Champions League draw LIVE!
The Champions League knockout stage draw took centre stage at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday morning. Six English clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle - all discovered their last-16 opponents and potential routes through to the final at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on May 30.
It will be Bayer Leverkusen next for competition favourites Arsenal after they topped the league phase with a formidable 100 per cent winning record, while Chelsea face a blockbuster tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain in a repeat of last summer’s Club World Cup final in the United States. Tottenham and Liverpool take on Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray respectively, while Newcastle get a rematch with Barcelona as Manchester City prepare for yet another high-profile meeting with Real Madrid.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have been drawn against Lille and Midtjylland respectively in the Europa League last 16, before Crystal Palace find out who they will be facing next in the Conference League after getting past Zrinjski Mostar. Follow the Champions League draw live below!
Champions League draw latest updates
- Champions League knockout bracket in full
- Chelsea face PSG in Club World Cup final rematch
- Manchester City and Real Madrid meet again
- Arsenal route to final after favourable draw
Champions League knockout bracket
12:16 , George FloodHere’s the full bracket and pathway all the way through to the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30.
Chelsea could face Liverpool in the quarter-finals and Manchester City in the semis - their route to the Puskas Arena looks very tough indeed, however it shakes out.
Arsenal will be much happier, with Sporting or Bodo/Glimt to come in the quarter-finals if they get past Bayer Leverkusen.
It would then be one of Newcastle, Barcelona, Atletico or Tottenham in the semis if they progress again.
A north London derby for a place in the final, anyone?!
Seems unlikely, but you never know...
The path to the Champions League final is set!
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 27, 2026
Who are you backing to go all the way? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/xoPw4kFSro
So then, we’ll have Real Madrid vs Manchester City in a knockout tie in the Champions League for the fifth season in a row.
That is a record for the competition, per Opta.
They also met in the league phase in December, with City winning 2-1 at the Bernabeu.
PSG-Chelsea is of course a tasty rematch of last summer’s Club World Cup final, which Chelsea won 3-0 in New Jersey.
Newcastle will play Barcelona again, after they were sunk by Marcus Rashford’s double on matchday one at St James’ Park back in September.
Liverpool have the chance to avenge their 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in Istanbul that same month.
Tottenham meet Atletico for the first time since 1963 as Conor Gallagher faces a quick reunion with his former club after leaving LaLiga for Spurs in January.
Speaking of reunions, Kai Havertz goes back to Bayer Leverkusen along with Arsenal loanee Piero Hincapie, who is eligible to face his parent club under UEFA rules.
Champions League draw in full
11:33 , George FloodA jarringly short draw ceremony, though some very tasty ties there including PSG vs Chelsea and Real Madrid vs Manchester City.
Here it is in full:
Here is the Champions League round of 16 draw in full 🏆 pic.twitter.com/CFPJRExWvm
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 27, 2026
Champions League draw
11:19 , George FloodArsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern Munich vs Atalanta
Champions League draw
11:18 , George FloodAtletico Madrid vs Tottenham
Liverpool vs Galatasaray
Champions League draw
11:17 , George FloodChelsea vs PSG
Barcelona vs Newcastle
Champions League draw
11:16 , George FloodHere we go! Rakitic can’t get the first ball open, blames it on the cream on his hands.
Marchetti takes over and draws Manchester City onto the silver side.
Sporting follow.
So it’s Sporting vs Bodo/Glimt and Manchester City vs Real Madrid.
After a video package showcasing the remaining teams, long-time UEFA host Pedro Pinto has now handed over to deputy secretary general Giorgio Marchetti, who is going through exactly how the draw works.
Former Barcelona and Croatia star Ivan Rakitic will help with the draw and is now on stage.
Draw ceremony underway
11:03 , George FloodThe Champions League draw ceremony is underway at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
We will have the usual introduction, build-up and technical explanations, then the draw itself will begin.
Stay tuned!
