UEFA Champions League Knockouts: Who will Face Who in Playoffs? How will the Round of 16 Work? Format, Matches - A Complete Guide

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As the UEFA Champions League group stages have concluded, the focus now swiftly shifts to the knockout stages.

The UEFA Champions League has undergone a significant transformation, and the draw for the knockout rounds follows a new structure.

With the knockout playoff round just around the corner, here's everything you need to know about how teams are drawn, the importance of league phase positions, and the path to the final.

When Is the Draw for the Knockout Playoff Round?

The draw will take place on Friday, January 31 at 6 am ET / 11 am BST in Nyon, Switzerland.

Only the 16 teams that finish between 9th and 24th place in the league phase will take part in this draw. The top eight teams automatically qualify for the round of 16.

How Does the Knockout Playoff Round Draw Work?

The draw is structured in a way that pairs teams based on their league phase positions. Teams are paired in order (e.g., 9th with 10th, 11th with 12th, and so on). Each pair is then split into opposite halves of the knockout bracket to ensure they cannot meet again until the final.

Unlike previous seasons, there is no restriction on clubs from the same country facing each other from this stage onwards. Additionally, clubs may be drawn against teams they have already faced in the league phase, including their most recent opponents from Matchday 8.

Knockout Playoff Round Fixtures & Dates

First leg: February 11-12, 2025

Second leg: February 18-19, 2025

Each club will play once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.

Round of 16 Draw & Structure

After the knockout playoff round, the top eight clubs will still have four possible opponents for the round of 16. For first placed Liverpool or 2nd placed Barcelona, they can face either of the 15th to 18th-placed teams.

Once the playoff round is complete, the remaining teams will be paired based on set paths.

Who will Face Who in the Knockout Playoffs?

The unseeded teams (17th-24th place) are drawn first. The seeded teams (9th-16th place) are drawn next and assigned to face an unseeded team. The higher-seeded team will play the second leg at home.

The unseeded teams (17th to 24th) will take on the seeded teams (9th to 16th) of their own pairings. The 23rd or 24th team will face either 9th or 10th placed team. Similarly, the 21st or 22nd placed teams will take on either of 11th or 12th placed teams and so on.

UEFA Champions League Knockout Playoff Brackets

As per the group stage rankings, here are the brackets of the playoff teams.

Playoff Bracket 1

Atalanta (9th) or Borussia Dortmund (10th) vs Sporting CP (23rd) or Club Brugge (24th)

Playoff Bracket 2

Real Madrid (11th) or Bayern Munich (12th) vs Celtic (21st) or Manchester City (22nd)

Playoff Bracket 3

AC Milan (13th) or PSV Eindhoven (14th) vs Feyenoord (19th) or Juventus (20th)

Playoff Bracket 4

PSG (15th) or Benfica (16th) vs AS Monaco (17th) or Stade Brest (18th)

Remember, either team facing one of the other teams in the opposite pairing means the other team in the same pair shall play against the remaining team in the opposite pair.

Example: Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund will be playing either against Sporting CP or Club Brugge. If Atalanta is drawn against Sporting CP, Dormund is automatically drawn against Brugge or vice-versa. Atalanta or Dortmund can't play against each other.

Who will Face who in the Round of 16?

The 1st or 2nd placed teams shall play against any of the four teams among 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, which means the playoff bracket 1 teams. The Round of 16 bracket is constructed as such the playoff teams can face either of the paired teams among the top 8 clubs.

Liverpool (1st) or Barcelona (2nd) vs Playoff Bracket 1 Teams

Arsenal (3rd) or Inter Milan (4th) vs Playoff Bracket 3 Teams

Atletico Madrid (5th) or Leverkusen (6th) vs Playoff Bracket 2 Teams

Lille (7th) or Aston Villa (8th) vs Playoff Bracket 4 Teams

**From each Playoff Bracket, two teams shall advance to the Round of 16. And the teams shall be drawn against either one of the paired teams among the Top 8 clubs.

When is the Round of 16 Draw?

The Round of 16 draw shall take place on February 21.

First legs: March 4-5, 2025
Second legs: March 11-12, 2025