Champions League round of 16 draw: when it is, teams, pots, rules, and conditions

On the final day of group stage action in the UEFA Champions League, FC Porto and Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday booked their places in the round of 16.

Teams that qualified for the Champions League knockout phase

• England: Manchester City, Arsenal
• Spain: Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Atltico
• Germany: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund
• The Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven
• Italy: Inter, Lazio, Napoli
• Denmark: Copenhagen
• France: PSG
• Portugal: Porto

The pots for the round of 16 draw

• Pot 1 (seeded teams, group winners): Bayern, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Manchester City, Barcelona, Dortmund, Atltico
• Pot 2 (unseeded teams, group runners-up): Copenhagen, PSV, Napoli, Inter, RB Leipzig, Porto, PSG, Lazio

Barcelona advanced to the round of 16 as Group H winners, but the Blaugrana did not play well in a surprise 3-2 loss to Belgian champions Royal Antwerp on Wednesday.

Atletico were very solid and secure against Lazio, defeating the Italians 2-0 behind goals from Antoine Griezmann and Samuel Lino.

Real Madrid won all six group games and reocrded the maximum 18 points. They ended the group stage with a 3-2 win over Union Berlin thanks to two goals from Joselu and a late winner from Dani Ceballos.

Real Sociedad got the draw they needed against last season’s finalists Inter Milan and won Group D. They will be able to play the second leg of a round of 16 tie at home, inside Reale Arena.

Sevilla are out of Europe entirely after Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to Lens.

When is the Champions League round of 16 draw?

The round of 16 draw will take place on Monday, Dec. 18, at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

When will the round of 16 games be played?

The two-legged ties that will be scheduled following Monday’s draw will begin on Feb. 13/14 and Feb. 20/21, 2024. The second leg of each tie will be played on March 5/6 and March 12/13.

Format and rules

As in the group stage draw, teams from the same country cannot be drawn against one another. In addition, teams that already met in the group stage cannot be paired in the round of 16.

Teams from pot one will face those selected from pot two. This means it is impossible for a team from pot one to be paired with a team from the same pot. The same goes for teams in pot two.

Teams from the same country cannot play their knockout matches on the same day due to television rights agreements. For example, on whichever day Bayern Munich play, RB Leipzig’s game will be played on another date.