Champions League Draw 2026 Bracket, Schedule for Knockout Rounds, Playoff Fixtures

On the heels of Wednesday's final day of league play, the UEFA Champions League knockout round matchups have been set.

Arsenal, after making it through the league phase with a perfect 8-0-0 record, and Bayern Munich earned the top two seeds. Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain will open the knockout round playoff phase against Monaco.

Here is the full bracket and schedule after Friday's draw:

Knockout Phase Playoffs (Feb. 17-18 and 24-25)

No. 11 Paris Saint-Germain v. No. 21 Monaco

No. 13 Juventus v. No. 20 Galatasaray

No. 9 Real Madrid v. No. 24 Benfica

No. 15 Atalanta v. No. 17 Borussia Dortmund

No. 12 Newcastle United v. No. 22 Qarabağ

No. 14 Atlético Madrid v. No. 19 Club Brugge

No. 10 Inter Milan v. No. 23 Bodø/Glimt

No. 16 Bayern Leverkusen v. No. 18 Olympiacos

Round of 16 (March 10-11 and 17-18)

No. 1 Arsenal v. TBD

No. 2. Bayern Munich v. TBD

No. 3 Liverpool v. TBD

No. 4 Tottenham Hotspur v. TBD

No. 5 Barcelona v. TBD

No. 6 Chelsea v. TBD

No. 7 Sporting CP v. TBD

No. 8 Manchester City v. TBD

Quarterfinals: April 7-8 and 14-15

Semifinals: April 28-29 and May 5-6

Final: May 30 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest

The pressure is on for Mikel Arteta and the Gunners this year after a near-perfect run in league play. They won each of their first seven matches by multiple goals.

Kairat was able to end Arsenal's streak of multi-goal wins on Wednesday in a 3-2 result behind Ricardinho's goal in the 94th minute.

Arsenal has never won a UEFA Champions League title. Its best finish was second place in 2006, losing to Barcelona in the final.

Bayern Munich was the other dominant club during the league phase. The Reds were the only club aside from Arsenal that had a goal differential of at least plus-20. Those two met head-to-head at Emirates Stadium on Nov. 26, with Arsenal holding serve on its home turf with a 3-1 win.

Other key storylines in the aftermath of the draw include José Mourinho going up against his former club again when Benfica takes on Real Madrid in the knockout phase after Benfica advanced by defeating the Spanish superpower on Wednesday.

PSG went on a memorable run as the No. 15 seed coming out of last year's draw to win the Champions League title. Luis Enrique's club will be hoping for another bit of good fortune as the 11th seed this year, starting with an opening round against Monaco.

If PSG is able to advance to the round of 16, it will take on either Barcelona or Chelsea.

All of the action gets underway starting on Feb. 17, leading up to the final on May 30.