Ahead of Friday’s draw, the picture for the Champions League’s last 16 is becoming clearer.
Newcastle know they will face either Chelsea or Barcelona after eliminating Qarabag in the play-offs. They won 9-3 on aggregate.
Newcastle will find out on Friday whether Tottenham or Liverpool could be their quarter-final opponents, and whether they could advance to the semi-finals against Manchester City or Arsenal.
Also on Tuesday night, Atlético Madrid are tied with either Tottenham or Liverpool in the last 16.
Bodo/Glimt will eliminate Inter Milan and face either Manchester City or Sporting. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen will face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal.
What was decided on Wednesday…
On Wednesday, the top 16 hat names will be finalized.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain hold a 3-2 lead heading into Monaco’s home run, with the winner set to face either Chelsea or Barcelona.
Galatasaray have a 5-2 advantage over Juventus in terms of chances of playing against Liverpool or Tottenham.
Real Madrid lead Benfica 1-0 and could face a draw with Sporting or Manchester City.
Borussia Dortmund will then look to capitalize on their 2-0 lead over Atalanta for the right to face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich.
Champions League tree – and when English sides will play
At the start of the week, the England team who made it to the last 16 knew their opponents would be one of four teams. After the playoffs conclude in midweek, it will be down to two until Friday’s draw.
The earliest opportunity for the two English teams to meet is in the last 16, with Newcastle potentially facing Chelsea.
The earliest opportunity for any other All England fixture is in the quarter-finals, with Manchester City facing Arsenal and Chelsea or Newcastle potentially facing Tottenham or Liverpool.
Friday Drawing – What you need to know
The draw for the best 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals will be held on Friday, February 27th.
Watch the draw live on the Sky Sports website and app from 11am on Friday.
Teams can play against opponents from their home country or against opponents they have already played in the competition.
However, teams that do not require the playoffs will be seeded, so they will play the second game of the best-16 tie at home.
Arsenal are top of the standings in the league phase and will be able to play the second leg at home as long as they advance in the competition.
When will the match schedule be announced?
The round of 16 fixture schedule will be announced Friday night.
The dates for the quarterfinals will be decided on March 19th, and the semifinals will be announced on April 16th.
When is the Champions League knockout stage in 2025/26?
Knockout Playoffs: February 17-18 and 24-25
Round 16 draw: February 27th
Round 16: March 10-11 and 17-18
Quarterfinals: April 7th-8th, 14th-15th
Semi-finals: April 28-29, May 5-6
Final: May 30th (Sat)
Where will the Champions League final be held?
PSG are current Champions League holders
The 2025/26 Champions League final will be held on Saturday 30th May at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
How many English teams can take part in Champions League 26/27?
The Premier League is in a very favorable position with the top five clubs qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
The top four teams qualify for the Champions League, with two additional spots awarded to clubs from countries with the best results in this season’s European club competitions.
England currently sit at the top of the UEFA table, with all nine of their clubs still competing in all three European competitions.
England’s current coefficient is 21.513, 4.913 points higher than Portugal in third place, who had 16.600 points.
This factor is calculated by awarding points and dividing the total by the number of clubs each country plays in Europe.
There are two points for each win, one point for a draw, and bonus points for progressing to the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
England were one of two countries given extra spots last season, with Newcastle United qualifying for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
If English teams continue to do well in Europe this season, fifth place in the Premier League will almost certainly qualify for the Champions League, which could be good news for clubs such as Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Qualifying for the Champions League in the new expanded format means English clubs could expect to earn tens of millions of pounds by playing in the 36-team league stage.
According to financial blogger Swiss Rumble, Manchester City and Liverpool have each earned £84m so far this season, Arsenal £83m, Chelsea £80m and Spurs £73m.
