Champions League draw: Start time, teams and how to watch for knockout phase play-offs | OneFootball

The Champions League reaches the knockout phase with play-off ties set to be confirmed on Friday.

After a thrilling finale on Wednesday, with the top eight decided, 16 teams will enter the knockout phase’s play-off draw, tasked with an extra hurdle to keep alive dreams of lifting the famous trophy.

Benfica’s last-gasp strike cemented victory over Real Madrid, ensuring Man City remained in the top eight, while Newcastle were the only Premier League side not able to finish inside the top eight.

Premier League clubs Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Man City can watch out and relax, with their place inside the last 16 secure and their potential opponents revealed.

Here’s everything we know about the Champions League knockout stage’s play-off draw:

When is the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw?

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw starts at 11am GMT on Friday, 30 January 2026, in Nyon, Switzerland.

The draw includes teams that finished ninth to 24th place in the league phase, with the top eight sides in the league phase qualifying automatically for the last 16.

(EPA)

Which teams are in the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw?

There are 16 teams in the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw, including defending champions PSG - who were forced to go through this stage on the path to glory last years - as well as record competition winners Real Madrid.

With the number representing their finish in the league phase, the following teams are seeded:

9. Real Madrid (Spain)

10. Inter Milan (Italy)

11. Paris St. Germain (France)

12. Newcastle United (England)

13. Juventus (Italy)

14. Atletico Madrid (Spain)

15. Atalanta (Italy)

16. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

The remaining teams are unseeded:

17. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

18. Olympiacos (Greece)

19. Club Brugge (Belgium)

20. Galatasaray (Turkey)

21. AS Monaco (France)

22. Qarabag (Azerbaijan)

23. Bodo/Glimt (Norway)

24. Benfica (Portugal)

The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website and the Champions League app, while Independent Sport will have a live blog with all the results from the draw and the latest reaction.

The clubs are paired together in relation to their league phase positions, forming four seeded pairs: positions 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, and 15 and 16. There will be four unseeded pairs: positions 17 and 18, 19 and 20, 21 and 22, and 23 and 24).

Clubs in each seeded pair will draw a tie against an unseeded pair: clubs 9 or 10 against clubs 23 or 24, clubs 11 or 12 against clubs 21 or 22, clubs 13 or 14 against clubs 19 or 20, and clubs 15 or 16 against clubs 17 or 18.

Teams from the same national association, or teams that have already met in the league phase, can all play against each other in the knockout phase play-offs.

When will the knockout phase play-off ties take place?

Matches will take place over two legs, with the seeded team set to play the return leg at home.

First legs will be played on 17-18 February and second legs are slated to take place on 24-25 February.

When is the round of 16 draw?

The eight teams that advance from the knockout phase play-offs will be in the draw for the round of 16, which will take place on Friday, 27 February.

Here are the combinations for the round of 16 fixtures:

Will play Barcelona or Chelsea: