With just 16 teams remaining in the 2025/26 Champions League competition vying for the European crown, the time has come to set the bracket for the tournament.
Defending champions PSG are through by Monaco to the Round of 16, as are the most successful side in Champions League history Real Madrid who muscled past former manager Jose Mourinho and Benfica.
Premier League sides dominated the league phase, leaving Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Man City all with a pass to the Round of 16 and a seeded position in the draw. Newcastle reached this stage by demolishing Qarabag in the playoff round, meaning all six English participants are still alive.
This will be the final draw of the competition under the new format, meaning the pathway to the final will be solidified for every single remaining participant from here on out.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this event, including how to watch, when it will begin, and how it will play out.
MORE: Champions League bracket explained as Round of 16 draw approaches
Champions League knockout stage draw live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch the 2026 Champions League knockout stage draw in the United States:
TV channel: None
Live stream: Paramount+
The draw will be streamed live on Paramount+, who will stream every single match throughout the competition.
Paramount+ combines the best content from the worlds of sports, news and entertainment, including the NFL, UFC, March Madness, UEFA Champions League and more. You can stream live events as well as thousands of hours of shows and movies.
What time does Champions League knockout stage draw begin?
The 2026 Champions League knockout stage draw will take place at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. It will be held on Friday, February 27 and will begin at 12 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across the United States:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Fri, Feb. 27 | 6:00 a.m. |
| Central Time | Fri, Feb. 27 | 5:00 a.m. |
| Mountain Time | Fri, Feb. 27 | 4:00 a.m. |
| Pacific Time | Fri, Feb. 27 | 3:00 a.m. |
How does the Champions League draw work?
The Round of 16 draw in the 2025/26 Champions League will not only set the matchups for the next stage, but will solidify the bracket for the remaining competition.
The matchups are mostly sorted out at this point, based on league phase positioning. Each team has two possible opponents for the Round of 16.
In the Champions League Round of 16, the eight winners from the knockout playoffs are drawn against the top eight finishers from the league phase, again according to those final positions.
The potential matchups will be set as follows:
- 1st & 2nd in league phase vs. winner of 15/16 vs. 17/18
- 3rd & 4th in league phase vs. winner of 13/14 vs. 19/20
- 5th & 6th in league phase vs. winner of 11/12 vs. 21/22
- 7th & 8th in league phase vs. winner of 9/10 vs. 23/24
The table below shows how the seeding works in the Champions League Round of 16 for the 2025/26 season.
| Team (league-phase pos.) | Possible opponents |
| Arsenal (1st) | Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen |
| Bayern Munich (2nd) | Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen |
| Liverpool (3rd) | Juventus/Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid |
| Tottenham Hotspur (4th) | Juventus/Galatasaray or Atletico Madrid |
| Barcelona (5th) | Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United |
| Chelsea (6th) | Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United |
| Sporting CP (7th) | Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid |
| Manchester City (8th) | Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid |
From there, the knockout stage bracket will be set. Each team’s potential positioning in the bracket features one possible draw position on one side, and one possible draw position on the other.
Wherever one team is pulled, the other team in their same category will fall in the other. For example, when Arsenal are pulled into one position, Bayern Munich will be slotted into the other.
