Defending champions Manchester City have been eliminated after a crushing 6-3 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid, ending their title defense earlier than expected. Meanwhile, eight teams battled through the play-offs to book their places in the last 16:

• Real Madrid
• Paris Saint-Germain
• Club Brugge
• Feyenoord
• PSV
• Bayern Munich
• Borussia Dortmund
• Benfica

They will join the eight teams that directly qualified from the league phase:

• Arsenal
• Aston Villa
• Atletico Madrid
• Barcelona
• Inter Milan
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Lille
• Liverpool

Round of 16 Draw Details & Key Dates

The Champions League last-16 draw will take place on Friday, where teams will find out their next opponents. The first-leg matches are scheduled for March 4 and March 5, while the return legs will be played on March 11 and March 12.

UEFA has also made changes to the draw process. Four bowls will be prepared, with two for each side of the bracket. These bowls will contain slips marked “Winners R16 1” to “Winners R16 8”, ensuring a structured pathway to the quarter-finals.

Importantly, clubs from the same domestic league can now face each other, adding even more unpredictability to the draw. Teams can also be paired with clubs they previously faced in the league phase.

With the knockout stage heating up, all eyes will be on Friday’s Champions League draw to see which matchups will shape the road to Wembley!