Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sports

Who’s in Champions League knockout round? 2026 playoffs, bracket

The Champions League league phase is complete after a frantic final day that saw 18 simultaneous matches.

The 36 teams in the league phase each played eight matches, with 12 of those teams now eliminated from the competition.

The top eight finishers advanced directly to the round of 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed clubs will meet in two-legged playoffs to secure a spot in the last 16.

Arsenal posted a perfect record in the league phase, becoming the first team since the new format was introduced to win all eight games. Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain finished ??? in the standings, which will see the Ligue 1 side advance directly to the Round of 16.

Below are the final standings for the Champions League league phase.

Champions League standings: Final table

(1-8 qualifies direct to round of 16)

(9-16 advances to playoff phase seeded)

(17-27 advance to playoffs unseeded)

Arsenal – 24 points
Bayern Munich – 21 points
Liverpool – 18 points
Tottenham – 17 points
Barcelona – 16 points, +8 goal differential
Chelsea – 16 points, +7 GD
Sporting CP – 16 points, +6 GD, 17 goals scored
Manchester City – 16 points, +6 GD, 15 GS
Real Madrid – 15 points, +9 GD
Inter Milan – 15 points, +8 GD
PSG – 14 points, +10 GD, 21 GS
Newcastle – 14 points, +10 GD, 17 GS
Juventus – 13 points, +4 GD
Atletico Madrid – 13 points, +2 GD
Atalanta – 13 points, 0 GD
Bayer Leverkusen – 12 points
Borussia Dortmund – 11 points, +2 GD
Olympiacos – 11 points, -4 GD
Club Brugge – 10 points, -2 GD, 15 GS
Galatasaray – 10 points, -2 GD, 9 GS
Monaco – 10 points, -6 GD
Qarabag – 10 points, -8 GD
Bodo/Glimt – 9 points, +1 GD
Benfica – 9 points, -2 GD
Marseille – 9 points, -3 GD
Pafos – 9 points, -3 GD
Union SG – 9 points, -9 GD
PSV – 8 points, 0 GD
Athletic Club – 8 points, -5 GD
Napoli – 8 points, -6 GD
Copenhagen – 8 points, -9 GD
Ajax – 6 points, -13 GD
Frankfurt – 4 points, -11 GD
Slavia Praha – 3 points
Villarreal – 1 point, -13 GD
Kairat Almaty – 1 point, -16 GD

Champions League tiebreakers

If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the league phase matches, the following criteria was applied, in this order, to determine their rankings according to UEFA:

Superior goal difference in the league phase
Higher number of goals scored in the league phase
Higher number of away goals scored in the league phase
Higher number of wins in the league phase
Higher number of away wins in the league phase
Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents
Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents
Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents
Lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received by players and team officials in all league phase matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points)
Higher club coefficient

Champions League bracket

The matchups for the playoff round and Round of 16 will be revealed with UEFA’s draw on Friday, Jan. 30, determining the knockout stage bracket.

When are Champions League playoffs? Knockout round schedule

Playoff round

First legs: Feb. 17 and 18
Second legs: Feb 24 and 25

Round of 16

First legs: March 10 and 11
Second legs: March 17 and 18

Quarterfinals

First legs: April 7 and 8
Second legs: April 14 and 15

Semifinals

First legs: April 28 and 29
Second legs: May 5 and 6

Final

May 30 in Budapest

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

    You May Also Like

    Politics

    Senate Democrats are ready to break a fragile truce that would avert a partial government shutdown after a Minneapolis man was fatally shot by...

    Sports

    AI-assisted summary Colorado football coach Deion Sanders receives about five death threats per day, according to his head of security. Players were warned to...

    Politics

    President Donald Trump is waging war against a century-old tradition in the Senate that both Republicans and Democrats don’t want to touch. Trump has...

    Politics

    Chaos engulfing northeastern Syria has sparked fresh security fears after Syria’s new governing authorities moved against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, forcing the U.S. military to...

    Disclaimer: VolatilityIndicators.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 VolatilityIndicators.com | All Rights Reserved