The Europa League knockout phase play-offs are here with Nottingham Forest and Celtic having discovered their next opponents.
Celtic got the result they needed to avoid elimination from the competition in Thursday’s league-phase finale as they staved off a comeback to beat Utrecht at Parkhead, ensuring them a play-off tie with either Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
They join Forest in the play-off, who thrashed Ferencvaros 4-0 on the final matchday in the knowledge that they had already mathematically qualified for the next stage. Sean Dyche’s side were drawn against Turkish giants Fenerbahce and face a trip to Istanbul where the Europa League will also be held.
Aston Villa were the only side from the British contingent to finish in the top eight, earning a bye to the last 16 where they will face one of Red Star Belgrade, Celta Viga, PAOK or Lille but they will only find out their opponents in February.
Find all the results from the draw, the schedule and reaction to the draw in Nyon, Switzerland - plus the Champions League draw updates:
Europa League knockout phase play-off draw
- Full results for Europa League knockout phase play-off draw
- Forest, Celtic and more set to learn fate after Champions League draw
- Forest to face Fenebahce, Cetic drawn against Stuttgart
- Aston Villa safely through to last 16 after top-eight finish in league phase
Newcastle given favourable draw as Champions League knockout play-off fixtures confirmed
12:45 , Mike JonesNewcastle will face Qarabag for a place in the Champions League round of 16 after the draw for the knockout play-offs was confirmed.
A final day draw with Paris Saint-Germain secured a 12th placed finish in the league phase for Eddie Howe’s side, which has now resulted in a tie with the first Azerbaijani club to reach the knockout rounds of the competition.
Newcastle given kind draw as Champions League knockout play-off fixtures confirmed
What will the round of 16 ties look like?
12:42 , Mike JonesHere are the combinations for the round of 16 fixtures:
Will face Porto or Braga:
- Stuttgart vs Celtic
Or
Will face Midtjylland or Real Betis:
- Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce
Or
- Viktoria Plzen vs Panathinaikos
Will face Lyon or Aston Villa:
- Red Star Belgrade vs Lille
Or
- Celta Viga vs PAOK
Will face Freiburg or Roma:
- Dinamo Zagreb vs Genk
Or
- Brann vs Bologna
When is the round of 16 draw?
12:36 , Mike JonesThe eight teams that advance from the knockout phase play-offs will be in the draw for the round of 16, along with those who directly qualified.
That draw will take place on Friday 27 February.
When will the knockout phase play-off ties take place?
12:31 , Mike JonesMatches will take place over two legs, with the seeded team set to play the return leg at home.
First legs will be played on 19 February and second legs are slated to take place on 26 February.
Europa League play-off draw
12:22 , Mike JonesHere is the play-off round draw in full:
Ludogorets vs Ferencvaros
Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzen
GNK Dinamo vs Genk
PAOK vs Celta
Celtic vs Stuttgart
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest
SK Brann vs Bologna
Lille vs Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda)
Europa League play-off draw
12:20 , Mike JonesGNK Dinamo Zagreb will host Genk.
Finally, SK Brann take on Bologna.
Europa League play-off draw
12:19 , Mike JonesLudogoret’s opponents in the play-off round will be Ferencvaros.
Celtic will take on Stuttgart. A tricky tie for the Scottish side.
Europa League play-off draw
12:18 , Mike JonesPanathinaikos are taking on Viktoria Plzen.
Which means that Fenerbahce host Nottingham Forest.
Europa League play-off draw
12:17 , Mike JonesThe first complete knockout round fixture is...
... PAOK vs Real Club Celta.
Lille take on Red Star Belgrade.
Europa League play-off draw
12:16 , Mike JonesThe last two unseeded teams are PAOK and Lille.
PAOK are drawn into the silver side, Lille in the orange.
Now we’ll see who plays who...
Europa League play-off draw
12:15 , Mike JonesMoving on, these are the two clubs with finished 19th and 20th.
Panathinaikos are drawn in the silver side of the bracket with Fenerbahce put in the orange side.
Europa League play-off draw
12:14 , Mike JonesNext up are Celtic and Ludogorets.
Ludogorets go into the silver side of the draw and Martin O’Neil’s Hoops are in the orange side.
