Champions League 2025-26: Who is advancing as knockout rounds begin?

The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League is heading into its knockout stages.

The UCL's opening "league phase" wrapped up on Wednesday, Jan, 28. 36 teams entered; after eight matches, the top eight teams qualified directly for the knockout Round of 16. 

The next-best 16 qualified for a two-legged playoff round, the eight winners of which will advance to the Round of 16 as well. 

The last-placed 12 teams, unfortunately, were eliminated from the UCL altogether.

Here's a breakdown of which teams fell into each category as the UCL league phase came to a close:

Moving directly to the Round of 16

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Manchester City

Sporting Lisbon is the real success story here: it quietly beat the likes of Athletic Club, Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain to earn its spot in the Round of 16. Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City have struggled for consistency in the Premier League, but they were near flawless in the UCL, and their dominance here shows just how strong the Premier League has become relative to its European benchmarks.

One team, though, actually was flawless: Arsenal. It racked up eight wins from eight matches and finished the league phase with a frankly staggering goal difference of +19. No one else in the competition came close to touching it.

Moving on to a two-legged playoff to qualify for the Round of 16

Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Leverkusen, Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica

Jose Mourinho's Benfica is the true dazzler of this group. It snatched the 24th and final spot in the UCL table on Matchday 8 thanks to a last-minute goal from its goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. That's right, its goalkeeper: in a desperate bid to score, Mourinho asked Trubin to charge up the field and participate in a Benfica set piece, and Trubin only went and scored it.