The knockout phase of the Champions League has been decided, with 16 teams remaining in the battle for Europe’s top prize.
In the second edition of the competition’s revamped format, the premier continental club tournament saw plenty of drama in the qualification rounds, with Celtic and Rangers embarrassingly knocked out, as first-timers such as Kairat Almaty earned the right to battle with the big guns.
European giants Napoli and Ajax were among those to fall at the early stages, while the likes of Bodo/Glimt continue to surprise the continent’s heavyweights.
With all six English clubs still involved and most of the usual suspects vying for the famous trophy, there is plenty to keep tabs on, so we’ve created a handy guide to help you through the season.
Find all the latest fixtures, results, draw dates and standings here, along with where to watch the action this term.
QUICK LINKS
- Champions League format
- 2025/26 Champions League rule changes
- 2025/26 Champions League draw
- 2025/26 Champions League fixture & draw dates
- 2025/26 Champions League results
- Champions League standings
- How to watch the Champions League on UK TV
Champions League format
The league phase returns for a second season, with clubs battling it out for a top-8 finish to seal an automatic last-16 place.
Each side will play eight times, with fixtures determined at August’s draw. The schedules ensured that each side plays two teams from each pot (one at home, one away), with clubs ranked by their UEFA coefficient.
Teams were also blocked from playing sides from their own country, and could not face more than two teams from another nation in the league phase.
The top eight teams after eight fixtures go through to the round of 16. Clubs placed between 9th and 24th qualify for the two-legged play-off round, while those finishing 25th-36th go out of Europe altogether.
2025/26 Champions League rule changes
There is one slight change to the knockout stages this year, as potential paths towards the final have been altered. Last year, teams in the top 8 were guaranteed home advantage in the round of 16, with the rest of the bracket determined by a draw.
This season, home advantage in the second leg is earned either through placing in the league phase or defeating a team that possesses that advantage.
It means that teams placed in the top four are guaranteed a second leg at home in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, with the top two sides able to play all their knockout second legs at home, should they make it through to the semis.
However, the switch has caused controversy, as UEFA has decided that teams finishing lower in the league phase can snatch home advantage away from teams that finished a lot higher.
For example, teams placed 3rd and 4th would be guaranteed to play a semi-final second leg away from home, as that right would be earned by either a top-2 team or the side that sent them out of the competition.
2025/26 Champions League draw
Six English teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – learned their fate when the Champions League draw was made in late August 2025.
It threw up a number of interesting narratives, from Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold returning to Anfield with Real Madrid, to Spurs revisiting the scenes of their run to Europa League glory.
More recent events set up a reunion between Jose Mourinho and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Benfica giving a decent account of themselves before losing 1-0 on Matchday 2.
Matchday 8 saw all 36 Champions League teams in action simultaneously as the league phase concluded.
In the knockout phase, Newcastle’s reward for seeing off Qarabag was a rematch with Barcelona, with the Catalans superior in their clash back in September.
Elsewhere, Liverpool will return to Istanbul to take on Galatasaray, while there is another mouthwatering instalment of Real Madrid and Man City as they lock horns again.
The path towards the final was also confirmed, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City all on a collision course. Their side of the draw contains seven previous Champions League winners, compared to just one on the other side.
Arsenal will face Bodo/Glimt or Sporting CP if they can see off Bayer Leverkusen, while Spurs and Newcastle could meet in the quarter-finals.
Knockout phase fixtures
| Date | Fixture | Kick-off |
| 10th Mar | Galatasaray v Liverpool | 5.45 pm |
| 10th Mar | Atalanta v Bayern Munich | 8 pm |
| 10th Mar | Atletico Madrid v Tottenham | 8 pm |
| 10th Mar | Newcastle v Barcelona | 8 pm |
| 11th Mar | Leverkusen v Arsenal | 8 pm |
| 11th Mar | Bodo/Glimt v Sporting CP | 8 pm |
| 11th Mar | PSG v Chelsea | 8 pm |
| 11th Mar | Real Madrid v Man City | 8 pm |
| 17th Mar | Sporting CP v Bodo/Glimt | 5.45 pm |
| 17th Mar | Arsenal v Leverkusen | 8 pm |
| 17th Mar | Chelsea v PSG | 8 pm |
| 17th Mar | Man City v Real Madrid | 8 pm |
| 18th Mar | Barcelona v Newcastle | 5.45 pm |
| 18th Mar | Bayern Munich v Atalanta | 8 pm |
| 18th Mar | Liverpool v Galatasaray | 8 pm |
| 18th Mar | Tottenham v Atletico Madrid | 8 pm |
2025/26 Champions League fixture & draw dates
There are eight matchdays across the league phase of the Champions League, with the final round of fixtures featuring all 36 clubs on 28th January 2026. The knockout play-off round takes place in mid-February.
