Champions League knockout playoff draw: date, time, format and what happens next

The league phase is over — and the knockout path begins

The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has completed its league phase, and a dramatic final matchweek has clarified the next steps in Europe’s top club competition. With the new format now in full effect, the tournament’s transition from league play to knockouts is defined by a key staging post: the knockout playoff round draw.

A total of 24 teams remain in the competition. The top eight from the league phase have already secured direct passage into the round of 16. The next 16 teams — those finishing ninth through 24th — must navigate a two-legged playoff to reach the last 16. Meanwhile, clubs placed 25th to 36th have been eliminated.

That structure makes the upcoming draw more than a routine administrative moment. It effectively sets the immediate matchups for February and also shapes the bracket halves the teams will occupy, establishing the framework that will carry the competition toward its later rounds.

When is the Champions League knockout playoff draw?

The draw for the knockout playoff round will take place on Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 a.m. ET (11 a.m. GMT). It will be held at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Sixteen teams are involved in this draw, and the outcome will determine the eight two-legged ties that make up the knockout playoff round.

Which teams are in the draw — and which teams are already through?

The Champions League’s new seeding and qualification system divides clubs into three broad groups once the league phase ends:

• Top eight in the league phase: advance directly to the round of 16.
• Teams finishing 9th to 24th: enter the knockout playoff round and take part in Friday’s draw.
• Teams finishing 25th to 36th: eliminated from the competition.

Within the 16-team playoff group, there is a further split between seeded and unseeded teams, based entirely on league-phase finishing position.

• Seeded teams: those who finished 9th through 16th.
• Unseeded teams: those who finished 17th through 24th.

This distinction matters because it influences both the potential opponents and the home advantage for the second leg.

How the seeding works — and why it matters

The seeding system introduced for 2024-25 is designed to prevent higher-placed teams from the league phase from facing each other in the knockout playoff round. In practical terms, it aims to create a more balanced bracket by ensuring that seeded teams (9th to 16th) are paired against unseeded teams (17th to 24th) rather than against one another.

It also gives seeded clubs a tangible advantage across the two legs: the seeded teams will play the second leg at home.

While seeding can’t guarantee easier matches — the quality of teams finishing outside the top eight can still be very high — it does set guardrails around who can face whom at this stage.

The bracket concept: paired teams and split halves

One of the defining features of this draw is that it is not simply a random selection of opponents from two pots. Instead, all 16 teams are paired based on their final position in the league phase, creating eight sets of paired teams.

For example, ninth-place Real Madrid are paired with 10th-place Internazionale, while 11th-place Paris Saint-Germain are paired with 12th-place Newcastle United. The same principle applies through the rest of the league-phase standings involved in the playoffs.

Those pairings are then used to determine how teams are distributed across the bracket. In the draw, each pairing is split and placed on opposite sides of the bracket. That split is central to how the bracket takes shape, because it determines which half of the bracket each team occupies as the competition progresses.

Step-by-step: how the draw is conducted

The mechanics of the draw follow a set sequence that determines bracket placement and, by extension, the playoff fixtures.

• Step 1: Unseeded teams are drawn first. Each unseeded team is drawn into a position in the bracket.
• Step 2: Bracket halves are assigned by draw order within each pairing. In each case, the first team drawn goes into the first half of the bracket, and the other club in the pair goes into the second half.
• Step 3: The draw then moves to seeded teams. The same rule applies: the first team drawn goes into the first half of the bracket, and the second team goes into the other half.
• Step 4: Fixtures are formed automatically. Once the bracket positions are filled, the process automatically creates two knockout playoff round fixtures between seeded and unseeded teams.
• Step 5: Home advantage is set. The seeded clubs will host the second leg.

The result is a bracket that is structured, rather than fully open, with the league-phase positions playing a direct role in shaping the playoff path.

Can teams from the same country play each other?

No. From the knockout playoff round onward, clubs from the same country cannot be drawn against each other.

That restriction influences the range of possible matchups, especially in seasons where multiple teams from the same domestic league finish in the playoff positions.

Can teams face opponents they already played in the league phase?

Yes. Clubs can be matched up against opponents they already faced in the league phase.

This is an important detail in the new format, as it means the playoff round can produce repeat meetings even before the round of 16 begins.

Why the new system can have major consequences

The revised structure is intended to reward league-phase performance, but it can also create high-stakes matchups earlier than some fans might expect. A notable example from last season illustrates how much the finishing position can matter.

Manchester City did not qualify for the knockouts until the final day of the league phase. Their 22nd-place finish placed them in the knockout playoff round as an unseeded team. As a result, they were drawn against seeded Real Madrid, who won 6-3 on aggregate over two legs.

The same season also showed the other side of the equation. Paris Saint-Germain, despite having to play the extra round, were not derailed by the additional matches. They rolled past Brest in the playoffs and went on to win the title.

Those outcomes underline two realities at once: the playoff round can create difficult ties for teams that finish lower in the league phase, but it does not automatically prevent a strong side from going deep into the tournament.

Notable context from this season’s final matchweek

This season’s league phase concluded with significant developments among major clubs. Paris Saint-Germain are once again outside the top eight, meaning they must take the playoff route rather than advancing directly to the round of 16.

Inter Milan — the opponents PSG faced in last year’s final — are also outside the top eight. Real Madrid, too, are in the playoff group after a surprising 4-2 loss to Benfica on the final matchweek.

These details highlight why the playoff draw attracts such attention: it can involve some of Europe’s most prominent teams earlier than the traditional round-of-16 stage, depending on league-phase results.

What happens after the draw?

Once Friday’s draw is completed, the teams involved will turn to the two-legged knockout playoff round in February. Each tie is played over two matches, with the seeded team hosting the second leg.

After the playoff round concludes, the competition proceeds to another pivotal moment: the draw for the round of 16.

When is the round-of-16 draw?

The draw for the round of 16 will be held on Feb. 27. This draw will determine the round-of-16 matchups and finalize the bracket for the remainder of the knockout rounds.

In other words, while the Jan. 30 event sets the playoff fixtures and bracket halves, the Feb. 27 draw completes the roadmap for the rest of the tournament.

Key Champions League dates: playoffs to final

The remaining schedule, as listed, lays out the timeline from the playoff round through to the final.

• Knockout playoff round: Feb. 17-18 and Feb. 24-25
• Round of 16 / quarterfinal / semifinal draw: Feb. 27
• Round of 16: March 10-11 and March 17-18
• Quarterfinals: April 7-8 and April 14-15
• Semifinals: April 28-29 and May 5-6
• Final: May 30 (Budapest)

What to watch for on draw day

Even with a structured system, the draw can still reshape expectations quickly. With the bracket split mechanism and the seeded-versus-unseeded framework, the immediate focus will be on two practical questions: which opponents are paired in the playoff ties, and which half of the bracket each club lands in.

Because teams can be matched against opponents they already faced in the league phase — but cannot face clubs from the same country — the range of possible ties is defined by both the new format and the nationality restriction.

Once the bracket positions are set, the February playoff round becomes the gateway to the last 16, and the Feb. 27 draw will then lock in the matchups and complete the bracket through to the final in Budapest.