The league stage of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has brought plenty of excitement and incredible goals, but the knockout rounds are fast approaching. We’re about to find out which of the 24 teams will go on to capture European glory.
But first, the final matchweek of the league stage must be played, and the stakes could hardly be higher for some of the continent’s biggest clubs. Liverpool, Barcelona, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are all competing for the top-eight spots, which would send them straight to the round of 16. manchester City also find themselves drawn into that group having suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt last week.
All games will take place on Wednesday at 3pm ET, promising two hours of complete chaos. Every goal could make a huge difference in determining who advances and whose European dreams come to a swift, untimely end.
As a reminder, teams ranked first through eighth are eliminated from the knockout playoff round. The clubs ranked ninth to 24th will face each other in that round in February, and the clubs ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated. And like last year, no team will advance from the Champions League to the Europa League.
Which teams are still in the race for the knockout rounds? What’s at stake for each club? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the final matchweek of the league stage.
Who has already reached the knockout round?
Round of 16 (2):
armory A first- or second-place finish is guaranteed, and thus the top seed in the bracket.
Bayern Munich They booked their place in the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gillois on Wednesday.
Minimum guaranteed place in the knockout playoff round (13):
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, PSG, Newcastle, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter, Juventus
Will reach or be eliminated in the knockout round (17):
Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Qarabag, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Napoli, FC Copenhagen, Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, Benfica, Paphos, Union Saint-Gillois, Ajax
out (4):
Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Carat Almaty
Battle to advance: How teams can qualify
We are set for an exciting final match week, as both the top-eight and top-24 races will be tight. At the top, only Arsenal and Bayern can feel completely secure with their position in the table, while 32 3 out of 36 teams can still reach the knockout round.
(Each team below is listed along with its opponent in the final matchweek on Wednesday)
1. Arsenal (21 points, plus-18 goal difference)
Carat Almaty (Home)
The Gunners have progressed and are certain to finish in the top two. This ensures that they will have the advantage of playing the second leg of each match on home soil until the final.
2. Bayern Munich (18, plus-13)
PSV Eindhoven (away)
Bayern have booked their place in the round of 16 and will seal a top two finish with a draw or win against PSV. This would ensure that the Bavarians would avoid Arsenal until the final, if both teams reach that far.
3. Real Madrid (15, plus-11)
Benfica (A)
4. Liverpool (15, plus-6)
Qarabag (H)
Both powers are in similar positions – a win in the final matchweek, and progress to the round of 16 awaits. However, while a draw against Benfica would almost certainly send Real Madrid through to the round of 16, Liverpool’s low goal difference puts them in slightly more danger if they do not take all three points at Anfield against Qarabag.
5.Tottenham Hotspur (14, plus-8)
Eintracht Frankfurt (A)
While Spurs’ Premier League campaign has seen plenty of struggles, they are in a good position in Europe. A win against Frankfurt would guarantee a place in the round-of-16, and a draw could do the same if Thomas Frank’s club gets help from elsewhere.
6. Paris Saint-Germain (13, plus-10)
Newcastle (H)
7. Newcastle United (13, plus-10)
Paris Saint-Germain (A)
8. Chelsea (13, plus-6)
NAPOLI (A)
9. Barcelona (13, plus-5)
FC Copenhagen (H)
10. Sporting CP (13, plus-5)
Athletic Club (A)
11. Manchester City (13, plus-4)
Galatasaray (H)
12. Atletico Madrid (13, plus-3)
Bodo/Glimt (H)
13. Atalanta (13, plus-1)
Union Saint-Gillois (A)
This is where things get a little wild. There are six automatic places up for grabs in the round of 16, and all of these clubs are strongly in the running. Dropping points in matches involving Real Madrid, Liverpool and/or Spurs would be a boon for these clubs, increasing the chances that a win could take them into the top eight.
Goal difference could play a huge role in determining who gets one of those spots, and it is possible that further tiebreakers will be required. For reference, next are goals scored and goals conceded. (Scroll down for the complete tiebreaker list.)
In particular, PSG vs Newcastle promises to be a must-watch match. Although both sides could reach the round of 16 with a draw, neither will feel comfortable with that, and their solid goal difference means a win is highly likely to see them progress.
One thing is certain: no matter what happens elsewhere, the three teams from this group that win their final matches and end up with the most points and best goal difference will advance to the round of 16.