A draw will then take place on 27th February to determine the route to this year’s final in Budapest, with the round of 16 being played in mid-March. The quarter-finals are a month later, while the semi-finals will conclude on 6th May.
The Puskas Arena will host the final on 30th May 2026.
| Round | Fixture date(s) | Draw date |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 16-18 Sep 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 2 | 30 Sep-1 Oct 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 3 | 21-22 Oct 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 4 | 4-5 Nov 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 5 | 25-26 Nov 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 6 | 9-10 Dec 2025 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 7 | 20-21 Jan 2026 | 28th August 2025 |
| Matchday 8 | 28 Jan 2026 | 28th August 2025 |
| Play-off round | 17-18 & 24-25 Feb 2026 | 30th January 2026 |
| Round of 16 | 10-11 & 17-18 Mar 2026 | 27th February 2026 |
| Quarter-finals | 7-8 & 14-15 Apr 2026 | 27th February 2026 |
| Semi-finals | 28-29 Apr & 5-6 May 2026 | 27th February 2026 |
| Final | 30 May 2026 | 27th February 2026 |
2025/26 Champions League results
The knockout play-off round saw its fair share of drama as the last 16 finally took shape.
While there were comfortable victories for Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, other sides were made to work for their last-16 berths.
Inter were perhaps the biggest casualties of the play-off round, losing twice to Bodo/Glimt over two legs as the Norwegians secured a historic 5-2 aggregate win over last year’s finalists.
Meanwhile, Atalanta secured a dramatic passage through thanks to a late penalty that helped them overturn a 2-0 first-leg defeat against Borussia Dortmund, while Galatasaray needed extra time to see off 10-player Juventus despite their 5-2 win in the first leg.
Holders PSG toiled to victory over Ligue 1 rivals Monaco, while Real Madrid eventually saw off Jose Mourinho’s Benfica, with Vinicius Junior scoring a late winner to secure a tie with Manchester City.
Matchday 1 results
| Athletic Club | 0-2 | Arsenal |
| PSV | 1-3 | Union SG |
| Benfica | 2-3 | Qarabag |
| Juventus | 4-4 | Dortmund |
| Real Madrid | 2-1 | Marseille |
| Tottenham | 1-0 | Villarreal |
| Olympiacos | 0-0 | Pafos |
| Slavia Prague | 2-2 | Bodo/Glimt |
| Ajax | 0-2 | Inter |
| Bayern Munich | 3-1 | Chelsea |
| Liverpool | 3-2 | Atletico Madrid |
| PSG | 4-0 | Atalanta |
| Club Brugge | 4-1 | Monaco |
| Copenhagen | 2-2 | Leverkusen |
| Frankfurt | 5-1 | Galatasaray |
| Man City | 2-0 | Napoli |
| Newcastle | 1-2 | Barcelona |
| Sporting CP | 4-1 | Kairat |
Matchday 2 results
| Atalanta | 2-1 | Club Brugge |
| Kairat | 0-5 | Real Madrid |
| Atletico Madrid | 5-1 | Frankfurt |
| Bodo/Glimt | 2-2 | Tottenham |
| Chelsea | 1-0 | Benfica |
| Galatasaray | 1-0 | Liverpool |
| Inter | 3-0 | Slavia Prague |
| Marseille | 4-0 | Ajax |
| Pafos | 1-5 | Bayern Munich |
| Qarabag | 2-0 | Copenhagen |
| Union SG | 0-4 | Newcastle |
| Arsenal | 2-0 | Olympiacos |
| Barcelona | 1-2 | PSG |
| Dortmund | 4-1 | Athletic Club |
| Leverkusen | 1-1 | PSV |
| Monaco | 2-2 | Man City |
| Napoli | 2-1 | Sporting CP |
| Villarreal | 2-2 | Juventus |
Matchday 3 results
| Barcelona | 6-1 | Olympiacos |
| Kairat | 0-0 | Pafos |
| Arsenal | 4-0 | Atletico Madrid |
| Copenhagen | 2-4 | Dortmund |
| Leverkusen | 2-7 | PSG |
| Newcastle | 3-0 | Benfica |
| PSV | 6-2 | Napoli |
| Union SG | 0-4 | Inter |
| Villarreal | 0-2 | Man City |
| Athletic Club | 3-1 | Qarabag |
| Galatasaray | 3-1 | Bodo/Glimt |
| Atalanta | 0-0 | Slavia Prague |
| Bayern Munich | 4-0 | Club Brugge |
| Chelsea | 5-1 | Ajax |
| Frankfurt | 1-5 | Liverpool |
| Monaco | 0-0 | Tottenham |
| Real Madrid | 1-0 | Juventus |
| Sporting CP | 2-1 | Marseille |
Matchday 4 results
| Napoli | 0-0 | Frankfurt |
| Slavia Prague | 0-3 | Arsenal |
