The Champions League Round of 16 phase is complete. Six English clubs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle United, all secured their places after the playoff round concluded on Wednesday.
The final eight playoff winners joined the eight automatic qualifiers from the league phase. Atletico Madrid, Bodo/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen, Newcastle, Atalanta, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid emerged from the two-legged playoffs to complete the 16-team lineup.
Bodo/Glimt displaced brilliant performances. The Norwegian side eliminated last season’s runners-up Inter Milan with a 5-2 aggregate victory, becoming the first Norwegian club in history to reach this stage.
The draw takes place on Friday, 27 February 2026 at 12:00 CET at UEFA headquarters in Nyon. The seeded teams, those who finished in the league phase top eight, will face unseeded playoff winners.
The draw
Seeded teams (league phase top eight): Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Manchester City.
Unseeded teams (playoff winners): Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt.
Each seeded club faces only two possible opponents. Arsenal and Bayern Munich will draw either Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen. Liverpool and Tottenham meet either Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid. Barcelona and Chelsea face either PSG or Newcastle. Manchester City and Sporting CP draw either Real Madrid or Bodo/Glimt.
The bracket structure already determines potential quarterfinal paths. Winners from the Arsenal-Bayern-Atalanta-Leverkusen bracket could meet teams from the Manchester City-Sporting-Real Madrid-Bodo/Glimt section in the last eight.
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Italy suffered heavy losses. Atalanta stands alone as Serie A’s sole survivor after Inter, Juventus, and Napoli all exited. Germany retains two representatives in Bayern and Leverkusen. Spain fields three clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico.
The first legs take place on March 10-11, with returns on March 17-18. The final is set for May 30 in Budapest.
Friday’s draw will determine how the competition continues, with high-stakes matches in all UCL events to come.
