The UEFA Champions League last 16 draw will take place on Friday, February 27, 2026, in Nyon, Switzerland, determining matchups for the knockout stages. Sixteen teams, including seeded sides like Arsenal and Bayern Munich, await their opponents after the playoff round concluded. The draw will also outline paths to the final at Budapest's Puskas Arena on May 30.
The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League playoff round has wrapped up, with eight teams joining the top eight from the league phase in the last 16. Seeded teams, which finished in the top eight of the league stage, include Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, and Sporting Lisbon. These clubs advanced directly and will have home advantage in the second legs of the last 16 ties.
The playoff winners are Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid. Notable upsets include Bodo/Glimt defeating Inter Milan and Galatasaray overcoming Juventus 7-5 on aggregate.
The draw, scheduled for 11:00 GMT on February 27 at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, will pair seeded teams against playoff qualifiers. It will also set the bracket for quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final, revealing potential routes to glory. For instance, Arsenal and Bayern Munich will face either Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen, while Real Madrid could meet Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon.
Fixtures begin with last 16 first legs on March 10-11 and second legs on March 17-18, all two-legged ties. Quarterfinals follow on April 7-8 and 14-15, semifinals on April 28-29 and May 5-6, culminating in the single-match final on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Seeding provides advantages, such as top-four finishers Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Tottenham hosting second legs in quarterfinals if they advance. Teams from the same country can face each other, and prior league-phase opponents are possible. Opta supercomputer predictions favor Arsenal with a 29.45% chance of winning the tournament, followed by Bayern Munich at 14.56%.
