This UEFA Champions League season has already been filled with excitement, unexpected twists, and plenty of surprises. The conclusion of the second leg of the inaugural play-off phase this week decided the teams that will progress to the last 16.
The group stage was a celebration of European football, with memorable matches such as the first-ever 5-4 scoreline in the competition between Barcelona and Benfica. The drama continued into the play-offs, leaving fans eager to know which teams will qualify for the knockout rounds.
How did Manchester City and Celtic fare in the UCL knockout play-offs?
Manchester City faced a tough challenge, losing the first leg 3-2 to defending champions Real Madrid at the Etihad, and then falling 3-1 at the Bernabeu. City had led 2-1 in the first leg, thanks to two goals from Erling Haaland, but Real Madrid’s late goals from Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham handed them the advantage. In the second leg, Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick sealed the result, and a late goal from Nico Gonzalez proved to be only a consolation.
Celtic faced Bayern Munich and suffered a harsh exit. After a narrow 2-1 loss in the first leg, Celtic drew 1-1 in the second leg at Allianz Arena, with Alphonso Davies scoring an injury-time equalizer to send Bayern through 3-2 on aggregate. Despite an unlikely lead from Niklas Kuhn, Celtic couldn’t hold on as their European campaign ended in heartbreak.
Who could Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa face in the last 16?
While the top eight teams won’t know their opponents until the last-16 draw on February 21, the bracket system means they have four possible opponents.
Liverpool, who finished top of the group stage, will face either Paris St-Germain or Benfica. PSG dominated Brest with a 3-0 first-leg win and a 7-0 second-leg triumph, while Benfica overcame Monaco 4-3 on aggregate after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the second leg.
Arsenal, who finished third in their group, will meet either PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord. PSV overturned a 2-1 deficit to beat Juventus 3-1, while Feyenoord triumphed 2-1 on aggregate over AC Milan after drawing 1-1 in Milan.
Aston Villa secured a spot in the top eight after a 4-2 win over Celtic and will face either Club Brugge or Borussia Dortmund. Brugge triumphed 3-1 in the second leg against Atalanta, winning 5-2 on aggregate, while Dortmund sealed their place with a 3-0 win against Sporting CP in the first leg.
Full UCL knockout phase play-off results and path to the quarter-finals:
- PSG vs Brest – PSG won 10-0 on aggregate
- Monaco vs Benfica – Benfica won 4-3 on aggregate
The winners will play either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16 - PSV Eindhoven vs Juventus – PSV won 4-3 on aggregate
- AC Milan vs Feyenoord – Feyenoord won 2-1 on aggregate
The winners will play either Arsenal or Internazionale in the last 16 - Real Madrid vs Man City – Real Madrid won 6-3 on aggregate
- Bayern Munich vs Celtic – Bayern won 3-2 on aggregate
The winners will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 - Atalanta vs Club Brugge – Club Brugge won 5-2 on aggregate
- Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund – Dortmund won 3-0 on aggregate
The winners will play either Aston Villa or Lille in the last 16
How does the bracket format work?
From the knockout phase onwards, the UEFA Champions League follows a bracket format. Teams finishing 9th to 16th in the league phase are seeded, while those in 17th to 24th are unseeded. Teams are paired based on their final position in the “play-off” section, so the 9th and 10th placed teams are paired together, the 11th and 12th placed teams are paired, and so on. This creates four pairs of seeded teams and four pairs of unseeded teams.
When Celtic and Manchester City finished 21st and 22nd, respectively, they knew they would face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who ended up in 11th and 12th. But what makes the bracket format important?
The key aspect of the bracket system is that teams paired together—such as Bayern and Real Madrid—are placed on opposite sides of the draw. This ensures that they cannot meet until the final, even if both progress through the knockout stages.
In the draw, unseeded teams (ranked 17th to 24th) are drawn first into the bracket positions, which ultimately defines their potential path to the final, assuming they make it. Seeded teams are then placed according to the play-off results, and those paired together also land on opposite sides of the bracket.
This structure will be repeated during the last-16 draw after the play-off matches. For instance, Real Madrid will face either Atletico Madrid (who finished 5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (who finished 6th). If, for example, Real Madrid draws Atletico in the last 16, then Leverkusen will be placed on the opposite side of the bracket to face Bayern Munich.
Can teams from the same country face each other?
Yes, teams from the same country can meet in the knockout phase, starting from the play-offs. This happened during the play-off stage when Paris Saint-Germain, a French team, played against fellow Ligue 1 side Brest.