Champions League last 16 features World Cup final rematch and fresh rivalry | OneFootball

The draw for the Champions League round of 16 was held on Friday morning. Now that the 16 teams know their path to the final, Gazeta Esportiva has highlighted some interesting facts about the eight matchups among Europe’s elite clubs.

Rematch of the Club World Cup Final

The draw set up a major clash for the round of 16: Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea. In July 2025, the two teams faced off in the Club World Cup final, and the Londoners surprised everyone by beating PSG 3-0, with two goals from Palmer and one from João Pedro.

In addition to having decided the Club World Cup, the two teams also have history in the Champions League. At the start of the last decade, the two sides met three consecutive times in the Champions League knockout rounds.

In the 2014 quarterfinals, Chelsea came out on top, but in the 2015 and 2016 round of 16, PSG emerged victorious.

See also: All the news from Gazeta Esportiva Gazeta Esportiva’s YouTube Channel Follow Gazeta Esportiva on Instagram Join Gazeta Esportiva’s WhatsApp channel 

Recent Rivalry

And a matchup that will see its fifth consecutive meeting in the knockout stage is Real Madrid vs Manchester City. The teams continue their streak after facing off in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The history of this clash is marked by balance, with knockout meetings also in 2020 and 2016, as well as in the group stage in 2012/13. Each side has five wins, along with five draws.

In knockout encounters, Real Madrid advanced four times, in 2016, 2022, 2024, and 2025, while Manchester City progressed twice, in 2020 and 2023.

Besides the recent rivalry, the team that usually advances from this duel goes on to win the Champions League: the Spaniards lifted the trophy in 2016, 2022, and 2024, while the English won their only title in 2023.

Check out the Champions League round of 16 matchups

Silver side of the bracket

Blue side of the bracket

*Right side plays the second leg at home.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.