The UEFA Champions League's league phase concludes on January 28, with several sides jockeying for their positions in the expanded knockout stages.
In the new format introduced for 2024/25 onwards, the 36-team ladder grants the top eight sides an automatic route to the Round of 16 as seeded teams. Those finishing ninth to 24th enter a playoff round.
Eight two-legged ties will supply the other unseeded teams for the last 16.
Confused? Allow us to walk you through how this thing works.
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When is the Champions League Round of 16 draw?
The draw for the Champions League Round of 16 takes place on Friday, February 27.
There is no confirmed time and venue for the draw yet, but these Champions League ceremonies typically take place at 12:00 CET at UEFA's base in Nyon, Switzerland.
The month-long wait between the final league-phase matches and this draw is due to the playoff round.
These matches are contested across two legs, the first over February 17/18 and the second across February 24/25.
Which teams are in the Champions League Round of 16 draw?
The top eight from the league phase will be seeded in the draw according to their finishing position and enter as seeded teams. This means they will play the second leg of the last-16 tie at home.
The tournament bracket is already mapped up to the Round of 16 and beyond. For example, the club that comes first or second in the league phase will face the winner of the playoff between the team that came 17th or 18 and the team that came 15th or 16th. The 10th or ninth-placed sides will face the teams in 23rd or 24th for the right to play the seventh or eighth-place finishers in the last 16.
Once teams are handed their spots in the Round of 16 bracket, their route to the final will be set. There are no restrictions on teams from the same country facing one another at any stage from this point. As such, there will be no more knockout-stage draws from February 27 up to and including this season's final in Budapest on Saturday, May 30.
As things stand heading into matchday seven of the league phase, no teams have yet secured a place in the Round of 16.
MORE: Updated list of teams to have qualified for Round of 16 and knockout playoffs
When are the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 games?
The knockout-playoff round fills the space where Round of 16 first legs used to take place. As a result, the first round of the knockout stage proper has been condensed and will take place over two consecutive weeks.
Teams play the first legs of their ties on March 10 and 11, with the return matches on March 17 and 18.
Away goals do not count in the Champions League after the rule was dropped before the 2021/22 season, so ties that are level at the end of normal time in the second leg go to extra time and, if necessary, penalties.
UEFA Champions League knockout stage schedule
The quarterfinals take place in early and mid April, with the semifinal first legs at the end of the month and concluding in May.
The final is on May 30, which is only 12 days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins.
Champions League knockout round dates 2025/26
| Stage | Dates |
| Knockout playoffs | February 17/18 (first legs); February 24/25 (second legs) |
| Round of 16 | March 10/11 (first legs); March 17/18 (second legs) |
| Quarterfinals | April 7/8 (first legs); 14/15 (second legs) |
| Semifinals | April 28/29 (first legs); May 5/6 (second legs) |
| Final | May 30 |