The league phase of the Champions League It came to an end with a final simultaneous day that defined the future of the teams. Eighteen games played at the same time resolved the distribution of direct tickets to the round of 16, eliminations and sent several historical players to the round of playoffs of the new format, like Real Madrid.
Arsenal FC They closed a perfect phase and finished as absolute leader with eight wins in eight games. Bayern Munich secured second place, while the fight for the remaining places in the top eight was defined by goal difference and cross results until the last minute.
Among the teams that achieved the direct pass, Manchester City stood out, which depended on third results, but complied at home. Also notable was the triumph of Benfica over Real Madrida result that left the whites out of the top eight and forced to compete in the play-offs.
Arsenal confirms its dominance in the Champions League
He Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal signed a historic league phase. Eight games, eight wins and 24 points. On the last matchday they beat Kairat Almaty 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium and sealed the overall lead.
The London team closed the phase as the strongest team in the tournament, with 23 goals for and just three against. Arteta rotated pieces, recovered Kai Havertz after injury and gave minutes to youth players without compromising the result.
Arsenal They advanced directly to the round of 16 as first place overall, with the best collective performance of the competition.
Manchester City fulfills and avoids the playoff
Despite not depending on itself, Manchester City – champion in 2023 – did its homework. They beat Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium and placed themselves among the eight best in Europe, benefiting from other results.
Erling Haaland He opened the scoring after an assist from Jeremy Doku and scored seven goals in this edition of the tournament. Rayan Cherki extended the lead before the break and allowed the team to manage the closing of the match.
The result assured City a direct place in the round of 16 and prevented them from competing in the play-off round, a key relief in calendar management.
Benfica shakes off Real Madrid in Lisbon
One of the blows of the day occurred at the Estádio da Luz. José Mourinho’s Benfica defeated Real Madrid 4-2, a result that left the whites out of the top eight.
Schjelderup scored a double, Pavlidis converted from the penalty spot and goalkeeper Trubin scored the fourth goal at the end of the match. Kylian Mbappé responded with two goals, but did not avoid defeat.
The setback sent Real Madrid to the play-off tie, an unusual situation for the club in this new Champions League format.
Athletic Club is eliminated in San Mamés
In Bilbao, the Athletic Club said goodbye to the Champions League after losing 2-3 against Sporting de Portugal. The red and white team led 2-1 at halftime, but did not hold the advantage.
Francisco Trincao They tied in the 62nd minute and Alisson scored the final goal in the 94th, when Athletic was already looking for the victory they needed to stay alive. The defeat left the Spanish team even out of the playoff.
Complete table of the league phase – Champions League 2026
Chelsea secured their place by scoring margin, Barcelona advanced to playoffand clubs such as PSG, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus and Inter must compete in the previous knockout round. This is how it looks Champions League 2026 table:
Directly classified to the round of 16 (1st to 8th)
- Arsenal – 24 points
- Bayern Munich – 21 points
- Liverpool – 18 points
- Tottenham – 17 points
- Barcelona – 16 points
- Chelsea – 16 points
- Sporting CP – 16 puntos
- Manchester City – 15 points
Qualified for eliminatory playoffs (9th to 24th)
- Paris Saint-Germain – 14 points
- Newcastle – 14 points
- Juventus – 13 points
- Atlético de Madrid – 13 points
- Atalanta – 13 points
- Bayer Leverkusen – 12 points
- Borussia Dortmund – 11 points
- Olympiacos – 11 points
- Club Brugge – 10 points
- Tearms – 10 points
- Monaco – 10 points
- Qarabag – 10 points
- Bodø/Glimt – 9 puntos
- Benfica – 9 points
- Marseille – 9 points
- Paphos – 9 points
Eliminated (25th to 36th)
- Union Saint-Gilloise – 9 points
- PSV – 8 points
- Athletic Club – 8 points
- Naples – 8 points
- Copenhagen – 8 points
- Ajax – 6 points
- Eintracht Frankfurt – 4 points
- Slavia Prague – 3 points
- Villarreal – 1 point
- Kairat Almaty – 1 point
Results of Day 8 of the Champions League
These were the results on Matchday 8 of the Champions League phase:
- Athletic Club 2-3 Sporting CP
- Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag
- Barcelona 4-1 Copenhagen
- Monaco 0-0 Juventus
- Ajax 1-2 Olympiacos
- PSG 1-1 Newcastle
- Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Inter
- Napoli 2-3 Chelsea
- Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Tottenham
- Atlético de Madrid 1-2 Bodø/Glimt
- Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Villarreal
- Arsenal 3-2 Kairat
- Paphos 4-1 Slavia Prague
- Manchester City 2-0 Galatasaray
- Club Brugge 3-0 Marseille
- Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid
- Union Saint-Gilloise 1-0 Atalanta
- PSV 1-2 Bayern Munich
Champions League 2026 knockout phase schedule
After the league phase, this is how the knockout stage of the 2026 Champions League will be played:
- Elimination play-offs: February 17/18 and 24/25, 2026
- Round of 16: 10/11 and 17/18 March 2026
- Quarter finals: April 7/8 and April 14/15, 2026
- Semifinals: April 28/29 and May 5/6, 2026
- Final: May 30, 2026, Budapest
With information from EFE
