Everything Juventus, Inter, Napoli and Atalanta need to know about the Champions League draw: Time, date, format, potential opponents

The 2025-26 Champions League league phase is now complete, and now Inter, Juventus, Atalanta and Napoli are left waiting to learn which teams they will face in the next rounds of the competition. 

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming Champions League knock-out play-off draw. 

When is the Champions League play-off draw? 

The Champions League knock-out play-off draw will take place at 11.00 GMT on Friday, January 30 at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. 

The draw will be available to watch on the UEFA website. You can also follow the action from the draw as it unfolds on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Which teams will be involved in the draw?

The teams that finished the league phase between ninth and 24th place will compete in the play-off round.

They are: Real Madrid (ninth), Inter (10th), PSG (11th), Newcastle (12th), Juventus (13th), Atletico Madrid (14th), Atalanta (15th), Bayer Leverkusen (16th), Borussia Dortmund (17th), Olympiacos (18th), Club Brugge (19th), Galatasaray (20th), Monaco 21st), Qarabag (22nd), Bodo/Glimt (23rd), Benfica (24th).

How does the draw work?

The competing teams are paired based on their positions in the league phase table. The teams that finished in ninth and 10th form a pair, as do the teams in 11th and 12th, 13th and 14th, and 15th and 16th. These will be the seeded teams in the draw. 

The teams that finished in 17th and 18th, 19th and 20th, 21st and 22nd, and 23rd and 24th will be the unseeded pairs. 

The seeded pairs will be placed into the knock-out phase bracket, and will be drawn against one of the unseeded pairs. 

9th and 10th will be drawn against 23rd and 24th, 11th and 12th will be drawn against 21st and 22nd, 13th and 14th will be drawn against 19th and 20th, and 15th and 16th will be drawn against 17th and 18th. 

There are no rules preventing teams from facing sides from the same nation, nor sides they have already faced in the competition. 

Who could Inter, Juventus and Atalanta face in the play-offs?

Inter (10th) and Real Madrid (ninth) will be drawn against either Benfica (24th) or Bodo/Glimt (23rd) in the play-off rounds.

Juventus (13th) and Atletico Mardid (14th) will be drawn against either Galatasaray (20th) or Club Brugge (19th).

Atalanta (15th) and Bayer Leverkusen (16th) will be drawn against either Olympiacos (18th) or Borussia Dortmund (17th).

When is the Round of 16 draw?

The Champions League round of 16 draw will take place after the play-off matches are complete. This will take place on Friday, February 27. 

Champions League knock-out dates 

Knock-out play-offs: First legs on February 17 and 18, second legs on February 24 and 25 

Round of 16: First legs on March 10 and 11, second legs on March 17 and 18 

Quarter-finals: First legs on April 7 and 8, second legs on April 14 and 15

Semi-finals: First legs on April 28 and 29, second legs on May 5 and 6 

Final: May 30.

Source From: Football Italia

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