TThe Champions League campaign ended with a thrilling round eight full of adrenaline and unforgettable moments. The stadium vibrated with the passion of thousands of fans and each club left their souls on the pitch knowing that every minute counted to qualify for the next part of the tournament.
Amid spectacular play and dramatic finishes, eight teams advanced to the top 16. Meanwhile, the remaining 16 teams are eagerly awaiting who their next opponents in the play-offs will be and are preparing to prove that they deserve to progress to the next stage of Europe’s most prestigious football tournament.
Kylian Mbapp looks at Jos Mourinho and gestures after scoring against Benfica
Which teams will advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 UEFA Champions League?
What will come as a surprise to many Champions League fans is that current Champions League champions PSG are not listed among the best eight teams to advance to the Round of 16, nor are teams from Italy or France.
Arsenal. Bayern Munich. Liverpool. Tottenham Hotspur. Barcelona. Chelsea. Sporting Lisbon. Manchester City.
The best teams in the league stage of the Champions League include five clubs from the Premier League, one club from La Liga, one club from the Bundesliga and only one club from the Portuguese Liga.
The UEFA Champions League 2025-26 play-off round will be held on 19th and 20th August 2025, with the second leg taking place on 26th and 27th August.
The 16 teams aiming to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League are as follows:
Real Madrid Inter Milan Paris Saint-Germain Newcastle United Juventus Atletico Madrid Atalanta Bayer Leverkusen Borussia Dortmund Olympiakos Brugge Galatasaray Monaco Cala Bag Bodo Grimt Benfica
One of the most exciting stories of the Champions League final was Portugal’s Benfica scoring a heartbreaking 90+8 goal in the final minute to qualify and eliminate Ligue 1 team Marseille by at least one goal.
When is the draw for the 2026 Champions League playoffs?
This Friday, January 30, 2026, the draw will be held to determine the play-off pairings for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League.
The first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round will be played on 17 and 18 February 2026, and the second leg will be played on 24 and 25 February 2026.
When and where can you watch the Champions League playoff draw in the US?
The Champions League playoff draw will begin at 6 a.m. ET in the United States and will be streamed live on UEFA’s website.
