The competitive phase of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League season is coming to an end with 18 matches starting simultaneously on Wednesday (29 January in IST).
The top eight teams after the final matchday will qualify directly for the round of 16, while the teams ranked ninth through 24th will play two-legged play-offs to advance to the knockouts. The seeded teams (ninth to sixteenth) will play the second leg at home, according to the draw rules.
This is what the table looks like before matchday 8:
TEAMS QUALIFIED
Leaders Arsenal secured an immediate spot after winning all seven matches so far, ensuring they have home advantage in the second leg all the way to the possible semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are the only other club to book a place in the knockouts with six wins and a single defeat against the Gunners.
WHICH TEAMS CAN GET INSTANT QUALIFICATION FOR ROUND OF 16?
The following teams are ranked 3rd to 15th respectively and have reserved their spots for at least the play-off round: Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter Milan and Juventus.
Real Madrid and Liverpool have 15 points each, while Tottenham Hotspur are fifth on 14. All three teams can secure a place in the top eight if they manage to get all three points, with Real Madrid taking on Benfica, Liverpool taking on Qarabag FK and Tottenham traveling to Eintracht Frankfurt.
The next eight teams, from PSG to Atalanta, are all level on 13 points, with just a goal difference between them. Of these, only PSG and Newcastle face each other, with each team needing victory and superior goal difference to try and clinch the direct berth.
Meanwhile, Atalanta, Inter Milan and Juventus will also need wins and results from teams above them to go in their favor.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE STANDINGS 2025-26
If the teams are tied on points and goal difference, the following tie-breakers will be applied:
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1 – Goals scored
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2 – Away goals scored
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3 – Wins
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4 – Away wins
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5 – Higher total points collected by opponents in the competition phase
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6 – Superior collective goal difference of opponents in the league phase
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7 – Higher number of goals scored collectively by opponents in the league phase
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8 – Disciplinary points
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9 – Higher club coefficient
Published on January 28, 2026
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