The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw, held in Nyon on February 27, 2026, paired Real Madrid with Manchester City for the fifth straight knockout stage. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in a rematch of last summer's Club World Cup final, while Arsenal draw Bayer Leverkusen in a potentially favorable tie. The bracket divides into a challenging silver path and a relatively easier blue path leading to the May 30 final in Budapest.
The draw took place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, determining matchups for the knockout phase after the league stage concluded on January 28, 2026, and playoffs wrapped up on February 25. Eight teams qualified directly from the top of the league phase table, including Arsenal, who finished first with a perfect record, and Bayern Munich in second. The other eight advanced via playoffs, with notable upsets like Bodø/Glimt eliminating Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate and Atalanta overturning Borussia Dortmund 4-3.
Key round of 16 ties include Paris Saint-Germain versus Chelsea, where the Blues previously beat the holders in the Club World Cup final. Real Madrid, who edged Benfica 3-1 in playoffs, meet Manchester City, renewing a rivalry that has seen them clash in six of the last seven seasons; City won 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in December's league phase. Newcastle United host Barcelona, seeking revenge for a 2-1 league phase loss, while Liverpool travel to Galatasaray after a 1-0 defeat there earlier.
Other fixtures pit Atalanta against Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid versus Tottenham Hotspur, Bodø/Glimt against Sporting CP, and Bayer Leverkusen versus Arsenal. Atlético's director of football Mateu Alemany commented on the Tottenham tie: “You have to look at Tottenham’s record in Europe, which has been brilliant. A top-level team, whatever the draw was going to be difficult, the important thing is to focus on our performance.”
The bracket splits into silver and blue paths. The silver path features heavyweights like PSG, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich, with quarterfinal possibilities including PSG/Chelsea vs. Galatasaray/Liverpool and Real Madrid/Manchester City vs. Atalanta/Bayern Munich. The blue path includes Arsenal, Barcelona, Tottenham, and Atlético Madrid, potentially leading to Newcastle/Barcelona vs. Atlético/Tottenham and Bodø/Glimt/Sporting vs. Leverkusen/Arsenal in the quarters.
First legs occur on March 10 and 11, with second legs on March 17 and 18, all at 21:00 CET unless noted. Quarterfinals follow in April, semifinals in late April and early May, culminating in the final at Puskás Aréna. An Opta supercomputer predicts Arsenal as favorites at 27.40% chance to win, followed by Bayern Munich at 14.28%. Six English teams—Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Tottenham—feature, the most ever in this stage.
