Champions League draw: Bayern or Arsenal for Atalanta? Live from 12:00

NYON—The road to the Champions League final took shape on Monday as the competition’s governing body completed the bracket draw, mapping out every potential pairing from the Round of 16 through to the final. For Italian football, the focus narrows to a single protagonist: Atalanta, the country’s lone representative still in Europe’s premier tournament.

The Bergamo club learned their fate immediately after the ceremony: a daunting tie against German giants Bayern Munich, the standout name among the seeded teams. The assignment continues a recent trend for Atalanta, who previously faced another Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, earlier in the knockout phase. Bayern’s pedigree and depth make them the sternest test yet for Gian Piero Gasperini’s outfit, but the Nerazzurri have already demonstrated a capacity to unsettle more illustrious opponents this season.

UEFA will confirm exact kick-off times in the coming days, yet the tie has been allocated to the mid-March window: first-leg action on 10 or 11 March, with the return scheduled for 17 or 18 March. Atalanta’s home match is expected to be played in their refurbished Gewiss Stadium, where a raucous atmosphere has become a hallmark of European nights in Lombardy.

Elsewhere, the draw served up a series of heavyweight collisions. Reigning champions Real Madrid were pitted against Manchester City, reprising a fixture that has produced some of the competition’s most memorable encounters in recent years. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea will also renew acquaintances in a rematch of last summer’s Club World Cup final, adding an extra layer of narrative to an already star-studded lineup.

On paper, the tie between Bodo/Glimt and Sporting CP appears the most lopsided, though both sides arrive in the last 16 on the back of eye-catching group-stage performances. The Norwegian champions’ presence underlines the increasingly democratic nature of the modern Champions League, while Sporting will fancy their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008-09.

The draw structure followed a strict seeding protocol. Teams were ordered 1-8 based on group-stage performance, with the top four seeds paired against the four playoff victors already determined in the previous round. Four pots were prepared, beginning with the 7-8 matchup and ascending to the 1-2 clash. The first ball drawn from each pot was placed on one side of the bracket, the second on the opposite side, ensuring a balanced path to the final.

For Atalanta, the challenge is clear: overcome Bayern and the dream of a first-ever Champions League semi-final remains alive; fall short and Italy’s European hopes end at the Round of 16 for the second consecutive season. With the draw now complete, attention turns to March, when the Gewiss Stadium and venues across Europe will stage the next chapter of this season’s continental drama.