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The Champions League draw sees six English teams in the last-16 of the competition

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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Five times a week Four Four Two Daily Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Once a week . .. And it’s LIVE! Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. The Champions League draw sees six English teams in the last-16 of the competition for the first time ever. As Champions League league phase winners, Arsenal go into the draw as the team to beat, and the favourites for the competition, with Mikel Arteta's side still in all four competitions. They were joined by Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the top eight of the first stage of the competition, with Newcastle United following, after winning their play-off against Qarabag. The Champions League last-16Real Madrid v Manchester City Sporting v Bodo/Glimt Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain Newcastle United v Barcelona Galatasaray v Liverpool Atletico Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich v Atalanta Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen The Champions League quarter-finals Paris Saint-German or Chelsea v Galatasaray or Liverpool Real Madrid or Manchester City v Atalanta or Bayern Munich Newcastle United or Barcelona v Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur Sporting or Bodo/Glimt v Bayer Leverkusen or Arsenal The Champions League semi-finals Paris Saint-German, Chelsea, Galatasaray or Liverpool v Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atalanta or Bayern Munich Newcastle United, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur v Sporting, Bodo/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen or Arsenal

The transition to the ‘Swiss Model’ for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons has fundamentally changed how the Champions League knockout stage is structured. The process begins with the knockout phase draw – taking place on February 27, 2026 –which features 16 teams. This group consists of the top eight finishers from the league phase, who are seeded and received a ‘bye, ’ and the eight winners from the knockout playoffs. Unlike the old format, this new system is designed to reward league performance by giving higher-ranked teams a more predictable and theoretically smoother path to the final. The mechanics of the draw revolve around a tennis-style seeding system. To prevent the very best teams from knocking each other out too early, UEFA pairs teams based on their final league standings (first and second, third and fourth, and so on). During the draw, one team from each pair is placed on the left side of the bracket and the other on the right. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. This strategic placement ensures that the top two seeds from the league phase are positioned at opposite ends of the tournament tree, meaning they cannot face one another until the Final in Budapest. A major shift in the modern format is the introduction of a fixed bracket. In previous years, UEFA held separate draws for the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals, but now the entire path is mapped out from the Round of 16 onward. Once the draw is finalised today, every club will know exactly which potential opponents they will face in every subsequent round. This adds a level of transparency and high-stakes planning, as managers can scout their "path" to the trophy months in advance without the uncertainty of a random draw.

There are also specific rules regarding match logistics and eligibility that fans should keep in mind. Seeded teams – those who finished in the top eight of the league phase – have the advantage of playing the second leg of the Round of 16 at home. Additionally, the ‘same-country protection’ that previously prevented domestic rivals from meeting early in the competition has been removed for the knockout stages. This means we could see an immediate heavyweight clash between two Premier League or La Liga sides as early as the Round of 16. Looking ahead, the road to the Puskás Aréna is now clearly defined for the remaining contenders. The Round of 16 matches will take place across two weeks in March, followed by the Quarter-finals and Semi-finals in April and May. Because the brackets are locked, the momentum from today’s draw will carry all the way to the final on May 30, 2026.

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at Four Four Two. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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