Which teams are in Champions League draw?
10:46 , George FloodHere’s a reminder of all 16 teams in today’s draw, which is now just 15 minutes away...
Top eight teams in league phase: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, Manchester City
Qualified via play-offs: Atletico Madrid, Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Atalanta
Why Leverkusen want Arsenal - not Bayern
10:40 , George FloodBayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes indicated earlier this week that he would rather face Arsenal than Bayern Munich in the last 16, despite their formidable league phase campaign.
That would reunite the Bundesliga side with both ex-forward Kai Havertz and current Gunners loanee Piero Hincapie, who would be eligible to face his parent club as per current UEFA rules.
It would also avoid yet another meeting with Bayern, whom they lost to at this stage last season.
Bayern also beat Leverkusen 3-0 in the Bundesliga earlier this term, with another clash to come next month as well as a German Cup semi-final tie in April.
“They are two of the best teams in Europe, they play at the same level,” Rolfes said.
“That’s great. We want to play against the best.
“We’re looking forward to this big challenge. Four games in one month against Bayern? With Arsenal, there might be a bit of variety.
“It would be great if we were drawn against Arsenal. Then we could finally say goodbye to Kai Havertz at our stadium – almost six years after his departure [for Chelsea].
“I was recently in contact with Kai. He would also be happy to see us again. He was keeping his fingers crossed for us to advance.”
He added: “Arsenal would be nice. I said the same thing when we could've faced Dortmund in the previous round.
“Especially that we would be able to meet two of our former players in Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie. Nobody wants these ties between teams from the same country.”
Who can Newcastle face in Champions League last 16?
10:21 , George FloodNewcastle are heading into the Champions League last 16 for the very first time after that aforementioned 9-3 aggregate play-off round demolition of Azerbaijani side Qarabag.
We’ve already seen how they could draw a huge all-English tie against Chelsea this morning, which would make it three games in a week between the two clubs, who are also scheduled to meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on March 14.
A blockbuster showdown is guaranteed regardless, as if it’s not Chelsea then it will be Barcelona who await next after they placed fifth in the league phase.
Newcastle played Barcelona in their first match of this season’s competition, losing 3-2 at St James’ Park after Marcus Rashford’s stylish double.
Who can Man City face in Champions League last 16?
10:03 , George FloodManchester City narrowly squeezed through to the last 16 automatically, finishing eighth following a 2-0 win over Galatasaray that followed their shock defeat by Bodo/Glimt.
That meant a date with one of the winners of the play-off ties involving the clubs who came ninth, 10th, 23rd and 24th - Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Bodo/Glimt and Benfica.
Real Madrid overcame Benfica 3-1 on aggregate in a tie marred by controversy that was a repeat of their dramatic showdown from the final night of the league phase, while Norway’s Bodo/Glimt stunningly dismantled Inter 5-2 on aggregate with two wins.
So for City, either another huge showdown with Madrid next or a chance at revenge in the Arctic Circle.
Who can Liverpool face in Champions League last 16?
09:43 , George FloodLiverpool finished third behind only Arsenal and Bayern Munich during the league phase, winning six of their eight fixtures - including against Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
Their last-16 fate mirrors that of Tottenham in as far as they will also meet one of Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.
Liverpool played both of those teams during the league phase, opening their campaign with a dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico at Anfield in which Virgil van Dijk scored a stoppage-time winner after they initially blew a two-goal lead and Diego Simeone clashed with the home fans.
They fared decidedly less well in Istanbul, losing 1-0 thanks to Victor Osimhen’s early penalty as they also lost goalkeeper Alisson to injury.
Who can Tottenham face in Champions League last 16?
09:28 , George FloodTottenham’s Champions League progress - fourth place with five wins and only one defeat in eight games - was a much-needed antidote to their domestic struggles under Thomas Frank, who has since been sacked and replaced by interim boss Igor Tudor amid a Premier League relegation fight.
