In Nyon, UEFA held the draw ceremony for the 2025/2026 Champions League playoff round. As a result, 16 teams learned their opponents in the two-legged ties for a place in the Round of 16 — and a real “road map” has now taken shape for the fans.
Playoff tie pairings
Following the draw, these matchups were confirmed:
"Monaco" – PSG
"Benfica" – "Real"
"Qarabag" – "Newcastle"
"Bodø/Glimt" – "Inter"
"Galatasaray" – "Juventus"
"Brugge" – "Atletico"
"Borussia D" – "Atalanta"
"Olympiacos" – "Bayer"
These pairings make it clear that some clashes could deliver a final-like vibe already in February. In particular, “Benfica” vs “Real” and “Galatasaray” vs “Juventus” are set to spark major excitement among supporters.
How the draw was structured?
The playoff ties were not decided randomly — they were determined according to specific rules.
1) Teams were split into two groups based on their positions
After the league phase, clubs were divided into “seeded” and “unseeded” blocks. This created four seeded pairs (9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16) and four unseeded pairs (17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24).
2) Each seeded pair faces one of the unseeded pairs
That is:
teams placed 9 or 10 play teams placed 23 or 24
11/12 play 21/22
13/14 play 19/20
15/16 play 17/18
3) Teams from the same country can meet at this stage
At this stage, same-country matchups are allowed. That’s why the draw came out even sharper and more intriguing.
Teams in the draw
Seeded teams:
"Real" (Spain), "Inter" (Italy), PSG (France), "Newcastle" (England), "Juventus" (Italy), "Atletico" (Spain), "Atalanta" (Italy), "Bayer" (Germany)
Unseeded teams:
"Borussia D" (Germany), "Olympiacos" (Greece), "Brugge" (Belgium), "Galatasaray" (Turkey), "Monaco" (France), "Qarabag" (Azerbaijan), "Bodø/Glimt" (Norway), "Benfica" (Portugal)
Who went straight to the Round of 16?
After 8 rounds of the league phase, the top 8 teams qualified directly for the Champions League Round of 16. Teams placed 9th to 24th will fight for the remaining spots through these playoff ties.
When the matches will be played?
Playoff ties: 17–18 February 2025 and 24–25 February
Round of 16 matches: 10–11 March and 17–18 March
Final: 30 May, "Puskás Aréna" in Budapest
In short, the Nyon draw has flipped the tournament into its hottest mode: now every tie lives by the rule “one mistake — goodbye, Champions League.” And when February arrives, football fans know the routine: “sleep can wait.”
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