The stage is set for another dramatic chapter in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League as attention turns to the knockout phase play-off draw, scheduled for Friday, 30th January 2026, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw will take place at 12:00 CET (11:00 GMT), following the conclusion of an intense and historic league phase.
The final standings confirmed the top eight clubs who advanced directly to the Round of 16, led by Arsenal, who topped the table with a flawless 24 points from eight matches, becoming the first team to record a 100 percent league-phase campaign in Champions League history. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City completed the automatic qualification places.
Clubs finishing between 9th and 24th were forced into the knockout phase play-offs, including heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Atlético Madrid, underlining the competitive nature of the expanded league-phase format. Notably, Real Madrid, European champions as recently as 2023/24 and winners of a record 15 titles, once again failed to secure automatic qualification, finishing ninth after also missing out last season when they placed 11th.
The shift in format has made sustained dominance more difficult, a trend further highlighted by Paris Saint-Germain’s historic first Champions League triumph in the 2024/25 season.
The play-off round will feature seeded teams — Real Madrid, Inter, PSG, Newcastle, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen — drawn against unseeded sides including Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabağ, Bodø/Glimt and Benfica. Ties will be played over two legs, with matches scheduled for 17/18 February and 24/25 February 2026, and seeded teams expected to host the return legs.
The final league standings also confirmed the elimination of several notable clubs, with Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Ajax, Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt among those exiting the competition before the knockout rounds, highlighting how unforgiving the new format has become.
The eight winners from the play-offs will progress to the Round of 16, with that draw set for Friday, 27 February 2026, as Europe’s elite continue the chase for continental glory in a Champions League season already defined by history, upsets and shifting power dynamics.
