The roadmap to the 2026 Champions League final in Budapest will become clear this Friday, February 27, as UEFA hosts the highly anticipated Round of 16 draw. Commencing at 11 am GMT (12 pm CET) at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, the ceremony follows a dramatic week of playoff action that finalized the knockout field. The eight survivors of the newly implemented playoff round have now been paired with the “Elite Eight”—the clubs that secured automatic qualification by finishing at the summit of the expanded league phase earlier this year.
The playoff stage concluded on Wednesday night with a series of high-octane results, most notably Galatasaray’s extra-time survival against Juventus and Real Madrid’s aggregate triumph over Benfica. Joining them in the unseeded pot are PSG, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Newcastle, Atalanta, and the history-making Bodo/Glimt. These clubs will now be drawn against the seeded giants who enjoyed a first-round bye: Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP, and Tottenham Hotspur.
“Meanwhile, UEFA has already confirmed the teams that can play each other when the Champions League Round of 16 draw is conducted on Friday.”
Due to the seeded structure and the pre-determined bracket system, several “blockbuster” matchups are already mathematically guaranteed to be on the table. In a departure from previous restrictions, teams from the same national association can now be drawn against one another, leading to potential all-English or all-Spanish ties as early as the first knockout round. UEFA’s simulations indicate that fans could see a repeat of the league phase clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid, or a high-stakes London vs. Paris encounter if Chelsea is paired with PSG.
According to the official draw permutations released by UEFA:
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Barcelona is restricted to facing either Newcastle or PSG.
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Bayern Munich will be paired with Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen.
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Chelsea faces a 50/50 toss-up between Newcastle or PSG.
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Liverpool and Tottenham are both locked into a draw against either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.
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Manchester City and Sporting CP will both discover which of them gets Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid.
The draw will not only determine the Round of 16 fixtures but will also map out the quarter-final and semi-final brackets, providing teams with their entire potential path to the Puskás Aréna. With the away goals rule a thing of the past and several traditional powerhouses forced to navigate the playoffs, this Friday’s event in Nyon promises to deliver some of the most competitive pairings in the tournament’s storied history.
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