UEFA Champions League 2025-26: Which Teams Have Qualified For Round Of 16? Check Playoff Winners

The UEFA Champions League 2025-26 play-offs have finally come to an end and the 8 teams who will join the automatically qualified 8 teams from the league stage are now officially confirmed. All the teams are ready for the round of 16 and some exciting and enthralling football action waits fans ahead in the season.

The second year of the Swiss Model saw 36 teams battle in a single league table. The top eight of the league table were set to qualify directly while the bottom eight would be directly eliminated. The remaining teams would face-off in a play-off determining the final 16. Unlike traditional groups, every goal across 144 matches dictated the final seedings.

Arsenal made history by becoming the first team to win all 8 League Phase matches, finishing top with 24 points. Bayern Munich trailed closely in 2nd, their only blemish being a loss to Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur provided the biggest surprise of the top 8. Despite sitting 16th in the Premier League at the time, they dominated in Europe, finishing above titans like Real Madrid and PSG.

Arsenal. Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Manchester City are the teams who avoided the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 play-offs by finishing at the top of the table.

UEFA Champions League 2025-26: Play-Off Results

Teams finishing 9th to 24th in the UCL 2025-26 league stage faced a two-legged knockout round for survival. Several heavyweights crashed out.

While Arsenal and Bayern Munich cruised through the league phase without breaking much of a sweat, traditional powerhouses like Real Madrid and defending champions PSG had to scrap through an extra round just to stay in the tournament. The real magic, though, came from the underdogs. The highlight being Bodo/Glimt knocking out a giant like Inter Milan.

Real Madrid Beat Benfica 3-1 (1-0, 2-1) On Aggregate

In the first leg, Real Madrid secured a slender lead in Lisbon thanks to a moment of magic from Vinicius Jr. However, the match was overshadowed by off-field tension, as Vinicius alleged he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni which led to a provisional UEFA suspension for the Benfica player ahead of the return leg

The return leg in Madrid was highly competitive with things going down to the wires. In the 14th minute, a scramble saw Raul Asencio score a near own goal and Raul Asencio, Rafa Silva pounced on the rebound to make it 1-0 on the night and 1-1 on aggregate. Just two minutes later, Aurelien Tchouameni hammered home a low strike from the edge of the box after a brilliant run and cut-back from Federico Valverde and levelled things up.

Vinicius settled the tie in the 80th minute. He latched onto a Valverde through-ball, outran the defense, and slotted it past Anatoliy Trubin to seal the 3-1 aggregate win

Bodo/Glimt Beat Inter Milan 5-2 (3–1, 2–1) On Aggregate

In the first leg, playing at the Aspmyra Stadion in northern Norway, Inter Milan struggled to adapt to the freezing conditions and the relentless high-press of Kjetil Knutsen’s side. Bodo/Glimt raced into a 2–0 lead within 30 minutes. Lautaro Martínez pulled one back for Inter, giving them hope of a comeback. In the dying minutes, Jens Petter Hauge scored a third for the Norwegians.

Bodo/Glimt were expected to defend in the second leg at San Siro, but they attacked as Patrick Berg silenced the San Siro with a thunderous long-range strike in the 22nd minute. Inter threw everything forward, finally equalizing on the night through Marcus Thuram. However, they needed three more goals to force extra time. As Inter Milan pushed everyone into the box, Bodo/Glimt caught them on a counter-attack. Jens Petter Hauge struck once again, sliding the ball home in the 84th minute to make it 2–1 on the night and 5–2 on aggregate.

Atletico Madrid Beat Club Brugge 7-4 (3–3, 3–1) On Aggregate

The first leg in Bruges was pure chaos and ended as a nail-biting thriller. Atletico madird raced to a 2–0 lead at halftime thanks to a Julian Alvarez penalty and an Ademola Lookman strike and seemed to have the game wrapped up. But Brugge staged a furious second-half comeback. The Belgians scored twice in eight minutes to level it at 2–2. A bizarre own goal by Brugge's Joel Ordonez gave Atletico a 3–2 lead late on. Just as it looked like the Spaniards would escape with a win, Christos Tzolis snatched an 89th-minute equalizer to leave the tie wide open.

The second leg ended up being an Alexander Sorloth show. Sorloth put Atletico ahead in the 23rd minute, but Brugge’s Joel Ordonez redeemed his first-leg own goal by heading in an equalizer before halftime to make it 4–4 on aggregate. Right after the break, American midfielder Johnny Cardoso restored the lead with a stunning half-volley from outside the box. With the tie still poised nice, Sorloth stepped in again, scoring in the 76th and 87th minutes to complete his hat-trick and put the result beyond doubt.

Bayer Leverkusen Beat Olympiacos 2-0 (2–0, 0–0) On Aggregate

In the first leg, the Bayer Leverkusen vs Olympiacos match at the Georgios Karaiskaki Stadium saw some late drama as in the 64th minute, Patrik Schick latched onto a low cross from Ernest Poku to fire Leverkusen ahead. Just two minutes later, Schick rose highest to head home an Alejandro Grimaldo corner, stunning the Greek crowd and giving Leverkusen a commanding 2–0 lead to take back to Germany.