Europa League play-off draw
12:13 , Mike JonesThe first pairing is GNK Dinamo and SK Brann who finished 23rd and 24th in the league phase.
Dinamo are out first and go into the silver side of the bracket.
SK Brann are put in the orange side.
Europa League play-off draw
12:12 , Mike JonesLet’s go.
There are two brackets, a silver one and an orange one.
The unseeded teams will be drawn into either side before the seeded teams complete the fixtures.
Europa League play-off draw
12:08 , Mike JonesThe special guest for this draw is Turkish Ilhan Mansiz.
He gives this thoughts on the Europa League and says that the season has been ‘special’ and that as a player you dream ‘those European nights’.
He adds that the players are ‘creating memories for a lifetime’.
Europa League play-off draw
12:06 , Mike JonesGiorgio Marchetti is back again to explain all the ins and outs of the draw.
He gives a brief speech about the league phase and what happened in the last matchday.
Europa League play-off draw
12:02 , Mike JonesOkay, let’s get into the next draw of the day.
The Europa League play-off draw works in pretty much the same way as the Champions League one.
Teams are paired and then drawn against other pairs in a play-off tie.
For British clubs, Nottingham Forest and Celtic are in this draw.
How will the Europa League knockout phase play-off draw work?
12:00 , Mike JonesThe clubs are paired together in relation to their league phase positions, forming four seeded pairs: positions 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, and 15 and 16. There will be four unseeded pairs: positions 17 and 18, 19 and 20, 21 and 22, and 23 and 24).
Clubs in each seeded pair will draw a tie against an unseeded pair: clubs 9 or 10 against clubs 23 or 24, clubs 11 or 12 against clubs 21 or 22, clubs 13 or 14 against clubs 19 or 20, and clubs 15 or 16 against clubs 17 or 18.
Teams from the same national association, or teams that have already met in the league phase, can all play against each other in the knockout phase play-offs.
Who are the unseeded teams?
11:57 , Mike JonesThere are 16 teams in the Europa League knockout phase play-off draw, including two-thirds of the remaining British contingent.
These teams are unseeded:
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. Brann (Norway)
Who are the seeded teams?
11:54 , Mike JonesThere are 16 teams in the Europa League knockout phase play-off draw, including two-thirds of the remaining British contingent.
With the number representing their finish in the league phase, the following teams are seeded:
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
When is the Europa League knockout phase play-off draw?
11:51 , Mike JonesThe 2025/26 Europa League knockout phase play-off draw starts at 12pm GMT on Friday 30 January, in Nyon, Switzerland.
The draw includes teams that finished ninth to 24th place in the league phase, with the top eight sides in the league phase qualifying automatically for the last 16.
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website and the Europa League app, while Independent Sport will have a live blog with all the results from the draw and the latest reaction.
Still to come
11:48 , Mike JonesThe draw for the first knockout round in the 2025/26 Europa League is set to be made after a frantic league phase finale sealed the fates of British sides.
Nottingham Forest find themselves in the pot with a 4-0 victory over Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros not enough to force themselves into the top eight, while Aston Villa bypass the play-offs after finishing second in the table.
Sean Dyche’s side will, however, be joined by Celtic after Martin O’Neill’s side avoided elimination on the last matchday, staving off a comeback from Utrecht to beat to Dutch side 4-2 at Parkhead.
The likes of Lille, Bologna and Fenerbahce are also among the top-24 contingent required to go through the play-offs to keep their Europa League ambitions alive.
This draw is scheduled to take place at 12pm.
Newcastle given favourable draw as Champions League knockout play-off fixtures confirmed
11:45 , Mike JonesNewcastle will face Qarabag for a place in the Champions League round of 16 after the draw for the knockout play-offs was confirmed.
A final day draw with Paris Saint-Germain secured a 12th placed finish in the league phase for Eddie Howe’s side, which has now resulted in a tie with the first Azerbaijani club to reach the knockout rounds of the competition.
PSG will face fellow Ligue 1 side Monaco, while Real Madrid face a rematch with Benfica after a dramatic defeat to Jose Mourinho’s side in midweek.
Newcastle given kind draw as Champions League knockout play-off fixtures confirmed
What about Man City and Arsenal?
11:42 , Mike JonesAs for the remaining two English clubs already in the knockout rounds.
