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Nicholas Som
Jan 21, 2026, 06:54 PM ET
The league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has introduced masses of thrills and gorgeous dreams, but the knockout rounds are fast coming near. We’re lower than one week away from intellectual which 24 groups will come for a shot at European glory.
But first, the closing matchweek of the league phase must be achieved, and the stakes could well well also hardly ever be higher for one of the most famous continent’s finest clubs. Liverpool, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are all competing for prime-eight spots, which would send them straight to the round of 16. Manchester City also procure themselves amongst that community, having suffered a elegant 3-1 loss to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.
The video games will all occur Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. ET for what guarantees to be two hours of pure chaos. Each and every aim could well well also create an colossal distinction in determining who moves on and whose European dreams attain to a swift, premature stay.
As a reminder, the groups that enact first by means of eighth win to skip the knockout playoff round. The clubs that role ninth by means of twenty fourth will stride head-to-head in that round in February, and individuals in twenty fifth to 36th are eradicated. And correct love final year, no groups will drop into the Europa League from the Champions League.
Which groups are tranquil within the running for the knockout rounds? What’s at stake for every club? Here’s all the pieces which it’s essential to well deserve to know ahead of the closing matchweek of the league phase.
Who is already by means of to the knockout rounds?
Spherical of 16 (2):
Arsenal are guaranteed to enact first or 2nd, and thus rob a top seeding role within the bracket.
Bayern Munich sealed their round-of-16 space with a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.
Assured no longer lower than a job within the knockout playoff round (13):
Valid Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, PSG, Newcastle, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter, Juventus
Will create knockout rounds or be eradicated (17):
Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Qarabag, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Membership, Olympiacos, Napoli, F.C. København, Membership Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Ajax
Out (4):
Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Kairat Almaty
The fight to buckle down and do: How groups can qualify
We’re role for a thrilling closing matchweek, as each the tip-eight and top-24 races will stride correct down to the wire. At the tip, easiest Arsenal and Bayern can if truth be told feel fully real with their positions within the table, while 32 out of 36 groups could well well also tranquil create the knockout rounds.
(Each and every team below is listed with its opponent within the closing matchweek on Jan. 28.)
1. Arsenal (21 aspects, plus-18 aim distinction)
Kairat Almaty (House)
The Gunners are by means of and sure to enact within the tip two. That ensures they’ll personal the serve of playing the 2nd leg of every tie at dwelling till the closing.
2. Bayern Munich (18, plus-13)
PSV Eindhoven (Away)
Bayern personal guaranteed their role within the round of 16 and could well well real a top-two space with a blueprint or win in opposition to PSV. That could well well well make certain the Bavarians steer determined of Arsenal till the closing, if each groups create it that a ways.
3. Valid Madrid (15, plus-11)
Benfica (A)
4. Liverpool (15, plus-6)
Qarabag (H)
The 2 powerhouses are in identical positions — win within the closing matchweek, and passage to the round of 16 awaits. Nonetheless, while a blueprint in opposition to Benfica would virtually undoubtedly send Valid Madrid by means of to the round of 16, Liverpool’s inferior aim differential locations them in a miniature bit higher jeopardy if they don’t rob all three aspects at Anfield in opposition to Qarabag.
5. Tottenham Hotspur (14, plus-8)
Whereas Spurs’ Premier League campaign has seen its honest fragment of struggles, they are in an ethical space in Europe. A win in opposition to Frankfurt would guarantee a round-of-16 space, and a blueprint could well well also stay the identical if Thomas Frank’s club receives aid from in varied locations.
6. Paris Saint-Germain (13, plus-10)
Newcastle (H)
7. Newcastle United (13, plus-10)
Paris Saint-Germain (A)
8. Chelsea (13, plus-6)
Napoli (A)
9. Barcelona (13, plus-5)
FC København (H)
10. Sporting CP (13, plus-5)
11. Manchester City (13, plus-4)
Galatasaray (H)
12. Atletico Madrid (13, plus-3)
Bodo/Glimt (H)
13. Atalanta (13, plus-1)
Union Saint-Gilloise (A)
Here’s the put issues win a miniature bit wild. Six automatic spots within the round of 16 stay unsleeping for grabs, and all of these clubs are firmly within the running. Valid Madrid, Liverpool and/or Spurs dropping aspects of their fits could well well well be a boon for these clubs in increasing the potentialities that a win could well well also land them within the tip eight.
Aim differential could well well also play an colossal role in determining who gets a form of locations, and it be that which it’s essential to well take into accout that extra tiebreakers will be wished. The following ones, for reference, are dreams scored and away dreams scored. (Scroll down for the paunchy tiebreaker list.)
In particular, PSG vs. Newcastle guarantees to be a must-peek match. Whereas both aspect could well well also create it to the round of 16 with a blueprint, neither would if truth be told feel joyful with that, and their real aim differential capability that a win is extremely at threat of send them by means of.
One thing that is definite: No topic what happens in varied locations, the three groups in this grouping that win their closing match and stay unsleeping with basically the most aspects and easiest aim differential will come to the round of 16.
