Premier League clubs participating in Europe will face an overcrowded fixture list if they fail to finish in the top eight in their respective league phases, with some predicting nine games in just 29 days.
Teams that finish in the top eight will automatically advance to the knockout stage, eliminating the need to play two extra playoff games.
After the win at Inter Milan, Arsenal not only secured a place in the last 16, but also secured a top-two finish. This means all second-leg knockout matches will be played at the Emirates.
Meanwhile, in the Europa League, Aston Villa defeated Fenerbahce in the penultimate game to advance to the last 16 with one game remaining.
Teams finishing between 9th and 24th will play a two-game knockout playoff in February to qualify for the next stage.
There is no rest for other European competitions either. The Europa League and Conference League schedules are the same, but the latter has two fewer group games.
The first leg of the play-offs in all three competitions will take place in midweek from February 17-19, with replays taking place from February 24-26.
The two additional play-offs come at a hectic period for English clubs, with an FA Cup fourth round and Premier League games on either side, with Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace all eliminated in the FA Cup.
Who will qualify for the Champions League finals?
The top eight teams at the end of the league phase will automatically qualify for the Round of 16.
The next 16 teams, from 9th to 24th place, will participate in a two-legged playoff against each other for a spot in the final round.
The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated and will not qualify for the Europa League.
The knockout tie will be decided in the playoff draw at the end of January.
Does it matter where you finish in the Champions League table?
Yes, especially if you finish in the top eight.
New rules designed for this season will make the Champions League knockout route easier in terms of home advantage if they achieve a top finish.
The top four teams in the Champions League standings will be awarded a home round of 16 and a second leg of the quarter-finals.
The top two teams in the Champions League standings will also be given home advantage for the second leg of the semi-final stage.
For teams placed 9th to 24th, exact league positions are important as draws will be based on league stage positions. In the playoff round, No. 9 will play No. 24, No. 10 will play No. 23, and so on.
Therefore, a team that just missed out on the top eight can be ‘rewarded’ by playing a team in the bottom tier of the league that just made it through.
Is it possible that England teams ranked 9th to 24th will play each other?
Teams placed 9th through 16th will be seeded, and teams 17th through 24th will be unseeded.
Seeded teams cannot play against each other, and the same goes for unseeded teams.
Who is left in England’s squad to play in the Champions League?
Wednesday, January 28th
Arsenal vs Kairat Almaty, 8pm kick-off Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham, 8pm kick-off Liverpool vs Qarabag, 8pm kick-off Man City vs Galatasaray, 8pm kick-off Napoli vs Chelsea, 8pm kick-off Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle, 8pm kick-off
When is the playoff draw for the knockout phase?
The draw for the Champions League knockout phase play-offs will take place on Friday 30th January at 11am UK time.
When is the draw for the round of 16?
The draw for the Round of 16 will take place on Friday, February 27th.
When is the Champions League knockout stage in 2025/26?
Playoff Draw: January 30, 2026
Knockout Playoffs: February 17-18 and 24-25, 2026
Round 16: March 10-11 and 17-18, 2026
Quarterfinals: April 7-8 and 14-15, 2026
Semi-finals: April 28-29 and May 5-6, 2026
Finals: Saturday, May 30, 2026
Where will the Champions League final be held in 2026?
The 2025/26 Champions League final will be held on Saturday 30th May at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Arsenal’s potential fixture list – Arsenal are already guaranteed to finish in the top two in the Champions League
31 January – Leeds (a), Premier League 3 February – Chelsea (h) – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg 7 February – Sunderland (h), Premier League 11 February – Brentford (a), Premier League 15 February – Wigan (h) – FA Cup fourth round 21 February – Tottenham Hotspur (a), Premier League 28 February – Chelsea (h), Premier League
Chelsea’s potential fixture list
31st January – West Ham (h), Premier League 3rd February – Arsenal (a) – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg 7th February – Wolves (a), Premier League 11th February – Leeds United (h), Premier League 13th February – Hull City (a) – FA Cup fourth round *17th or 18th February – Play-offs first leg, Champions League 21st February – Burnley (h), Premier League *February 24 or 25 – Play-off second leg, Champions League February 28 – Arsenal (a), Premier League
Man City potential fixture list
February 1st – Tottenham (a), Premier League February 4th – Newcastle (h) – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg February 7th – Liverpool (a), Premier League February 11th – Fulham (h), Premier League February 14th – Salford or Swindon (h) – FA Cup fourth round *February 17th or 18th – Play-off first leg, Champions League February 21 – Newcastle (h), Premier League *February 24 or 25 – Play-off second leg, Champions League February 28 – Leeds (a), Premier League
Liverpool’s potential fixture list
31 January – Newcastle (h), Premier League 7 February – Man City (h), Premier League 11 February – Sunderland (a), Premier League 14 February – Brighton (h) – FA Cup 4th round *17 or 18 February – play-off first leg, Champions League 21 February – Nottingham Forest (a), Premier League *24 or 25 February – Play-off second leg, Champions League February 28 – West Ham (h), Premier League
Newcastle’s potential fixture list
31st January – Liverpool (a), Premier League 4th February – Man City (a) – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg 7th February – Brentford (h), Premier League 11th February – Tottenham (a), Premier League 14th February – Aston Villa (a) – FA Cup fourth round *17th or 18th February – Play-offs first leg, Champions League 21st February – Man City (a), Premier League *February 24 or 25 – Play-off second leg, Champions League February 28 – Everton (h), Premier League
Tottenham’s potential fixture list
February 1 – Man City (h), Premier League February 7 – Man United (a), Premier League February 11 – Newcastle (h), Premier League* February 17 or 18 – Play-off first leg, Champions League February 21 – Arsenal (h), Premier League* February 24 or 25 – Play-off second leg, Champions League February 28 – fulham (a), premier league
Aston Villa shortlist
1 February – Brentford (h), Premier League 7 February – Bournemouth (a), Premier League 11 February – Brighton (h), Premier League 14 February – Newcastle (h) – FA Cup 4th round* 19 February – Play-off first leg, Europa League 21 February – Leeds United (h), Premier League* 26 February – Play-off second leg, Conference League February 28 – Wolves (a), Premier League
Nottingham Forest shortlist
February 1 – Crystal Palace (h), Premier League February 7 – Leeds United (h), Premier League February 11 – Wolverhampton (h), Premier League* February 19 – Play-off first leg, Europa League February 21 – Liverpool (h), Premier League* February 26 – Play-off second leg, Conference League February 28 – Brighton & Hove Albion (a), Premier League
Crystal Palace shortlist
1 February – Notum Forest (a), Premier League 7 February – Brighton (a), Premier League 11 February – Burnley (h), Premier League* 19 February – Play-off first leg, Conference League 21 February – Wolverhampton (h), Premier League* 26 February – Second leg of play-offs, Conference League 28 February – Manchester United (a), Premier League
*Games marked with an asterisk only apply if the team finishes between 9th and 24th in their respective Europa League phase and secures a place in the Finals play-offs.
