UEFA Champions League bracket: Draw reveals Round of 16 fixtures and schedule

NYON, Switzerland — The road to Budapest’s Puskás Arena was mapped out Friday as the UEFA Champions League’s knockout-stage draw delivered a slate of heavyweight collisions, headlined by a familiar showdown between Manchester City and Real Madrid that will renew their recent rivalry for a fifth consecutive year.

The Round of 16 pairings, set after the ceremony at UEFA headquarters, pit reigning champion Paris Saint-Germain against two-time winner Chelsea, while Liverpool will travel to face Galatasaray and Tottenham collide with Atlético Madrid. Arsenal, the only side to navigate the league phase without defeat and therefore the No. 1 seed, were paired with Bayer Leverkusen.

First legs begin 10 March, with the return fixtures to decide who advances toward the final on 30 May 2026 in the Hungarian capital. The 67,000-seat venue, which staged four matches during Euro 2020 and the 2022 Europa League final, will host the continent’s showpiece for the first time.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, whose team has met Madrid in each of the last four editions, welcomed the challenge. “For our club, as much as you play against the best teams in the whole history of this competition, you learn and improve and you are better in the future,” he told reporters after the draw.

With no away-goals rule to lean on, every tie will be settled by aggregate score and, if necessary, extra time and penalties, raising the stakes for the eight remaining contests that will trim the field to quarter-finalists by mid-March.