For the first time, a football federation has produced five teams in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
At the conclusion of the 2025/26 group phase of Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday, English Premier League (EPL) sides Arsenal, current champions Liverpool, FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea, Manchester City and UEFA Europa League title holders Tottenham confirmed their places in the Round of 16.
Also through to the first knockout phase are Barcelona (Spain), German champions Bayern München and Sporting CP (Portugal).
Arsenal also made history by winning all eight matches in the group phase, concluding with 3-2 win over Kazakhstan Premier League champions, FC Kairat Almaty, who finished bottom of the 36-team table.
Arsenal are also the leaders in this season’s EPL aiming to win their first title since the 2003/04 season.
Another EPL team, Newcastle are among 16 teams who will have to go through the playoffs to get into the Round of 16. The others include: defending champions PSG (France), record title holders Real Madrid, last season’s finalists Internazionale Milano, Juventus, Atalanta (all Italy), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen (both Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey), Club Brugge (Belgium), Olympiacos (Greece), AS Monaco, Marseille (both France), Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan), Bodø/Glimt (Norway) and Benfica (Portugal),
The draw for the playoffs will hold on Friday with the two-legged games fixed for 17 and 18 February, and 24 and 25 February, while the Round of 16 fixtures come up in March.