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14. Internazionale (12, plus-6)
15. Juventus (12, plus-4)
Benfica (H)
This pair of Italian clubs also has an outdoors shot of earning passage to the round of 16. In all likelihood, they’d deserve to win their closing match. That could well well well build them on 15 aspects, so that they’d need (for instance) six of the eight clubs currently with 13 aspects to blueprint or lose their closing match.
Inter’s rather tough aim differential of plus-6 — equal to or higher than seven of the 13 clubs above them within the table — places them in decent role for any tiebreakers.
No longer lower than, the clubs know they’ve made it out of the league phase.
16. Borussia Dortmund (11, plus-4)
Internazionale (A)
17. Galatasaray (10, even)
Man City (A)
18. Qarabag (10, minus-2)
Liverpool (A)
These groups are all technically tranquil within the running for the round of 16, but their consideration (especially Galatasaray’s and Qarabag’s) will in all probability be directed in the direction of those below them. Dortmund must win or blueprint to guarantee that they’ll create the knockout rounds, while Galatasaray and Qarabag must notch wins in opposition to top-tier opponents. It could well well well tranquil rob quite so a lot of outcomes going in opposition to them to fail to establish the knockouts, but a blowout loss could well well even personal them nervously checking scores as paunchy time approaches.
19. Marseille (9, even)
20. Bayer Leverkusen (9, minus-4)
Villarreal (H)
21. AS Monaco (9, minus-6)
Juventus (H)
Every infrequently the job is easy: Accumulate your closing match, and you come to the knockout rounds. So it is for these three clubs, and though a blueprint could well well also tranquil win the job done, it could per chance probably possibly well well give the six clubs without extend below them within the table reason to hope.
A loss could well well also very smartly be disastrous, particularly for Monaco. 5 of the six clubs below them with seven or eight aspects personal superior aim differentials.
22. PSV Eindhoven (8, plus-1)
Bayern Munich (H)
23. Athletic Membership (8, minus-4)
Sporting CP (H)
24. Olympiacos (8, minus-5)
Ajax (A)
25. Napoli (8, minus-5)
Chelsea (H)
26. FC København (8, minus-6)
Barcelona (A)
27. Membership Brugge (7, minus-5)
Marseille (H)
At the heart of the tip-24 escape, the 2nd tiebreaker (dreams scored) currently separates Olympiacos and Napoli on the dividing line.
The actual matchups stride a prolonged capability to determining how these groups will if truth be told feel about their potentialities of qualifying. Olympiacos, for instance, are undoubtedly joyful to survey Ajax (currently thirty 2nd within the table) on their fixture list. Within the meantime, PSV, Napoli and København could well well personal enormous obligations ahead of them if they personal to seal a job, going by means of off with one of the most famous finest groups in Europe.
Winning their closing fits would stay any of these groups a global of ethical, though nothing could well well also additionally be guaranteed independent of varied outcomes.
28. Bodo/Glimt (6, minus-2)
Atletico Madrid (A)
29. Benfica (6, minus-4)
Valid Madrid (H)
30. Pafos (6, minus-6)
Slavia Prague (H)
31. Union Saint-Gilloise (6, minus-10)
Atalanta (H)
32. Ajax (6, minus-12)
Olympiacos (A)
It is win and hope for these groups currently on the skin having a survey in. Anything much less, and their European campaigns will attain to an stay.
33. Eintracht Frankfurt (4, minus-9)
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
34. Slavia Prague (3, minus-11)
Pafos (A)
35. Villarreal (1, minus-10)
Bayer Leverkusen (A)
36. Kairat Almaty (1, minus-14)
Arsenal (A)
The underside four clubs personal been eradicated.
What are the league phase tiebreakers?
1 – Aim distinction
2 – Objectives scored
3 – Away dreams scored
4 – Wins
5 – Away wins
6 – Increased number of total aspects tranquil by league phase opponents
7 – Increased aim distinction attained of league phase opponents
8 – Increased dreams scored by league phase opponents
9 – Disciplinary aspects
10 – UEFA club coefficient
Does it topic the put you enact within the table?
Doubtlessly, for the reason that league-phase placements shape the knockout round bracket.
The “seeding” blueprint launched for 2024-25 capability the most effective seemingly-positioned groups is no longer going to face every varied till the leisurely stages of the knockout rounds.
Final season offered a famous example of how the contemporary blueprint can create an colossal impact. Manchester City did no longer qualify for the knockouts till the closing day of the league phase, and their twenty 2nd-role enact meant they needed to compete within the knockout round playoffs. That role them on a collision course with Valid Madrid, who won 6-3 over two legs. Nonetheless, PSG regarded unaffected by the further round of fits, rolling previous Brest within the playoffs and your total capability to the title.
The graphic below presentations how the closing table affects the bracket.
When is the blueprint for the knockout round playoffs?
The blueprint for the knockout round playoffs — featuring the clubs that enact ninth to twenty fourth — will occur Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. ET.