| Atletico Madrid | 3-1 | Union SG |
| Bodo/Glimt | 0-1 | Monaco |
| Juventus | 1-1 | Sporting |
| Liverpool | 1-0 | Real Madrid |
| Olympiacos | 1-1 | PSV |
| PSG | 1-2 | Bayern Munich |
| Tottenham | 4-0 | Copenhagen |
| Pafos | 1-0 | Villarreal |
| Qarabag | 2-2 | Chelsea |
| Ajax | 0-3 | Galatasaray |
| Benfica | 0-1 | Leverkusen |
| Club Brugge | 3-3 | Barcelona |
| Inter | 2-1 | Kairat |
| Man City | 4-1 | Dortmund |
| Marseille | 0-1 | Atalanta |
| Newcastle | 2-0 | Athletic Club |
Matchday 5 results
| Ajax | 0-2 | Benfica |
| Galatasaray | 0-1 | Union SG |
| Bodo/Glimt | 2-3 | Juventus |
| Dortmund | 4-0 | Villarreal |
| Chelsea | 3-0 | Barcelona |
| Man City | 0-2 | Leverkusen |
| Marseille | 2-1 | Newcastle |
| Napoli | 2-0 | Qarabag |
| Slavia Prague | 0-0 | Athletic Club |
| Copenhagen | 3-2 | Kairat |
| Pafos | 2-2 | Monaco |
| Arsenal | 3-1 | Bayern Munich |
| Atletico Madrid | 2-1 | Inter |
| Frankfurt | 0-3 | Atalanta |
| Liverpool | 1-4 | PSV |
| Olympiacos | 3-4 | Real Madrid |
| PSG | 5-3 | Tottenham |
| Sporting CP | 3-0 | Club Brugge |
Matchday 6 results
| Kairat | 0-1 | Olympiacos |
| Bayern Munich | 3-1 | Sporting CP |
| Atalanta | 2-1 | Chelsea |
| Barcelona | 2-1 | Frankfurt |
| Inter | 0-1 | Liverpool |
| Monaco | 0-1 | Galatasaray |
| PSV | 2-3 | Atletico Madrid |
| Tottenham | 3-0 | Slavia Prague |
| Union SG | 2-3 | Marseille |
| Qarabag | 2-4 | Ajax |
| Villarreal | 2-3 | Copenhagen |
| Athletic Club | 0-0 | PSG |
| Leverkusen | 2-2 | Newcastle |
| Benfica | 2-0 | Napoli |
| Dortmund | 2-2 | Bodo/Glimt |
| Club Brugge | 0-3 | Arsenal |
| Juventus | 2-0 | Pafos |
| Real Madrid | 1-2 | Man City |
Matchday 7 results
| Kairat | 1-4 | Club Brugge |
| Bodo/Glimt | 3-1 | Man City |
| Copenhagen | 1-1 | Napoli |
| Inter | 1-3 | Arsenal |
| Olympiacos | 2-0 | Leverkusen |
| Real Madrid | 6-1 | Monaco |
| Sporting CP | 2-1 | PSG |
| Tottenham | 2-0 | Dortmund |
| Villarreal | 1-2 | Ajax |
| Galatasaray | 1-1 | Atletico Madrid |
| Qarabag | 3-2 | Frankfurt |
| Atalanta | 2-3 | Athletic Club |
| Chelsea | 1-0 | Pafos |
| Bayern Munich | 2-0 | Union SG |
| Juventus | 2-0 | Benfica |
| Marseille | 0-3 | Liverpool |
| Newcastle | 3-0 | PSV |
| Slavia Prague | 2-4 | Barcelona |
Matchday 8 results
| Ajax | 1-2 | Olympiacos |
| Arsenal | 3-2 | Kairat |
| Athletic Club | 2-3 | Sporting CP |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-2 | Bodo/Glimt |
| Barcelona | 4-1 | Copenhagen |
| Benfica | 4-2 | Real Madrid |
| Club Brugge | 3-0 | Marseille |
| Dortmund | 0-2 | Inter |
| Frankfurt | 0-2 | Tottenham |
| Leverkusen | 3-0 | Villarreal |
| Liverpool | 6-0 | Qarabag |
| Man City | 2-0 | Galatasaray |
| Monaco | 0-0 | Juventus |
| Napoli | 2-3 | Chelsea |
| PSV | 1-2 | Bayern Munich |
| Pafos | 4-1 | Slavia Prague |
| PSG | 1-1 | Newcastle |
| Union SG | 1-0 | Atalanta |
Knockout play-off round first leg results
| Galatasaray | 5-2 | Juventus |
| Benfica | 0-1 | Real Madrid |
| Monaco | 2-3 | PSG |
| Dortmund | 2-0 | Atalanta |
| Qarabag | 1-6 | Newcastle |
| Bodo/Glimt | 3-1 | Inter |
| Club Brugge | 3-3 | Atletico Madrid |
| Olympiacos | 0-2 | Leverkusen |
Knockout play-off round second leg results
| Atletico Madrid | 4-1 (7-4 agg.) | Club Brugge |
| Leverkusen | 0-0 (2-0 agg.) | Olym’cos |
| Inter | 1-2 (2-5 agg.) | B/Glimt |
| Newcastle | 3-2 (9-3 agg.) | Qarabag |
| Atalanta | 4-1 (4-3 agg.) | Do’mund |
| Juventus | 3-2 (aet, 5-7 agg.) | Gala’ray |
| PSG | 2-2 (5-4 agg.) | Monaco |
| Real Madrid | 2-1 (3-1 agg.) | Benfica |
Champions League standings
Arsenal topped the league phase table with a perfect record, conceding just four goals across their eight wins, which included victories over 2nd-placed Bayern Munich and Inter.
Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City joined them in the last 16, with Newcastle United the only English side having to navigate the play-off round after finishing 12th.
