Champions League Knockout Play-off Draw: Full fixtures & key clashes

January 30, 2026 • 0 • min read

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Champions League Knockout Play-off Draw: Full fixtures & key clashes

The draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League knockout play-offs took place on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland, finalising the last eight ties that will determine who joins the eight automatically qualified teams in the round of 16.

Big names in the play-offs

Several major European clubs missed out on automatic progression and must negotiate two-legged play-off ties in February to keep their continental ambitions alive.

Among them are Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid and Juventus.

Newcastle United secured their spot in the play-offs after a resilient 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain late in the league phase, whilst Madrid's 4-2 defeat at Benfica confirmed their place in the extra round.

Play-off matchups

Below are the confirmed Champions League play-off pairings, with first legs scheduled for 17-18 February and second legs on 24-25 February:
Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta

Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen

Galatasaray vs Juventus

Club Brugge vs Atlético Madrid

Qarabağ vs Newcastle United

Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain

Benfica vs Real Madrid

Bodø/Glimt vs Inter Milan

Fans can get tickets for these thrilling ties here: Link

Focus on key ties

Newcastle United vs Qarabag
Newcastle travel to Azerbaijan to face Qarabağ in the first leg before hosting the second at St James' Park.

The Azerbaijani champions have already faced Chelsea and Liverpool this season, including a 2-2 draw with the Blues and a heavy 6-0 defeat at Anfield.

Despite the mixed results, Qarabağ pose a unique challenge in European competition.

Benfica vs Real Madrid
A repeat of their final league phase encounter sees the Spanish giants head back to Lisbon to take on Benfica.

The Portuguese side have a strong European pedigree under José Mourinho and will be keen to overturn Madrid's historic dominance.

Monaco vs PSG
Reigning champions PSG face a domestic rival in AS Monaco, setting up an intriguing tie with Ligue 1 bragging rights also on the line.

Bodø/Glimt vs Inter Milan
Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt - one of the standout surprise packages in the group stage - earned a tantalising clash with Italian giants Inter.

When the play-offs happen

First legs: 17-18 February
Second legs: 24-25 February

After the play-off round concludes, the draw for the Champions League last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place on 27 February.

Already through to last 16

Eight teams secured direct progression from the league phase by finishing in the top eight:

Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur
Barcelona
Chelsea
Sporting CP
Manchester City

As No.1 seed, Arsenal carry significant advantages into the knockout rounds under new rules that also ensure the top two league phase finishers host the second leg of their ties.

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