Man City could face Real Madrid in the last-16 if the Spanish club win their rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.
But, City could also be drawn on the opposite side of the bracket and end up facing the winner of Bodo/Glimt or Inter Milan.
As for Arsenal, they have a potentially tricky last-16 tie.
The Gunners will play one of four teams with those being Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiakos or Bayer Leverkusen.
Either side of the draw for them poses a bit of difficulty but that is what the Champions League is all about.
What else can we learn from the draw?
11:39 , Mike JonesWhen the last-16 draw takes place in February Liverpool and Tottenham will be paired together.
That means the two Premier League teams will take on the winner of Galatasaray vs Juventus and the winner of Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid.
Who plays who in the last-16 is yet to be determined, of course.
Newcastle's knockout round opponents
11:37 , Mike JonesThough the rest of the knockout round draw will take place in late February we do know a little about future opponents.
Should Newcastle get past Qarabag they will take on either Chelsea or Barcelona in the last-16. Given how well they played against PSG, Eddie Howe will believe they have a chance of reaching the quarters at the least.
A good draw for Newcastle
11:35 , Mike JonesNewcastle could have been drawn against Monaco who are a tricky team to read.
Instead they have ended up with the fortuitous draw with Qarabag.
They will have to travel to Azerbaijan for the first leg but a second leg at home offers Eddie Howe’s men a very strong chance of making into the last-16.
In the final fixture of the league phase, Liverpool hammered Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield. Newcastle should be confident of progressing.
Champions League play-off draw
11:28 , Mike JonesHere are the the full fixtures for the play-off round:
Monaco vs PSG
Galatasaray vs Juventus
Benfica vs Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta
Qarabag vs Newcastle
Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid
Bodo/Glimt vs Inter Milan
Olympiakos vs Bayer Leverkusen
Champions League play-off draw
11:26 , Mike JonesFinally, Real Madrid will face Benfica in a repeat of the match that lit up the final gameweek of the league phase.
Inter Milan will go to face Bodo/Glimt.
Champions League play-off draw
11:25 , Mike JonesParis Saint-Germain are drawn on the silver side of the bracket and will take on Monaco!
That means that Newcastle United’s play-off tie is against Qarabag. Eddie Howe will like that draw.
Champions League play-off draw
11:24 , Mike JonesTwo more fixtures coming up...
Juventus will take on Galatasaray. Big match that one.
Atletico Madrid are playing Club Brugge. A good draw for Diego Simeone’s men.
Champions League play-off draw
11:23 , Mike JonesNow we make the fixtures.
Atalanta will face Borussia Dortmund, that’s an interesing clash.
In the next fixture, Bayer Leverkusen will take on Olympiakos. Decent.
Champions League play-off draw
11:22 , Mike JonesFinally for the unseeded teams, Borussia Dortmund are drawn on the silver side, Olympiakos on the blue side.
As things stand, the blue side seems the easier of the two to be drawn into.
Champions League play-off draw
11:21 , Mike JonesGalatasaray are placed on the silver side of the bracket with Club Brugge on the blue side.
The first half of the draw is a little dry but once the seeded teams start coming out we’ll have the full fixtures.
Champions League play-off draw
11:20 , Mike JonesNext up, Monaco are drawn into the silver side of the bracket with Qarabag on the blue.
Newcastle could be drawn against either of these teams.
Champions League play-off draw
11:19 , Mike JonesThe first two teams coming out of the draw will be Bodo/Glimt and Benfica.
They’ll be placed in either the silver or blue side.
Let’s find out where...
... Benfica go into the silver side of the bracket. Bodo/Glimt are drawn on the blue side.
Champions League play-off draw
11:17 , Mike JonesThere are two sides to this play-off draw: A silver bracket and a blue one.
Teams have been paired together and each of the teams in a pair will be drawn to one or the other brackets.
Unseeded team (those that finished 17th-24th) are drawn first followed by the seeded teams (9th-16th).
Champions League play-off draw
11:14 , Mike JonesRobert Pires is the man tasked with helping to draw the balls for the play-off round.
He says that he enjoys the new format and that sometimes you need a ‘fresh’ start to make things good.
Pires also added that he thinks Arsenal have a chance to win the trophy.
