CNN Español
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The Champions League playoffs will have several big teams forced to risk continuity before the round of 16. Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain were left out of the group of the eight best and will have to overcome a previous round-trip eliminator to continue in the race, in a round in which there are important confrontations, demanding trips and a minimum margin of error before the tournament enters its decisive section.
Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Sporting and Manchester City avoided the playoffs and secured their place in the tournament’s top eight.
Real Madrid or Inter vs. Bodo/Glimt o Benfica.
Paris Saint Germain o Newcastle vs. Qarabag o Monaco.
Juventus or Atlético de Madrid vs. Galatasaray or Bruges.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen Olympiacos or Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid will find out their rivals in the draw on Friday, January 30, in Nyon. The matches will pair them with teams that also come from the middle of the table.
Real Madrid and Inter – ninth and tenth – will face Bodo Glimt or Benfica, who sealed their qualification in added time thanks to goal difference. Atlético de Madrid and Juventus – fourteenth and thirteenth – will do so against Club Brujas or Galatasaray. In all cases, the first leg will be played away from home and the return leg will be played at home.
The first legs of the previous round will be played on February 17 and 18, 2026, and the second legs a week later, on February 24 and 25. The eight teams that pass this phase will advance to the round of 16, whose draw will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026, along with those from the quarterfinals and semifinals.
In the round of 16, the teams will face the direct qualifiers in still open duels: Barcelona or Chelsea; Liverpool or Tottenham; Sporting or Manchester City; and Arsenal or Bayern Munich, with the final order pending the results of the playoff.
