Benfica will meet Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs just three weeks after their thrilling league encounter. On Wednesday, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored in the 98th minute, giving Jose Mourinho’s team a 4-2 victory against the Spanish giants.
Newcastle and PSG set for challenging ties
Newcastle will play Qarabag after finishing 12th in the league phase, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who ended 11th, will face Ligue 1 rivals Monaco. The play-offs involve teams placed between 9th and 24th in the league phase. The first legs will take place on 17-18 February, followed by return fixtures one week later.
The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, will host the 2025-26 final on 30 May. Qarabag finished 22nd in the league phase after winning three games, drawing one, and losing four. They suffered a 6-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in their final outing and have yet to beat a Premier League side in nine attempts. The Azerbaijan champions avoided defeat for the first time against an English team when they drew 2-2 with Chelsea in November.
The winner of Newcastle versus Qarabag will face either Chelsea or Barcelona in the last 16. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham all finished in the top eight and automatically qualified for the last 16. The draw for the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will take place on 27 February.
Champions League play-offs draw in full
- Bodo/Glimt v Inter Milan
- Benfica v Real Madrid
- Monaco v Paris Saint-Germain
- Qarabag v Newcastle
- Galatasaray v Juventus
- Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund v Atalanta
- Olympiacos v Bayer Leverkusen
What comes after the play-offs
The eight play-off winners will progress to the last 16 and meet the top eight finishers from the league phase. From that point onward, the competition adopts a knockout format, with all fixtures other than the final played over two legs. Teams’ final league rankings will influence seeding in the last 16. Seeded sides, those finishing in the top eight, will play the second leg at home.
This season introduces league-phase-based seeding for the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Teams finishing first to fourth will be seeded for the quarter-finals and play the second leg at home if they progress. The top two teams from the league phase will also be seeded for the semi-finals, granting home advantage in the second leg should they reach that stage. If a seeded team is eliminated, the team that defeats them inherits the seeding position.
Knockout phase fixture dates
- Last 16: 10-11 and 17-18 March
- Quarter-finals: 7-8 and 14-15 April
- Semi-finals: 28-29 April and 5-6 May
- Final: 30 May
