The 2024/25 Champions League group stage has concluded. The Premier League’s Liverpool ended the season leading the 36-team standings. Those teams go straight through to the Round of 16.
Because of the competition’s new design, a two-legged playoff will decide which teams ranked 9th to 24th in the league phase (including Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester City) advance to the Round of 16.
Playoff seeding will be determined by league phase ranking, specifically for teams finishing between ninth and 16th. Their opponents will be an unseeded team ranked 17th to 24th, enjoying a home advantage in the second leg.
To maintain fairness, all eight Match Day fixtures (18 games total) happened concurrently on Wednesday, and officials have since conducted the knockout stage draw. Which team will Real Madrid, the reigning champions, play? What team will Pep Guardiola’s team face? We should find out.
Real Madrid and Manchester City, the reigning champions, will clash in what could be the tournament’s final, with one team set to exit at the playoff stage. The winning team will then play either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid.
The team winning the Celtic-Bayern Munich playoff will face either Xabi Alonso or Diego Simeone. Elsewhere, in Round 16, Arsenal or Inter Milan will play the winner among Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, and AC Milan.

A two-legged playoff will see Thiago Motta’s Juventus face PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord challenge AC Milan for a last-16 berth.
Club Brugge will host Atalanta, and Sporting CP, after defeating Guardiola’s team 4-1, will play Borussia Dortmund. In Round 16, the winners of both ties will play either Aston Villa or Lille.
PSG and Stade Brestois, both Ligue 1 teams, will meet in the playoffs; the victor will then play either Liverpool or Barcelona, considered the competition’s most vigorous. Benfica and Monaco will clash in the final playoff.