Spurs watched the play-off round knowing that they would face one of the winners of the ties involving the 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th seeds - Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge and Galatasaray.
There will be no swift Tudor reunion with Juve, who sacked him in October, though he will go back to another former club in Galatasaray after they beat the Serie A giants 7-5 on aggregate despite losing an eventful second leg 3-2 in Turin on Wednesday.
Atletico, meanwhile, progressed 7-4 on aggregate after a wild 3-3 draw in Bruges was followed by an emphatic 4-1 win in Madrid on Tuesday, in which Alexander Sorloth netted a hat-trick.
Who can Chelsea face in Champions League last 16?
09:19 , George FloodChelsea secured sixth place in the league phase and automatic progress into the last 16 courtesy of a Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer-inspired 3-2 comeback win in Naples on the final matchday.
That set them up with a meeting against one of the winners of the play-off ties between the 11th, 12th, 21st and 22nd seeds - Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Monaco and Qarabag.
For the second successive year, PSG, the holders, did not automatically qualify for the last 16 but knocked out domestic opposition to belatedly seal their spot - last year Brest were brushed aside, this time they squeezed past Monaco 5-4 on aggregate after a dramatic 2-2 home second-leg draw this week.
Newcastle had no trouble at all against Qarabag, with Anthony Gordon scoring four times in the first half of a 6-1 thumping in Azerbaijan last week.
Qarabag - who drew 2-2 with Chelsea during the league phase - put up far more of a fight at St James’ Park on Tuesday, but went down 3-2 to lose 9-3 on aggregate.
Who can Arsenal face in Champions League last 16?
09:09 , George FloodSo, who could the six English teams end up facing in the last 16, having all - Newcastle aside - secured automatic qualification through the league phase and avoided nervy two-legged play-off ties.
Let’s start with Premier League leaders Arsenal, who topped the league phase table with a formidable 100 per cent record - eight wins from eight, 23 goals scored and only four conceded.
The Gunners knew they would face one of the winners of the play-offs involving the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th seeds - Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos.
Atalanta - who toppled Chelsea during the league phase - sensationally stormed back from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to beat Dortmund 4-1 in Bergamo on Wednesday night.
So it will be either them or Leverkusen, who were held to a goalless draw at home by Olympiacos on Tuesday but had already done the necessary damage with a 2-0 victory in Piraeus six days earlier thanks to Patrik Schick’s quick-fire second-half double.
Champions League fixture dates
08:59 , George FloodHere are the fixture dates for the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League.
As ever, the last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals are all two-legged ties.
This year’s final takes place at the 67,155-capacity Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Last 16: March 10-11 and 17-18
Quarter-finals: April 7-8 and 14-15
Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6
Final: May 30
How does the Champions League draw work?
08:49 , George FloodSo, how does today’s Champions League draw work exactly?
The top eight teams who qualified directly from the league phase will meet the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs, which concluded in dramatic fashion this week.
There are four seeded pairs of clubs based on their positions at the end of the league phase.
For example, teams who finished first and second are a pair, those who finished seventh and eighth are a pair.
The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winners of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position is also determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.
The draw will determine which side of the bracket each seeded team is placed on, starting with those ranked seventh/eighth and moving up the ranking from there.
Click here to read our format explainer in full
How to watch Champions League draw
08:44 , George FloodTV channel: In the UK, the draw will be televised live on TNT Sports 1.
Live stream: You can also watch the draw live online via the Discovery+ app and website with a subscription, as well as on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
The draw also will be streamed live on UEFA’s website, YouTube channel and the Champions League app.
Champions League draw live
08:40 , George FloodGood morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of the latest Champions League draw.
Six English clubs in Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham will all learn their last-16 fate in Nyon, Switzerland today, as their respective potential paths through the knockout stage and to the final in Budapest on May 30 are mapped out.
Proceedings at UEFA headquarters get underway from 11am GMT, so stay tuned for build-up and live updates throughout the morning.