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14. Internazionale (12, plus-6)
borussia dortmund(h)
15. Juventus (12, plus-4)
Monaco (A)
The pair of Italian clubs also have an outside chance of reaching the Round of 16. There is every possibility that they will have to win their last match. This would leave them on 15 points, so they would need six of the eight clubs currently on 13 points to draw or lose their final match (for example).
Inter’s relatively strong goal difference of plus-6 – equal or better than seven of the 13 clubs above them in the table – puts them in a good position for any tiebreaker.
At least, the clubs know they have made it out of the league stage.
16. Borussia Dortmund (11, plus-4)
International (A)
17. Galatasaray (10, even)
Man City (A)
18. Qarabag (10, minus-2)
Liverpool (A)
All of these teams are technically still in the race for the Round of 16, but their focus (especially Galatasaray and Qarabag) will most likely be towards those below them. To ensure they reach the knockout rounds, Dortmund must win or draw, while Galatasaray and Qarabag must win against top-tier competition. They would still need a lot of results to go against them to miss out on the knockouts, but a big defeat might leave them nervous to check the scores as full-time approaches.
19. Marseille (9, even)
Club Brugge (A)
20. Bayer Leverkusen (9, minus-4)
Villarreal (H)
21. AS Monaco (9, minus-6)
Juventus (H)
Sometimes the task is simple: win your final match, and you’ll advance to the knockout round. So it is for these three clubs, and while a draw may still get the job done, it will give reason for hope to the six clubs directly below them in the table.
Dropped points could be particularly devastating for Monaco. Of the six clubs below them, five have a better goal difference, with seven or eight points.
22. PSV Eindhoven (8, plus-1)
Bayern Munich (H)
23. Athletic Club (8, minus-4)
Sporting CP (H)
24. Olympiacos (8, minus-5)
Ajax (A)
25.Napoli (8, minus-5)
Chelsea (H)
26. FC Copenhagen (8, minus-6)
Barcelona (A)
27. Club Brugge (7, minus-5)
Marseille (H)
At the center of the top-24 race, the second tiebreaker (goals scored) currently separates Olympiacos and Napoli on the dividing line.
Specific matchups go a long way in determining how these teams will feel about their chances of qualifying. For example, Olympiacos are certainly pleased to see Ajax (currently 32nd in the table) on their fixture list. Meanwhile, PSV, Napoli and København will face huge challenges if they are to compete against some of the biggest teams in Europe to cement their place.
Winning their final matches would greatly benefit any of these teams, although nothing can be guaranteed independent of other results.
28. Bodo/Glimt (6, minus-2)
Atletico Madrid (A)
29. Benfica (6, minus-4)
Real Madrid (H)
30. Paphos (6, minus-6)
Slavia Prague (H)
31. Union Saint-Gillois (6, minus-10)
Atalanta (H)
32. Ajax (6, minus-12)
Olympiacos (A)
This is a win and hope for these teams who are on the outside looking in at the moment. Anything less than that, and their European campaign will be over.
33. Eintracht Frankfurt (4, minus-9)
tottenham hotspur(h)
34. Slavia Prague (3, minus-11)
Paphos (A)
35. Villarreal (1, minus-10)
Bayer Leverkusen (A)
36. Carat Almaty (1, minus-14)
Arsenal (A)
The bottom four clubs are eliminated.
What are the tiebreakers for the league stage?
1 – goal difference
2 – goals scored
3 – away goals scored
4 – win
5 – away win
6 – Higher number of total points collected by league stage opponents
7 – League stage opponents achieved higher goal difference
8 – High goals scored by league stage opponents
9 – Disciplinary point
10 – UEFA club coefficient
Does it matter where you finish in the table?
Potentially, because league-stage placements shape the knockout round brackets.
The “seeding” system introduced for 2024–25 means that the highest-placed teams will not face each other until the final stages of the knockout rounds.
Last season provided a remarkable example of how a new system can have a big impact. Manchester City did not qualify for the knockouts until the final day of the league stage and their 22nd-place finish meant they would have to compete in the knockout round playoffs. This set them on a collision course with Real Madrid, who won 6–3 over the two legs. However, PSG seemed unaffected by the extra round of matches, overcoming Brest in the playoffs to reach the title.
The graphic below shows how the final table impacts the bracket.
When is the draw for the Knockout Round Playoffs?
The draw for the Knockout Round playoffs – which includes the ninth to 24th-placed clubs – will take place on January 30 at 6am ET.
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