The UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal draws took place on Friday as Europe’s leading soccer competition takes its final form for this season. The top eight teams from the league phase led by Liverpool and Barcelona qualified automatically for the round of 16 while eight teams have emerged from the knockout round playoffs which are part of this year’s new format. The tournament is now in bracket format from the knockout round playoffs with round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal draws predefined via a pairings system determined by the teams’ final league positions.
Champions League round of 16 matchups
- Aston Villa vs. Club Brugge
- Lille vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen vs. Bayern Munich
- Arsenal vs. PSV
- Inter vs. Feyenoord
- Liverpool vs. PSG
- Barcelona vs. Benfica
Bracket
What about the quarterfinal, semifinal and final draws?
Because the bracket means that all potential opponents will now be known, it is a question of working out the order of the games and playing at home first. This will happen for the quarterfinal and semifinals one side of the bracket nominated as the potential home side for the final in Munich. As a reminder, teams from the same country can face each other in the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals as well as repeat opponents from earlier in the competition.
Quarterfinals possible matchups
- PSG/Liverpool vs. Club Brugge/Aston Villa
- Real Madrid/Atletico Madrid vs. PSV/Arsenal
- Benfica/ FC Barcelona vs. BVB/Lille
- Bayern Munich/Bayer Leverkusen vs. Feyenoord/Inter
Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal game dates
- Round of 16: March 4-5 and 11-12
- Quarterfinals: April 8-9 and 15-16
- Semifinals: April 29-30 and May 6-7
- Final: May 31 (in Munich)
Round of 16 draw explainer
Clubs are paired based on their league phase positions to create four seeded pairings (first and second place, third and fourth place, fifth and sixth place, seventh and eighth place). Each seeded pair is drawn into one of two round-of-16 positions against the knockout phase playoff winners with those positions determined by the playoff draw. The draw will allocate the side of the bracket for each seeded side starting with the seventh and eighth teams and finishing with the first and second. One team from each seeded pair is drawn and placed on their reserved spot with the other team automatically taking the other reserved spot
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