The stage for the 2025–26 Champions League knockout rounds is set as the league phase came to a dramatic conclusion on a Wednesday night full of mayhem.
Like last season, all 18 games on Matchday 8 of the Champions League league phase kicked off at the same time, making for constant goal updates, seeding swings and an ever-changing table over the course of a dizzying 90 minutes.
As the clubs at the bottom of the standings fought to crack the top 24, the powerhouses at the top battled to finish in the top eight and therefore secure an automatic spot in the round of 16. A place in the knockout phase playoffs was a consolation prize for some, and a massive accomplishment for others.
In the aftermath of 18 final whistles sounding across Europe, here’s how the final league phase table turned out.
Champions League 2025–26 Final League Phase Table
| Pos. | Team | Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 24 | Round of 16 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 21 | Round of 16 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 18 | Round of 16 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 17 | Round of 16 |
| 5 | Barcelona | 16 | Round of 16 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 16 | Round of 16 |
| 7 | Sporting CP | 16 | Round of 16 |
| 8 | Man City | 16 | Round of 16 |
| 9 | Real Madrid | 15 | Knockout Playoff |
| 10 | Inter | 15 | Knockout Playoff |
| 11 | PSG | 14 | Knockout Playoff |
| 12 | Newcastle | 14 | Knockout Playoff |
| 13 | Juventus | 13 | Knockout Playoff |
| 14 | Atlético Madrid | 13 | Knockout Playoff |
| 15 | Atalanta | 13 | Knockout Playoff |
| 16 | Bayer Leverkusen | 12 | Knockout Playoff |
| 17 | Borussia Dortmund | 11 | Knockout Playoff |
| 18 | Olympiacos | 11 | Knockout Playoff |
| 19 | Club Brugge | 10 | Knockout Playoff |
| 20 | Galatasaray | 10 | Knockout Playoff |
| 21 | Monaco | 10 | Knockout Playoff |
| 22 | Qarabağ | 10 | Knockout Playoff |
| 23 | Bodø/Glimt | 9 | Knockout Playoff |
| 24 | Benfica | 9 | Knockout Playoff |
| 25 | Marseille | 9 | Eliminated |
| 26 | Pafos | 9 | Eliminated |
| 27 | Union St. Gilloise | 9 | Eliminated |
| 28 | PSV Eindhoven | 8 | Eliminated |
| 29 | Athletic Club | 8 | Eliminated |
| 30 | Napoli | 8 | Eliminated |
| 31 | Copenhagen | 8 | Eliminated |
| 32 | Ajax | 6 | Eliminated |
| 33 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 4 | Eliminated |
| 34 | Slavia Prague | 3 | Eliminated |
| 35 | Villarreal | 1 | Eliminated |
| 36 | Kairat | 1 | Eliminated |
The top eight teams—Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City—all automatically advanced to the round of 16, avoiding the knockout phase playoffs. Of those top clubs, only the Gunners put together a perfect league phase campaign.
Arsenal’s arch rivals are the surprise in the last 16. Spurs might sit 14th in the Premier League standings, but they still finished above the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in the league phase with 17 points.
While the top eight get to enjoy an additional period of rest, the teams in ninth to 24th must gear up for the knockout phase playoffs. The winners of each two-legged tie will join the already qualified eight teams in the round of 16, setting up a mouthwatering knockout stage.
It took a 95th-minute strike for Sporting CP to dump Real Madrid out of the automatic qualification spots. A shock 4–2 defeat away at Benfica means they will have to go through the playoffs, although a 98th-minute strike by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was enough for the Portuguese side to sneak into the playoffs on goal difference with the final kick of the round.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain also still have work to do if they are to reach the knockouts, as do last year’s beaten finalists Inter.
Those outside of the top 24 saw their Champions League hopes come crashing down. In fact, before Matchday 8 even kicked off, Kairat Almaty, Villarreal, Slavia Prague and Frankfurt were already mathematically eliminated from the competition.
Eight more teams joined them, including Napoli and Ajax, falling below the threshold by just a handful of points.
Champions League 2025–26 Knockout Stage Seedings
Round of 16
- 1-2: Arsenal and Bayern Munich
- 3-4: Liverpool and Tottenham
- 5-6: Barcelona and Chelsea
- 7-8: Sporting CP and Man City
The benefit to finishing in the top eight comes not only with an automatic place in the last 16, but also with a seeding advantage—the eight teams will be seeded for the round of 16 and therefore play the second leg of their ties at home.
The teams in first, second, third and fourth will also be seeded for the quarterfinals, which means they will play the deciding leg of their potential tie at home as well.
Arsenal and Bayern Munich get the supreme advantage of having their seedings carry through to the semifinals, where their opponents would be forced to travel to the Emirates and Allianz Arena respectively for the second leg ... should they make it that far in the competition.
Seeded Knockout Playoff Teams
- 9-10: Real Madrid and Inter
- 11-12: PSG and Newcastle
- 13-14: Juventus and Atlético Madrid
- 15-16: Atalanta and Leverkusen
Although it is not as good as directly qualifying for the round of 16, the teams that finished in ninth to 16th are at least seeded for the knockout phase playoffs. They all get the benefit of playing the second leg of their ties at home.
Based on where they finished in the table, the seeded teams are broken up into pairs and will be drawn against a pair of unseeded teams. For example, ninth-place Madrid and 10th-place Inter will be drawn against 23rd-place Bodø/Glimt and 24th-place Benfica.
Newcastle will have to go through either Monaco or Qarabağ, while it’s Club Brugge or Galatasaray for Italian giants Juventus.
Unseeded Knockout Playoff Teams
- 17-18: Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos
- 19-20: Club Brugge and Galatasaray
- 21-22: Monaco and Qarabağ
- 23-24: Bodø/Glimt and Benfica
The teams that finished from 17th to 24th are unseeded for the knockout phase playoffs. They will open their ties at home before traveling to their opponents’ grounds for the deciding leg.
The good news for the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Marseille and the remaining six unseeded clubs is that they can potentially improve their standings if they last long enough in the competition. If a seeded team does not make it to the quarterfinals or the semifinals, the team that eliminated it gets to claim its seeding position.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Champions League 2025–26 Final League Phase Table, Knockout Stage Seedings.
