Defending champions Real Madrid face the team they replaced as holders, Man City, following the draw for the playoff stage of the Champions League in Switzerland.
Spanish giants Real Madrid have been drawn against English champions Manchester City, pitting the last two winners of the Champions League against each other in a blockbuster two-leg playoff following the draw for the next round.
The defending champions from Spain struggled in their early stages of this season’s competition finishing in 11th after Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Brest. City, who beat Inter Milan in the final the year before, had to come from behind to beat Club Brugge on the final day of the League Phase to secure their passage to the knockouts in 22nd place.
Teams that finished ninth to 24th are competing in the playoffs to advance to the last 16. The draw, which was made in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday, begins the knockout phase of the competition. The sides of the draw were already pre-determined for all the teams still in the tournament following Wednesday’s completion of the 36-team table, which was topped by Liverpool with Barcelona in second spot.
The knockout phase play-offs are set ✅#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/9KWMSgQWoD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 31, 2025
The pairings for the last 16, the stage that follows the playoffs, pits Premier League leaders Liverpool and Barca, who are currently third in the Spanish top flight, on the same side of the draw as the winners of the ties between the all-French contest between Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain, and Monaco vs Benfica.
Bayern Munich were the other team that Manchester City could have been drawn against, but the German champions now face Celtic in the next round. They remain in the same pairing with City and Real Madrid, though, and Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen await the winners of those ties.
Al Jazeera has broken down the key information for the remainder of the competition with the draw in full for the playoffs as well as a look at the key dates.
The Champions League Playoff draw in full:
- Club Brugge (Belgium) vs Atalanta (Italy)
- Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Manchester City (England) vs Real Madrid (Spain)
- Celtic (Scotland) vs Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Juventus (Italy) vs PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
- Feyenoord (Netherlands) vs AC Milan (Italy)
- Brest (France) vs Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Monaco (France) vs Benfica (Portugal)
Do the seeded teams have any advantage?
The teams that finished ninth to 16th in the League Phase of the Champions League will be away from home for the first leg of their playoffs, meaning they have home advantage for the return leg.
The road to Munich mapped out 🏆#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/BbVxl80dhD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 31, 2025
Who were the seeded teams?
Seeded pairings: Atalanta & Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid & Bayern Munich, AC Milan & PSV, Paris Saint-Germain & Benfica.
Unseeded pairings: Monaco & Brest, Feyenoord & Juventus, Celtic & Manchester City, Sporting & Club Brugge.
How do the knockout stages work?
The playoffs comprise the teams that finished 9-24th, with four seeded pairs and four unseeded pairs. This forms the path to the last 16 and then through to the final itself.
What are the dates for the remaining stages?
Knockout round playoff: February 11-12 and 18-19, 2025
Round of 16: March 4-5 and 11-12, 2025
Quarterfinals: April 8-9 and 15-16, 2025
Semifinals: April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2025
Final: May 31, 2025
On the road to Munich 🏆#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/jarRxWHuMv
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 31, 2025
What are the key dates for the playoff matches?
We have to wait for the ties to now be broken down by UEFA across the available slots in February and March.
Where will the Champions League final be held?
The 67,000-capacity Munich Football Arena, home of German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, will host the final in May.
What’s the Champions League prize money?
The financial rewards in the Champions League are greater than before, with the total pot rising by about 25 percent to almost 2.5 billion euros ($2.6bn).
The winners can pocket more than 86 million euros ($89m) in prize money.