In the second leg at the BayArena Leverkusen’s new manager Kasper Hjulmand prioritized stability over offensive vulnerability. Despite a few late desperate attempts from Olympiacos’ Gelson Martins, Leverkusen held firm to record their fifth consecutive home clean sheet.

Newcastle United Beat Qarabag 9-3 (6–1, 3–2) On Aggregate

The first leg in Baku was a statement of intent from Eddie Howe’s side. Newcastle recorded the largest away win in their European history, completely overwhelming Qarabag from the opening whistle. Anthony Gordon delivered the performance of his career, scoring four goals in a single half. In doing so, he became the first British player in history to score four times in the first half of a Champions League match. dditional goals from Malick Thiaw and Jacob Murphy rounded out the 6–1 rout.

With a five-goal cushion, Newcastle entered the second leg at home with heavy rotation, but they still managed to edge out a five-goal thriller. Sandro Tonali pounced on a rebound in the 4th minute, and Joelinton doubled the lead just 80 seconds later with a clinical volley. Qarabag's Camilo Duran pulled one back early in the second half, and Elvin Cafarquliyev scored a rebound from a saved penalty to make it 3–2 on the night.

In between the Qarabag goals, Sven Botman powered home a header from a Kieran Trippier corner to ensure Newcastle maintained their lead and secured the win on the night.

Galatasaray Beat Juventus 7-5 (5–2, 2–3) On Aggregate

The first leg at Rams Park was a nightmare for the Bianconeri. Galatasaray’s high-octane attack completely overwhelmed Juventus. Noa Lang was unstoppable, scoring twice to lead the charge. Goals from Gabriel Sara, Davinson Sanchez, and Sacha Boey turned the match into a 5–2 drubbing. To make matters worse, Juventus defender Juan Cabal was sent off, leaving Juve shorthanded for the return leg.

In Turin, Juventus attempted what seemed like an impossible comeback. Manuel Locatelli converted a 37th-minute penalty to give Juve a 1–0 lead on the night. Just three minutes into the second half, defender Lloyd Kelly received a straight red card. Playing with 10 men, Juventus refused to quit. Federico Gatti poked home a 70th-minute goal to make it 2–0. Then, in the 82nd minute, Weston McKennie powered a header past Ugurcan Cakir to level the aggregate at 5–5.

The match went to extra time, where Juve finally ran out of gas. Victor Osimhen scored a composed 105th-minute goal to restore Galatasaray’s lead, and Baris Alper Yilmaz sealed it in the 119th minute.

This victory sends Galatasaray into the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Atalanta Beat Borussia Dortmund 4-3 (0–2, 4–1) On Aggregate

In the first leg, Borussia Dortmund looked firmly in control. Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring in the 3rd minute with a clinical header. Maximilian Beier added a second just before halftime, tapping in after a brilliant team move. Dortmund dominated possession and travelled to Italy with what looked like a safe 2–0 lead.

Atalatan secured a comeback in the second leg. At the Stadio di Bergamo, Gianluca Scamacca pulled one back just five minutes in, pouncing on a mistake by Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini. On the stroke of halftime, Davide Zappacosta unleashed a strike that deflected off Bensebaini and into the net, making it 2–0 on the night and 2–2 on aggregate. In the 57th minute, Mario Pašalić powered home a header from a Marten de Roon cross to put Atalanta ahead for the first time in the tie.

Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi came off the bench and scored a brilliant solo goal in the 75th minute to level the aggregate again at 3–3.

In the final seconds of stoppage time, a VAR review caught Bensebaini committing a high-boot foul on Nikola Krstovic in the box. Bensebaini was sent off, and Lazar Samardzic stepped up to blast the penalty into the top corner with the last kick of the game. His penalty is the latest regulation goal in UCL knockout history

PSG Beat Borussia Monaco 4-3 (3–2, 2–2) On Aggregate

Playing away at the Stade Louis II, PSG managed to edge a five-goal thriller. While Monaco showed they could go toe-to-toe with the holders, PSG’s clinical finishing gave them a one-goal advantage to bring back to the Parc des Princes.

The return leg was a nervy night for Luis Enrique’s side, as Monaco came agonizingly close to an upset.

Right on the stroke of halftime, Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche finished a clever pass from Mamadou Coulibaly to make it 1–0 on the night and level the aggregate at 3–3. The momentum shifted completely in the 59th minute. Mamadou Coulibaly, who had assisted the opener, received two yellow cards in quick succession and was sent off. Monaco were forced to defend their lead with 10 men for the final half-hour.

PSG took immediate advantage. Marquinhos poked home an equalizer just a minute after the red card, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made it 2–1 (5–3 on aggregate) in the 66th minute, pouncing on a rebound after a Philipp Kohn save.

Monaco refused to quit. In the 91st minute, Jordan Teze scored to make it 2–2 on the night. Monaco then had a massive chance to force extra time in the 95th minute, but Wout Faes’ header whistled inches wide of the post.

UEFA Champions League 2025-26: Qualified Teams For Round Of 16

Seeded (Top 8)

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Manchester City

Play-Off Winners (Unseeded)

Real Madrid, PSG, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Bodo/Glimt

UEFA Champions League 2025-26: When Is Round of 16 Draw?

The official Round of 16 draw will take place on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 4:30pm IST in Nyon. The seeded teams will be drawn against the unseeded play-off winners, with the seeded teams playing the second leg at home