What is the date and details of the Champions League knockout stage draw?
The league stage of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has concluded! Following an incredibly eventful final matchweek, we now know the 24 teams that remain in Europe’s premier club tournament.
This means the draw for the knockout playoff round is approaching. But which teams will be involved in this draw, and what will the process entail?
Here’s all the essential information regarding the upcoming significant event on the Champions League schedule.
When will the draw for the knockout playoff round occur?
The draw for the knockout playoff round is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. GMT) at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
Which teams will participate in the draw?
Sixteen teams will be included. The teams that finished in ninth to 16th place during the league phase are seeded for the draw, while those that ended in 17th to 24th place are unseeded.
The top eight teams from the league phase have advanced directly to the round of 16, and clubs finishing in 25th to 36th place have been eliminated.
What is the rationale behind the seeding system?
The seeding system implemented for the 2024-25 season ensures that higher-ranked teams from the league phase do not face each other in the knockout playoff round, thereby aiming for a more equitable bracket.
All 16 teams participating in Friday’s draw are matched based on their final standings in the league phase. Ninth-placed Real Madrid will be paired with 10th-placed Internazionale, 11th-placed Paris Saint-Germain with 12th-placed Newcastle United, and so forth. This results in eight pairs of teams.
During the draw, each pairing will be separated and placed on opposite sides of the bracket.
What is the procedure for the draw?
The eight unseeded teams will be drawn first to fill positions in the bracket. In each instance, the first team drawn will occupy a spot in the first half of the bracket, while the other team in the pair will go into the second half.
Next, the draw will proceed to the seeded teams. Again, the first team drawn will be placed in the first half of the bracket, and the second team will be assigned to the other half. This automatically establishes two knockout playoff round matchups between seeded and unseeded teams.
The seeded teams will host the second leg of their matchups.
Here’s how the bracket appears prior to the draw.
Did the teams’ finishing positions in the table have any significance?
Possibly. Last season illustrated a significant example of how the new system can greatly influence outcomes. Manchester City secured their place in the knockout stage only on the final day of the league phase, and their 22nd-place finish required them to compete in the knockout playoff round. As an unseeded team, they faced the seeded Real Madrid, who triumphed 6-3 over two legs.
Conversely, PSG appeared unaffected by the additional round of matches, advancing past Brest in the playoffs and ultimately claiming the title.
This year, PSG finds themselves outside the top eight once more, along with Inter Milan (their opponents in last year’s final) and Real Madrid, who unexpectedly lost 4-2 to Benfica in the final matchweek.
Is there any protection for clubs from the same country?
No — clubs from the same nation may face each other starting from the knockout playoff round onward.
Teams can also be matched against opponents they have already encountered in the league phase.
What are the next steps following the draw?
Following the draw, the teams selected on Friday will compete in the two-legged knockout playoff round in February.
Once that round concludes, the draw for the round of 16 will take place on Feb. 27. This draw will not only determine the matchups for the round of 16 but will also finalize the bracket for the subsequent knockout rounds.
What are the key remaining dates for the Champions League this season?
Knockout playoff round: Feb. 17-18, Feb. 24-25
Round of 16/quarterfinal/semifinal draw: Feb. 27
Round of 16: March 10-11, March 17-18
Quarterfinals: April 7-8, April 14-15
Semifinals: April 28-29, May 5-6
Final: May 30 (Budapest)
