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Published 17:11 26 Feb 2026 GMT
Updated 17:12 26 Feb 2026 GMT

Following the conclusion of the Champions League play-off round this week, the 16 teams that will battle out for a place in the quarter finals have been confirmed.
Exactly who those battles will take place between however, is yet to be decided. This is where the draw comes in.
After Arsenal's 1st place finish the league phase, the Gunners' spot in the draw was secured weeks ago, as was the case for Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Despite staring down the barrel of a potential Premier League relegation, Spurs actually finished 4th in the UCL league, ahead of Barcelona and Man City!
Newcastle United will now join their fellow Premier League sides in the last 16, after overcoming Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag in the play-offs.
The real story of the round came about via Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt, who eliminated last year's finalists Inter Milan.
The other play-off winners were; Atalanta, PSG, Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Bodo/Glimt.
The draw isn't equally weighted between each of the 16 sides though.
The teams who finished within the top eight places in the original league phase are seeded, and will be handed the advantage of playing the second legs of their last-16 ties at home.
Due to the structure of the draw and knock-out phase, each team knows their opponent will be one of two sides.
For Arsenal: either of Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta.
For Liverpool and Spurs: either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.
For Man City: either Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid.
For Chelsea: either Newcastle or Paris St-Germain.
For Newcastle: Chelsea or Barcelona.
The draw will be livestreamed on the UEFA website at 11am on Friday.
It is also on TNT Sports.
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