your eyes at such a ghastly hour. Luckily, there's a simple way to follow the action from Switzerland. My esteemed colleague William Allen has the details. 

When is the round of 16 draw?

The draw for the round of 16 will be made in Switzerland today, Friday, February 27. Things are due to get going at 12pm local time, which is 6am ET and 3am PT. Yawn. As is often the case with UEFA, however, you can never be quite sure whether they will get straight to the point or bore us all to death for an hour with fluff beforehand.

Either way, stick with me and you'll find out as soon as it happens!

2025-26 Champions League round of 16 draw: Meet the teams

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSG, Newcastle, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Bodø/Glimt.

One of these teams will be crowned European champions on May 30. Who are you rooting for and why is it Bodø/Glimt?

Hello and welcome to the 2025-26 Champions League round of 16 draw live!

Hello and welcome to live updates from the draw for 2025-26 Champions League round of 16, when the full bracket will also be set for the remainder of the competition. Real Madrid, PSG and Atlético were among the big names to secure their last 16 spots via this week's knockout phase playoffs, joining the likes of Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in the star-studded list of contenders to lift the trophy.