UEFA’s Champions League Knockout Bracket Explained: What You Need to Know.
The revamped tournament format is throwing curveballs—here’s how the knockout phase will work
The Champions League has never looked like this before, and with the knockout phase play-off draw taking place from 12:00 CET today, I thought it might be useful to gather the details for us all.
The first-ever league phase wrapped up with Liverpool finishing on top, securing a direct route to the last 16. Seven other teams joined them. But for the clubs that finished between 9th and 24th? Their journey isn’t over yet—they're headed into a knockout playoff to fight for a spot in the next round.
If you thought the new format was chaotic on the final matchday, where so many matches had stakes, things are about to get even more interesting. Now, it’s time for the knockout rounds, and with UEFA’s latest tweaks, it’s not as simple as a standard bracket.
Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, and Aston Villa have all secured their places in the last 16. That means they’ll get a few midweek fixtures off while the rest battle it out.
These teams are seeded based on their league phase finish, but they won’t know their opponents until the playoff round concludes and the next draw takes place on 21 February.
For the teams finishing between 9th and 24th, there’s an extra hurdle: a two-legged playoff to reach the round of 16.
Here’s how it works:
The teams ranked 9th-16th are seeded.
The teams ranked 17th-24th are unseeded and will play the first leg at home.
The draw will pair teams based on their league finish—those near the bottom will face those near the top.
For example, the 24th and 23rd-placed teams will be grouped together, and one will be drawn into the "silver" side of the bracket while the other goes into the "blue" side. Then, they’ll be matched against either the 9th or 10th-placed team. The same method applies throughout the draw.
No away goals rule—if a tie is level after two legs, it heads straight to extra time and penalties.
Once the playoff round is settled, the eight winners will join the already-qualified teams in the round of 16.
But here’s where UEFA has added another twist: the highest-ranked team from the league phase (Liverpool) isn’t necessarily rewarded with the easiest opponent.
Instead, the top-ranked side will face a team that finished between 15th and 18th. That’s because UEFA assumes the lowest-ranked teams will likely lose their playoff matchups, meaning Liverpool could end up facing a mid-tier club rather than the weakest remaining side.
From there, the tournament follows a more traditional bracket system, with two-legged ties all the way to the final on 31 May in Munich.
One of the biggest changes this season is that teams finishing outside the top 24 are completely out of Europe.
In the past, a bad Champions League campaign could be salvaged by dropping into the Europa League knockout rounds. Not anymore. If you finish 25th or lower in the league phase, your European adventure ends right there.
This new format has already delivered some unforgettable moments, but it’s also changed the way teams have to approach the competition. The old group stage predictability is gone. Every match matters.
Now, with a stacked knockout bracket ahead, we’re set for one of the most unpredictable Champions League finishes in years.
Thanks for reading, David Skilling.
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