Wednesday was crunch time in the UEFA Champions League as teams battled it out for a place in the knockouts.
Heading into the final matchday of the league phase, only a handful of sides had been eliminated from contention for at least a spot in the knockout-stage playoff round.
With all games kicking off at the same time on Wednesday, it promised to be a frenetic ending to the first phase of the 2025/26 tournament. And, boy, it did not disappoint.
Here is a run-down of how things look in terms of teams qualifying for the Round of 16.
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Teams in Champions League knockouts: Final standings
The top eight teams in the league-phase table qualify directly to the Round of 16, bypassing the playoff round completely.
It’s an extremely coveted position as those sides not only avoid the peril of a playoff matchup but are also seeded in the Round of 16 draw, so they will be partnered with an opponent that finished lower in the table.
Final standings for Champions League league phase
Qualified for Round of 16:
1. Arsenal
2. Bayern Munich
3. Liverpool
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Barcelona
6. Chelsea
7. Sporting CP
8. Manchester City
Entering Round of 16 playoffs:
9. Real Madrid
10. Inter Milan
11. Paris Saint-Germain
12. Newcastle United
13. Juventus
14. Atletico Madrid
15. Atalanta
16. Bayer Leverkusen
17. Borussia Dortmund
18. Olympiacos
19. Club Brugge
20. Galatasaray
21. Monaco
22. Qarabag
23. Bodo/Glimt
24. Benfica
Eliminated from Champions League:
25. Marseille
26. Pafos
27. Union Saint-Gilloise
28. PSV
29. Athletic Club
30. Napoli
31. Copenhagen
32. Ajax
33. Eintracht Frankfurt
34. Slavia Prague
35. Villarreal
36. Kairat
Which teams have qualified for Champions League knockouts?
After matchday seven in 2025/26, Arsenal and Bayern Munich were the only teams to have mathematically guaranteed a bye to the Round of 16. The remaining six saw their spots confirmed on January 28.
Teams qualified for Champions League Round of 16
| Pos. | Club | Nation |
| 1. | Arsenal | England |
| 2. | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 3. | Liverpool | England |
| 4. | Tottenham | England |
| 5. | Barcelona | Spain |
| 6. | Chelsea | England |
| 7. | Sporting CP | Portugal |
| 8. | Manchester City | England |
Teams qualified for Champions League knockout playoffs
Below the top eight Round of 16 byes, the next 16 clubs qualify to the knockout-round playoffs.
Positions 9-16 will be seeded in the playoff-round draw and will have the preferred second-leg home match, while positions 17-24 are unseeded.
Teams in Champions League knockout playoffs 2025/26
| Pos. | Club | Nation |
| 9. | Real Madrid | Spain |
| 10. | Inter Milan | Italy |
| 11. | PSG | France |
| 12. | Newcastle | England |
| 13. | Juventus | Italy |
| 14. | Atletico Madrid | Spain |
| 15. | Atalanta | Italy |
| 16. | Bayer Leverkusen | Germany |
| 17. | Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| 18. | Olympiacos | Greece |
| 19. | Club Brugge | Belgium |
| 20. | Galatasaray | Turkey |
| 21. | Monaco | France |
| 22. | Qarabag | Azerbaijan |
| 23. | Bodo/Glimt | Norway |
| 24. | Benfica | Portugal |
Teams eliminated from Champions League 2025/26
On matchweek seven, only four teams had their interest in the competition completely ended, meaning 30 of the 36 competitors still had something at stake on January 28.
Teams eliminated from the Champions League league phase
| Pos. | Club | Nation |
| 25. | Marseille | France |
| 26. | Pafos | Cyprus |
| 27. | Union Saint-Gilloise | Belgium |
| 28. | PSV | Netherlands |
| 29. | Athletic Club | Spain |
| 30. | Napoli | Italy |
| 31. | Copenhagen | Denmark |
| 32. | Ajax | Netherlands |
| 33. | Eintracht Frankfurt | Germany |
| 34. | Slavia Prague | Czechia |
| 35. | Villarreal | Spain |
| 36. | Kairat | Kazakhstan |
When are the Champions League knockout playoffs 2025/26?
The first legs of the playoff matches will take place over February 17-18, 2026. The return legs are a week later over February 24-25.
When are Champions League Round of 16 games 2025/26?
The Round of 16 games will be played over March 10-11, and March 17-18.
