The road to the 2026 final in Budapest is officially set as UEFA on Friday unveiled the Champions League round of 16 fixtures.
Chelsea will play holders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 in the knockout stages.
Similarly, Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the next phase of the competition.
Although six Premier League clubs have qualified for the last 16 there will be no all-English ties, with leaders Arsenal to face Bayer Leverkusen.
Newcastle United would take on Barcelona, Liverpool would meet Galatasaray and Tottenham have been drawn against Atletico Madrid.
The first legs will be played on 10 and 11 March, with the second legs to take place on 17 and 18 March.
Newcastle are at home for their first leg with Barca, while their Premier League rivals are all away.
The final will be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, 30 May.
Under the 2025/26 regulations, the seeded teams (those who finished in the top eight of the league phase) will have the advantage of hosting the decisive second leg. The first legs of the 2026 Champions League Round of 16 fixtures are scheduled for March 10–11, with the return legs following closely on March 17–18.
Beyond just the immediate matchups, UEFA has also mapped out the full bracket through to the final. This means teams like Arsenal and Bayern Munich already know their potential quarter-final and semi-final paths, adding an extra layer of strategic tension to the upcoming March clashes.
See below the draw for the last 16 of this season’s UEFA Champions League, made on Friday:
Real Madrid (ESP) v Manchester City (ENG)
Bodo/Glimt (NOR) v Sporting (POR)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Chelsea (ENG)
Newcastle United (ENG) v Barcelona (ESP)
Galatasaray (TUR) v Liverpool (ENG)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Arsenal (ENG)
– First legs to be played March 10/11; second legs March 17/18
Quarter-finals
PSG/Chelsea v Galatasaray/Liverpool
Real Madrid/Man City v Atalanta/Bayern Munich
Newcastle/Barcelona v Atletico Madrid/Tottenham
Bodo/Glimt/Sporting v Leverkusen/Arsenal
– To be played April 7/8 and April 14/15
Semi-finals
PSG/Chelsea/Galatasaray/Liverpool v Real Madrid/Man City/Atalanta/Bayern
Newcastle/Barcelona/Atletico/Tottenham v Bodo/Glimt/Sporting/Leverkusen/Arsenal
– To be played April 28/29 and May 5/6
