play1:25Can Barcelona cope if Pedri’s injury is long term?The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Pedri coming off injured in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League.
Have Chelsea secured Champions League qualification after victory vs. Pafos? (0:54)The ESPN “FC TV” crew reacts to Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Pafos FC in the UEFA Champions League. (0:54)
Can Barcelona cope if Pedri’s injury is long term?The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Pedri coming off injured in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League.
The ESPN ‘FC TV’ crew react to Pedri coming off injured in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League.
The league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has brought plenty of thrills and incredible goals, but the knockout rounds are fast approaching. We’re less than one week away from knowing which 24 teams will advance for a shot at European glory.
But first, the final matchweek of the league phase must be played, and the stakes could hardly be higher for some of the continent’s biggest clubs. Liverpool, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are all competing for top-eight spots, which would send them straight to the round of 16. Manchester City also find themselves among that group, having suffered a shocking 3-1 loss to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.
The games will all take place Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. ET for what promises to be two hours of pure chaos. Every goal could make a huge difference in determining who moves on and whose European dreams come to a swift, untimely end.
As a reminder, the teams that finish first through eighth get to skip the knockout playoff round. The clubs that place ninth through 24th will go head-to-head in that round in February, and those in 25th to 36th are eliminated. And just like last year, no teams will drop into the Europa League from the Champions League.
Which teams are still in the running for the knockout rounds? What’s at stake for every club? Here’s everything you need to know before the final matchweek of the league phase.
Round of 16 (2): Arsenal are guaranteed to finish first or second, and thus take a top seeding position in the bracket. Bayern Munich sealed their round-of-16 spot with a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.
Will make knockout rounds or be eliminated (17): Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Qarabag, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Napoli, F.C. København, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Ajax
We’re set for a thrilling final matchweek, as both the top-eight and top-24 races will go down to the wire. At the top, only Arsenal and Bayern can feel fully secure with their positions in the table, while 32 out of 36 teams could still make the knockout rounds.
Bayern have guaranteed their place in the round of 16 and will secure a top-two spot with a draw or win against PSV. That would ensure the Bavarians avoid Arsenal until the final, if both teams make it that far.
The two powerhouses are in similar positions — win in the final matchweek, and passage to the round of 16 awaits. However, while a draw against Benfica would almost certainly send Real Madrid through to the round of 16, Liverpool’s inferior goal differential places them in slightly greater jeopardy if they don’t take all three points at Anfield against Qarabag.
While Spurs’ Premier League campaign has seen its fair share of struggles, they are in a good spot in Europe. A win against Frankfurt would guarantee a round-of-16 spot, and a draw could do the same if Thomas Frank’s club receives help from elsewhere.
Here’s where things get a little wild. Six automatic spots in the round of 16 remain up for grabs, and all of these clubs are firmly in the running. Real Madrid, Liverpool and/or Spurs dropping points in their matches would be a boon for these clubs in increasing the chances that a win could land them in the top eight.
Goal differential could play a huge role in determining who gets one of those places, and it’s possible that further tiebreakers will be needed. The next ones, for reference, are goals scored and away goals scored. (Scroll down for the full tiebreaker list.)
In particular, PSG vs. Newcastle promises to be a must-see match. While both sides could make it to the round of 16 with a draw, neither would feel comfortable with that, and their solid goal differential means that a win is highly likely to send them through.
One thing that’s for certain: No matter what happens elsewhere, the three teams in this grouping that win their final match and end up with the most points and best goal differential will advance to the round of 16.
This pair of Italian clubs also has an outside shot of earning passage to the round of 16. In all likelihood, they’d need to win their final match. That would put them on 15 points, so they’d need (for example) six of the eight clubs currently with 13 points to draw or lose their final match.
Inter’s relatively strong goal differential of plus-6 — equal to or better than seven of the 13 clubs above them in the table — puts them in decent position for any tiebreakers.
Sometimes the task is simple: Win your final match, and you advance to the knockout rounds. So it is for these three clubs, and though a draw might still get the job done, it would give the six clubs directly beneath them in the table reason to hope.
A loss could be disastrous, particularly for Monaco. Five of the six clubs beneath them with seven or eight points have superior goal differentials.
At the heart of the top-24 race, the second tiebreaker (goals scored) currently separates Olympiacos and Napoli on the dividing line.
Winning their final matches would do any of these teams a world of good, although nothing can be guaranteed independent of other results.
It’s win and hope for these teams currently on the outside looking in. Anything less, and their European campaigns will come to an end.
The “seeding” system introduced for 2024-25 means the highest-placed teams won’t face each other until the late stages of the knockout rounds.
Last season provided a notable example of how the new system can make a huge impact. Manchester City didn’t qualify for the knockouts until the final day of the league phase, and their 22nd-place finish meant they had to compete in the knockout round playoffs. That set them on a collision course with Real Madrid, who won 6-3 over two legs. However, PSG seemed unaffected by the extra round of matches, rolling past Brest in the playoffs and all the way to the title.
The draw for the knockout round playoffs — featuring the clubs that finish ninth to 24th — will take place Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. ET.
These teams are all technically still in the running for the round of 16, but their attention (especially Galatasaray’s and Qarabag’s) will most likely be directed toward those below them. Dortmund must win or draw to guarantee that they’ll make the knockout rounds, while Galatasaray and Qarabag must notch wins against top-tier competition. It would still take a lot of results going against them to miss the knockouts, but a blowout loss could have them nervously checking scores as full time approaches.
Have Chelsea secured Champions League qualification after victory vs. Pafos? (0:54)The ESPN “FC TV” crew reacts to Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Pafos FC in the UEFA Champions League. (0:54)
The ESPN “FC TV” crew reacts to Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Pafos FC in the UEFA Champions League. (0:54)
Guaranteed at least a place in the knockout playoff round (13): Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, PSG, Newcastle, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter, Juventus
Out (4): Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Kairat Almaty
(Each team below is listed with its opponent in the final matchweek on Jan. 28.)
2. Bayern Munich (18, plus-13) PSV Eindhoven (Away)
5. Tottenham Hotspur (14, plus-8) Eintracht Frankfurt (A)
7. Newcastle United (13, plus-10) Paris Saint-Germain (A)
14. Internazionale (12, plus-6) Borussia Dortmund (H)
At the very least, the clubs know they’ve made it out of the league phase.
16. Borussia Dortmund (11, plus-4) Internazionale (A)
31. Union Saint-Gilloise (6, minus-10) Atalanta (H)
33. Eintracht Frankfurt (4, minus-9) Tottenham Hotspur (H)
1 – Goal difference 2 – Goals scored 3 – Away goals scored 4 – Wins 5 – Away wins 6 – Higher number of total points collected by league phase opponents 7 – Higher goal difference attained of league phase opponents 8 – Higher goals scored by league phase opponents 9 – Disciplinary points 10 – UEFA club coefficient
Potentially, because the league-phase placements shape the knockout round bracket.
The graphic below shows how the final table affects the bracket.