Champions League Knockout Phase: Draw Details and Schedule

omidbasir- The Champions League knockout phase is on the horizon as the teams have been narrowed down. Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 league phase, which concluded with dramatic moments—including a remarkable goal by Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin against Real Madrid—24 teams are now ready to compete for advancement.

On January 30, 2026, the draw for the knockout phase will take place, determining matchups for the play-off round. This event will be held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, commencing at 11 AM GMT (6 AM ET).

Fans can watch the draw live on UEFA’s official website and the UEFA Champions League app. In the UK, TNT Sports will broadcast the event, with a free stream also available on its YouTube channel. U.S. viewers can access the stream via Paramount+.

The knockout phase play-off will see teams ranked ninth through sixteenth seeded, while those ranked seventeenth through twenty-fourth will be unseeded. Match pairings will be determined based on their league rankings, ensuring that seeded teams face unseeded teams in a structured format.

For example, if Real Madrid is drawn against Bodo/Glimt, Inter will face Benfica. This structure maintains that teams from different pairings cannot face each other in the draw.

Seeded Pairings:
– Real Madrid (9) or Inter (10) vs. Bodo/Glimt (23) or Benfica (24)
– PSG (11) or Newcastle United (12) vs. Monaco (21) or Qarabag (22)
– Juventus (13) or Atletico Madrid (14) vs. Club Brugge (19) or Galatasaray (20)
– Atalanta (15) or Bayer Leverkusen (16) vs. Borussia Dortmund (17) or Olympiacos (18)

As for the round of 16, teams finishing first through eighth in the league phase will be seeded, while the winners of the knockout phase play-off will be unseeded. The schedule for both legs of the knockout games is as follows:
– Knockout Phase Play-offs: February 17/18 & 24/25, 2026
– Round of 16: March 10/11 & 17/18, 2026
– Quarter-finals: April 7/8 & 14/15, 2026
– Semi-finals: April 28/29 & May 5/6, 2026
– Final: May 30, 2026

It is important to note that there are no restrictions regarding national associations for the knockout phase, allowing teams from the same country to compete against each other, including those they faced in the previous stages.