UEFA has confirmed the 2025/26 Champions League Round of 16 draw, plus mapped quarter-final and semi-final paths, setting up another huge Manchester City vs Real Madrid showdown.
Round of 16 Draw Confirms Blockbuster Ties
UEFA has announced the full draw for the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16, along with the paths to the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The headline story is yet another clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid, who have now been paired together in the knockout stages for the sixth time since the 2019–20 season. It is the first time in competition history that two clubs have met in the knockouts for five consecutive campaigns, underlining how often both teams reach the business end of the tournament.
The two sides already met once in this season’s new league phase, where City came from behind to beat the 15-time European champions 2–1 in December. Their latest tie promises another intense, high-quality showdown, with the winner moving on as one of the favourites to lift the trophy in May.
Big Stories for English Clubs in the Knockout Bracket
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain have been drawn against Chelsea in a repeat of last year’s heated Club World Cup final, which Chelsea won. Blues manager Liam Rosenior has already welcomed the match-up, describing PSG as a team he has long admired from his time in France. The tie offers Chelsea a chance to prove that their Club World Cup win was no accident, while PSG will be desperate for revenge on the biggest European stage.
Premier League leaders Arsenal, who topped the league phase with a perfect record of eight wins, have avoided the biggest names and will face Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. If the Gunners progress, they will meet either Sporting or Bodo/Glimt in the quarter-finals, a reward that reflects their dominant league-phase performance. Elsewhere, Newcastle United will renew their rivalry with Barcelona, Liverpool will take on Galatasaray, and Tottenham Hotspur have been paired with Atletico Madrid in a tie that looks finely balanced on paper.
Full UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Knockout Schedule
The official UEFA bracket sets out every confirmed fixture for the Round of 16 and the possible paths to the quarter-finals and semi-finals. The tables below reproduce the schedule as announced, showing who could meet at each stage.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Draw
| Round of 16 Fixtures |
| Real Madrid vs Manchester City |
| Bodo/Glimt vs Sporting |
| Paris St Germain vs Chelsea |
| Newcastle United vs Barcelona |
| Galatasaray vs Liverpool |
| Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur |
| Atalanta vs Bayern Munich |
| Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal |
Quarter-Finals
| Quarter-Final Paths |
| QF1: PSG/Chelsea vs Galatasaray/Liverpool |
| QF2: Real Madrid/Man City vs Atalanta/Bayern |
| QF3: Newcastle/Barcelona vs Atletico/Tottenham |
| QF4: Bodo/Sporting vs Leverkusen/Arsenal |
Semi-Finals
| Semi-Final Paths |
| Semi-final 1: QF1 winners vs QF2 winners |
| Semi-final 2: QF3 winners vs QF4 winners |
What the Draw Means for the Road to the Final
The bracket design means that the winner of Real Madrid vs Manchester City could face Bayern Munich or Atalanta in the quarter-finals, setting up a brutal route to the final for whoever comes through. On the other side of the draw, Arsenal’s potential path through Bayer Leverkusen and then Sporting or Bodo/Glimt looks slightly kinder on paper, but recent results show that so-called smaller clubs can be dangerous; Bodo/Glimt have already beaten City, Atletico and Inter Milan this season.
With Newcastle, Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all involved, English clubs are heavily represented in the knockouts. However, the presence of giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and PSG means that no path to Wembley will be easy. As the first legs approach, managers will be weighing squad rotation, league commitments and injuries, knowing that one bad week in Europe can change the mood of an entire season.