Real Madrid’s dramatic defeat to Benfica saw them miss out on a top-8 place as Sporting and La Liga rivals Barcelona took the other slots.
Reigning champions PSG could only finish 11th after dropping points at home to Newcastle, while Benfica squeezed through to the play-offs following a dramatic conclusion which saw goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin net an improbable late winner to set a Real Madrid rematch in the knockout phase.
They knocked out Marseille and Pafos, who were both eliminated on goal difference.
| Rank | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 19 | 24 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 8 | 14 | 21 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 18 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| 5 | Barcelona | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 16 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 16 |
| 7 | Sporting CP | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 16 |
| 8 | Man City | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 16 |
| 9 | Real Madrid | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 15 |
| 10 | Inter | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| 11 | PSG | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 14 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 14 |
| 13 | Juventus | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 13 |
| 14 | Atletico Madrid | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 13 |
| 15 | Atalanta | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| 16 | Leverkusen | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 12 |
| 17 | Dortmund | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 11 |
| 18 | Olympiacos | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 11 |
| 19 | Club Brugge | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 10 |
| 20 | Galatasaray | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 10 |
| 21 | Monaco | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 10 |
| 22 | Qarabag | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 10 |
| 23 | Bodo/Glimt | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 9 |
| 24 | Benfica | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 9 |
| 25 | Marseille | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 9 |
| 26 | Pafos | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 9 |
| 27 | Union SG | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 9 |
| 28 | PSV | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 8 |
| 29 | Athletic Club | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 8 |
| 30 | Napoli | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 8 |
| 31 | Copenhagen | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 21 | -9 | 8 |
| 32 | Ajax | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 21 | -13 | 6 |
| 33 | Frankfurt | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 4 |
| 34 | Slavia Prague | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 19 | -14 | 3 |
| 35 | Villarreal | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 1 |
| 36 | Kairat | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 22 | -15 | 1 |
How to watch the Champions League on UK TV
This year’s Champions League will be broadcast on TNT Sports, Prime Video and BBC Sport.
As was the case last year, TNT Sports and Prime Video will share live TV rights, with TNT securing the bulk of live coverage. Prime Video selects one match from every Tuesday night, with TNT showing all other matches. BBC One broadcasts the highlights every week on free-to-air TV.
It was recently announced that from the 2027/28 season, Paramount will replace TNT Sports as the main UK rightsholder for Champions League coverage.
The deal runs through to 2031 and also sees Sky take Europa League and Conference League packages.
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