2025–26 Champions League Quarterfinals Set As Liverpool, Real Madrid Handed Nightmare Fixtures

With the second legs of the Champions League round of 16 done and dusted, the full list of fixtures for the quarterfinals is now known.

Real Madrid’s meeting with Bayern Munich promises to be the headline event of the round. Los Blancos struggled in the league phase, needing to suffer through the playoffs to even advance to the last 16, where they ultimately made light work of Manchester City.

Álvaro Arbeloa’s side will need to maintain that form as they prepare for a meeting with Bayern, who breezed through their own last-16 tie against Atalanta with an aggregate scoreline of 10–2. Vincent Kompany’s side are among the favorites to go all the way this season and are perhaps the toughest test possible for Madrid.

Another favorite for victory, Arsenal were the only team to win every game in the league phase. A draw in the first leg of the last round against Bayer Leverkusen ended their perfect record before a comfortable win in the return fixture earned Mikel Arteta’s side a date with Sporting CP, who roared back from 3–0 down against Bodø/Glimt to win the tie 5–3 on aggregate.

Liverpool’s reward for their own comeback victory over Galatasaray is a brutal two-legged date with current holders Paris Saint-Germain, who put eight goals past Chelsea in the previous round to remind the world of their credentials.

PSG's attack. C'est Magnifique. pic.twitter.com/D65gDSnGS4
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) March 18, 2026

The two sides met in the round of 16 last season. The first leg ended in a surprise 1–0 win to Liverpool away from home, but that was the fixture that opened the world’s eyes to PSG’s talents. Luis Enrique’s side would advance on penalties and ultimately went on to win the entire competition.

Finally, the all-Spanish affair of Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid promises to be one of the most fascinating ties on offer.

Atléti’s place in the round of 16 was effectively sealed last week after a 5–2 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur, which they ended up needing after an uncomfortable 3–2 defeat in Wednesday’s return leg.

As for Barcelona, they made hard work of their tie against Newcastle, drawing the first leg but ultimately progressing thanks to a thumping 7–2 win on Wednesday. They now have the chance to avenge their defeat to Diego Simeone’s side in the Copa del Rey semifinals earlier this month, when a 3–0 win in the second leg was not enough to cover over a 4–0 loss first time out.

2025–26 Champions League Quarterfinal Fixtures in Full

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Liverpool
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich
Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid
Sporting CP vs. Arsenal

When Are the 2025–26 Champions League Quarterfinals?

Teams can afford to focus on their domestic affairs for a few weeks, with the Champions League quarterfinals set to take place in April.

The first legs will be played across Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8, with the seeded teams from the league phase all beginning away from home to give them the advantage of playing at a familiar venue in the return leg.

One week later, across Tuesday, April 14 and Wednesday, April 15, the four teams advancing to the semifinals will be set. Those two-legged fixtures will take place at the end of April and the start of May.

The final is booked in for Budapest’s Puskás Aréna on May 30.

READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025–26 Champions League Quarterfinals Set As Liverpool, Real Madrid Handed Nightmare Fixtures.

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