He said: “I want to say yes, they scored 23 goals and only conceded four so this is a great job from Arteta and the boys.”
Champions League play-off draw
11:11 , Mike JonesGiorgio Marchetti is here and out on stage explaining that the 16 teams ranked ninth to 24th in the league phase will be drawn against each other for the play-off round.
There will be another draw at the end of February to determine the full route to the final for all the teams in the knockout rounds proper.
Champions League play-off draw
11:07 , Mike JonesHere we go then,
The draw for the Champions League play-off rounds is about to get underway.
16 teams are in the draw and they’ll find out their opponents for the next stage of the tournament.
Let’s get into it.
Champions League knockout phase play-off draw
11:07 , Jack RathbornWe’re underway in Nyon, first a reminder of how the final matchday unfolded.
Get the kettle on, the first team drawn might take a little while.
Now we’re being introduced to all the sides involved in the play-off round.
Who's in the draw?
10:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleRighty ho, then, an overly-long procedure to determine eight football matches is about to begin. Here’s a reminder of the teams in the draw.
With the number representing their finish in the league phase, the following teams are seeded:
9. Real Madrid (Spain)
10. Inter Milan (Italy)
11. Paris Saint-Germain (France)
12. Newcastle United (England)
13. Juventus (Italy)
14. Atletico Madrid (Spain)
15. Atalanta (Italy)
16. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
The remaining teams are unseeded:
17. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
18. Olympiacos (Greece)
19. Club Brugge (Belgium)
20. Galatasaray (Turkey)
21. AS Monaco (France)
22. Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
23. Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
24. Benfica (Portugal)
Champions League knockout play-off draw
10:45 , Harry Latham-CoyleAs ever, today’s proceedings will take place at the rather grandly named “House of European Football” on the shore of Lake Geneva at Uefa HQ in Nyon, Switzerland.
Here are the tie dates for the play-offs:
First legs: 17/18 February 2026
Second legs: 24/25 February 2026
Who could each Premier League club face in Champions League round of 16?
10:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe strength of the Premier League was underlined with five English clubs earning direct progression to the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City all finished in the top eight of the league phase table, steering clear of the knockout play-off round and avoiding an extra two-legged tie.
They will be joined in the last 16 by Newcastle United if Eddie Howe’s side come through their play-off in February, which will be against either Monaco or Qarabag.
Who could each Premier League club face in Champions League round of 16?
Does a top-eight finish actually matter?
10:25 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe obvious conclusion when considering this new Champions League format is that a top eight finish is highly valuable, with those progressing directly to the round of 16 avoiding two more games being added to an already congested calendar. That is perhaps more important for clubs in highly-competitive leagues, and though the sample size is tiny, Paris Saint-Germain of course came through the play-off route on their way to continental success last season.
Thomas Frank hails ‘incredible’ achievement as Tottenham progress in Europe
10:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleThomas Frank hailed Tottenham’s “incredible” achievement after they put their poor domestic form behind them to secure a fourth-placed finish in the league phase of the Champions League.
For the second week in a row Spurs responded to a disappointing result against a relegation-threatened team in the Premier League to secure a 2-0 triumph in Europe over German opposition.
After Borussia Dortmund were put to the sword earlier this month to fire Tottenham into the driving seat for a top-eight finish, a dominant display was produced to get the better of Eintracht Frankfurt, with Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke on target.
Thomas Frank hails ‘incredible’ achievement as Tottenham progress in Europe
Cole Palmer hailed as ‘magnificent’ after Chelsea bounce back to reach last 16
10:05 , Harry Latham-CoyleChelsea head coach Liam Rosenior said he expects to see the best of a “fully fit” Cole Palmer after his two assists against Napoli secured a Champions League last-16 place.
Palmer came off the bench at half-time and set up Joao Pedro for a brace which turned the match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on its head and gave the Blues a 3-2 victory to bypass February’s play-off round.
Cole Palmer hailed as ‘magnificent’ after Chelsea bounce back to reach last 16
Bernardo Silva blends Manchester City past and present to raise one Pep Guardiola question
09:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt feels as if Pep Guardiola’s time as the prevailing tactician in the European game may be at end, with even Manchester City seeming to have evolved beyond his methods in the last couple of season. But is the Catalan coach more flexible than some might suggest? With the help of Bernardo Silva, Richard Jolly makes the case....
