Champions League knockout dates: Schedule for matches from Round of 16 onwards in 2025/26

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League is hurtling toward its decisive phase, with the calendar now locked in from the first knockout playoff whistle to the final in Budapest on May 30.

After a dramatic league-phase finale on January 28, when all 36 clubs kicked off simultaneously, the tournament hierarchy was set. The top eight finishers earned an express route to the Round of 16, while sides placed ninth through 24th were funneled into a high-stakes knockout-playoff round that began just three weeks later.

Friday, January 30, delivered the playoff draw, pitting the 16 hopefuls against one another. First-leg encounters unfolded on February 17 and 18, with return legs seven days later on February 24 and 25, trimming the field to the definitive Round of 16.

The competition’s bracket was fully mapped out at a draw held on February 27, setting the path from the last 16 to the final. Quarterfinal ties are slated for April 7-8 and April 14-15, followed by semifinal first legs on April 28-29 and concluding second legs on May 5-6.

All roads ultimately lead to the Puskas Arena in Hungary’s capital, where the Champions League trophy will be contested on Saturday, May 30.