Champions League knockout phase draw result, bracket for Round of 16 and beyond in 2026

NYON, Switzerland — The road to the 2026 Champions League final took shape on Friday as the draw for the knockout phase locked in a series of heavyweight collisions, headlined by a familiar heavyweight duel between Real Madrid and Manchester City.

For the sixth time in seven seasons, Europe’s most decorated club and the Premier League’s reigning champions will square off, renewing a rivalry that has already produced fireworks this term. City edged a 2-1 thriller at the Santiago Bernabéu in December’s league-phase meeting, a result that ultimately helped Pep Guardiola’s side secure a seeded berth in the draw, while Madrid were forced to navigate the knockout playoff round.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side will now attempt to flip the script in the two-legged Round of 16, but the path is treacherous: the bracket—set all the way through to the final—means the Spanish giants already know that progression would likely pitch them into a quarter-final against either Sporting CP or the competition’s surprise package, Bodo/Glimt. The Norwegian champions, who stunned City and Atlético Madrid en route to topping their league-phase group, completed a seismic upset by eliminating last season’s runners-up Inter Milan in the playoff round and will relish another underdog storyline.

Barcelona, Madrid’s Clásico adversaries, also drew Premier League opposition, locking horns with Newcastle United. The Magpies, who fell 2-1 to the Catalans on Matchday 1, will hope home advantage at a raucous St James’ Park can reverse that earlier outcome.

Liverpool, meanwhile, must reprise their league-phase clash with Galatasaray, while Chelsea and Tottenham face daunting tasks against French and Spanish powerhouses. Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea were paired with holders Paris Saint-Germain, and Spurs will travel to the Metropolitano to take on Diego Simeone’s battle-hardened Atlético Madrid.

Arsenal avoided an early all-Premier League affair, drawing German high-flyers Bayer Leverkusen. The Gunners will also breathe easier knowing that, should both they and City advance, the bracket keeps the North London club clear of their title rivals until a potential semi-final, sparing the clubs a quarter-final showdown immediately before their seismic Premier League meeting at the Etihad on the weekend of April 18-19.

With the bracket now fixed, seeded sides—those who finished in the top eight of the league phase—will host the second legs in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals, adding a strategic layer to every aggregate calculation over the coming months.

The first legs of the Round of 16 will be played in February, with return fixtures in March, before the competition accelerates toward a climactic final on June 6 at Wembley Stadium.