Silva’s blend of Manchester City past and present raises one Guardiola question
Pep Guardiola and Man City are through to the last-16 – but they have Jose Mourinho to thank
09:45 , Harry Latham-CoyleRichard Jolly, meanwhile, watched Manchester City as an old foe helped Pep Guardiola out.
Pep Guardiola and Man City are through to the last-16 – thanks to Jose Mourinho
Liverpool hit Qarabag for six as Arne Slot uses Champions League triumph to drown out noise
09:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleAlso finding the continental campaign a welcome distraction from problems in the Premier League this week was Arne Slot, with Liverpool trashing Qarabag. Chris McKenna was there:
Liverpool hit Qarabag for six as Slot uses European triumph to drown out noise
Arsenal, Mikel Arteta and the ‘fear of failure’ they are trying to banish
09:25 , Harry Latham-CoyleTop of the pops after a perfect Champions League campaign were Arsenal, winning again despite a few questions around their mentality after defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. Mikel Arteta is trying to change his side’s mindset, though, as Miguel Delaney writes:
Arsenal, Mikel Arteta and the ‘fear of failure’ they are trying to banish
Jose Mourinho’s magic moment brings needed drama to otherwise predictable Champions League event
09:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt felt like we had to wait a long while to actually get to the final league phase matchday - and it didn’t necessarily immediately deliver the drama that Uefa promised when they revamped the Champions League last season, with a cluttered and complicated competition somewhat tough to follow.
That was, however, until a Benfica goalkeeper scored a crucial 98th-minute header - although Miguel Delaney wonders if a magic moment like that is actually worth everything else...
Mourinho’s moment brings drama to otherwise predictable Champions League event
What will the Round of 16 ties look like?
09:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleSo we actually have a fair idea of what is to come in the next couple of rounds of the competition. The draw for the round of 16 will not be made until late February but those already through can be certain that they will be facing one of four clubs.
Here are the combinations:
Will play Barcelona or Chelsea:
- Monaco or Qarabag v PSG or Newcastle
Will play Liverpool or Tottenham:
- Club Brugge or Galatasaray v Juventus or Atletico Madrid
Will play Sporting or Manchester City:
- Bodo/Glimt or Benfica v Real Madrid or Inter Milan
Will play Arsenal or Bayern Munich:
- Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos v Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen
How will the draw work?
08:50 , Jack RathbornThe clubs are paired together in relation to their league phase positions, forming four seeded pairs: positions 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, and 15 and 16. There will be four unseeded pairs: positions 17 and 18, 19 and 20, 21 and 22, and 23 and 24).
Clubs in each seeded pair will draw a tie against an unseeded pair: clubs 9 or 10 against clubs 23 or 24, clubs 11 or 12 against clubs 21 or 22, clubs 13 or 14 against clubs 19 or 20, and clubs 15 or 16 against clubs 17 or 18.
Teams from the same national association, or teams that have already met in the league phase, can all play against each other in the knockout phase play-offs.
Which teams are in the draw?
08:45 , Jack RathbornThere are 16 teams in the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw, including defending champions PSG - who were forced to go through this stage on the path to glory last years - as well as record competition winners Real Madrid.
With the number representing their finish in the league phase, the following teams are seeded:
9. Real Madrid (Spain)
10. Inter Milan (Italy)
11. Paris St. Germain (France)
12. Newcastle United (England)
13. Juventus (Italy)
14. Atletico Madrid (Spain)
15. Atalanta (Italy)
16. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
The remaining teams are unseeded:
17. Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
18. Olympiacos (Greece)
19. Club Brugge (Belgium)
20. Galatasaray (Turkey)
21. AS Monaco (France)
22. Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
23. Bodo/Glimt (Norway)
24. Benfica (Portugal)
Champions League draw live
08:32 , Harry Latham-CoyleAfter a chaotic end to the league phase, the remaining Champions League clubs will find out their fate today as the draw for the knockout play-offs is made. Eight ties will be drawn for the 16 teams battling to progress to the round of 16, where five Premier League already dwell.
Who will join them? The balls may tell us plenty with proceedings underway at 11am GMT.
