The road to the Champions League final in Munich is about to take shape, with Friday’s draw set to determine our last-16 opponents and potential route through the knockout rounds.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the big reveal.
When and Where is the Draw?
The draw takes place on Friday, February 21, at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. It will begin at 11 a.m. UK time and will be streamed live on UEFA.com, YouTube, and televised in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+.
Which Teams Have Qualified?
The top eight teams from the league phase automatically advanced to the last 16. Only Liverpool and Barcelona finished above us in the standings, with Arsenal securing third place. The only team to defeat us in the league phase was Inter Milan, who finished level on points with us.
Joining us in the last 16 after skipping the play-offs are Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, the play-off round has just concluded, with the following teams securing their spots in the knockout stage:
- Bayern Munich defeated Celtic 3-2 on aggregate.
- Feyenoord edged past AC Milan 2-1 over two legs.
- Benfica overcame Monaco 4-3 after a dramatic 3-3 draw in Portugal.
- Club Brugge eliminated Atalanta with a 5-2 aggregate win.
- PSV Eindhoven staged a comeback, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit to beat Juventus 3-1 in extra time.
- Borussia Dortmund secured their place with a 3-0 away victory against Sporting Lisbon.
- Paris Saint-Germain dominated Brest, scoring 10 goals across two legs.
- Real Madrid ended Manchester City’s title defense with a 6-3 aggregate win.
With no country protection in the knockout rounds, teams from the same nation can now be drawn against each other.
Who Could We Face in the Last 16?
Based on our third-place finish in the league phase, we are set to face one of the play-off winners from teams that finished 13th, 14th, 19th, or 20th.
This means our opponent will be either Feyenoord or PSV Eindhoven. The draw will determine whether we travel to Rotterdam or Eindhoven for the first leg.
How Does the Draw Work?
The knockout stage draw follows a structured format:
- The top eight teams are paired based on their final league positions: 1st vs. 2nd, 3rd vs. 4th, 5th vs. 6th, and so on.
- As we finished third, we are paired with Inter Milan, meaning one of us will face Feyenoord and the other will take on PSV Eindhoven.
- Four bowls will be used in the draw, containing the names of the paired teams. The first team drawn will face PSV, while the second will play Feyenoord.
What is Our Possible Route to the Final?
Once the draw is completed, we’ll have a clear picture of our potential path to the final in Munich.
If we progress past Feyenoord or PSV, we will face one of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, or Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.
The semi-final bracket will also be determined, giving us an idea of the teams we might encounter on the road to the final.
Other Key Details from the Draw
- Home Advantage: As one of the seeded teams, we are guaranteed to play the second leg of our last-16 tie at Emirates Stadium.
- Quarter-Final & Semi-Final Draws: There will also be an additional draw to decide which teams will host the first legs of the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Champions League Knockout Stage Schedule
- Last-16: March 4/5 & March 11/12
- Quarter-finals: April 8/9 & April 15/16
- Semi-finals: April 29/30 & May 6/7
- Final: May 31 (Munich, Germany)
The countdown to the knockout stage is on—now we wait to see who stands in our way!
