draw

The 2025/26 Champions League playoff round has now concluded, with the likes of Real Madrid, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Atletico Madrid booking their places in the last 16.

The remaining teams will discover their opponents and potential route to the final on Friday when UEFA holds the last 16 draw.

Here is everything you need to know about the timing, format and seeding of the draw, as well as the teams still vying for glory in European football’s largest club competition.

When will UEFA hold the draw?

The draw is set to take place at 11:00 GMT on Friday, February 27, 2026, in Nyon, Switzerland.

It will determine which teams play each other in the last 16, quarterfinals and semifinals.

How does the draw work?

The eight winners of the playoffs will face the teams that finished in the top eight of the league phase in a knockout format.

The draw will determine the potential path to the final, as every team will know their possible quarterfinal and semifinal opponents.

The last 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal fixtures will be played over two legs, while the final will be a single match.

Which teams have made it through to the last 16?

Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon, and Tottenham Hotspur had already made it through to the last 16 as top-eight league stage finishers.

Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid made it through the playoffs.

When will the last-16 ties be played?

The first legs of the last 16 ties will take place on March 10-11, with the second legs scheduled for March 17-18.

When are the quarterfinals, semifinals and final?

The quarterfinals will take place on April 7-8 and April 14-15.

The semifinals will be held on April 28-29 and May 5-6.

The Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, will host the final on May 30.

Who could the biggest teams play in the last 16?

Real Madrid will face either Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon. If Man City are not drawn against Madrid, they will face Bodo/Glimt.

Paris Saint-Germain will face either Barcelona or Chelsea. Barcelona could also end up facing Newcastle United.

Liverpool will face either Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray.

Arsenal or Bayern Munich will play Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen.

Who are the surprise packages?

Norway’s Bodo/Glimt, a tiny club based in the Arctic Circle, made it through to the last 16 after beating Inter Milan in the playoffs and humbling Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league stage.

Turkish champions Galatasaray also reached the last 16 following thrilling playoff games against Juventus. The Istanbul club beat Juve 5-2 at home, before falling to a 3-0 deficit in the second leg – only to win the tie with two extra-time goals.

How does seeding affect the draw?

Seeded teams – those that finished in the top eight of the league stage – will have the supposed advantage of playing their second last 16 legs at home.

Where teams are placed in the league stage will also affect the seeding for subsequent rounds.

The teams that finished in the top four of the league stage – Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Tottenham – would be given home advantage for the second legs of their quarterfinals, should they reach that stage.

As number one and two finishers in the league stage, Arsenal and Bayern would get the advantage of playing their semifinal second legs at home, should they get that far in the tournament.

If a seeded team does not reach the quarterfinal or semifinal stages, the team that knocks them out will gain their seeding.

Can teams from the same country play each other?

Yes, teams from the same country can play each other in the knockout rounds.

Clubs can also face sides they have already played against during the league phase.

Beirut, Lebanon – Anger in Lebanon is growing after the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced increases in petrol taxes and value-added taxes (VATs) last week.

The rises in what economists and analysts have called “regressive” taxes led to two protests on February 17 and an array of criticism against the government, including from media and voices that had previously been friendly to Salam’s reformist administration.

“The government lost its mind,” Megaphone News, an independent, progressive news outlet published on a social media account in response to Salam’s government announcing a 300,000 Lebanese pound ($3.35) price increase on 20 litres (about 5.3 gallons) of petrol or gasoline and a one percent increase from 11 to 12 percent on VAT – a consumption tax charged on goods and services at each stage of production.

On the morning of February 17, a handful of taxi drivers blocked the Ring Bridge in downtown Beirut to protest the rise in taxes. Later that evening, in Riad al-Solh Square, around 50 or so protesters gathered to express their discontent with the government’s decision.

“You have no housing, you have no loans, you have no safety, I mean, you live here in a prison, brother,” one angry protester told Lebanese television station Al Jadeed from the Ring Bridge protest.

His comments represent the frustration felt by many Lebanese – that the tax increases are yet another indignity the population must live through, including near-daily Israeli attacks and violations of the 2024 ceasefire, collapsing buildings in the north, and an ongoing economic crisis since 2019.

Salam doubles down

The last time a tax spike sent Lebanese people to the streets was in 2019. Anger in Lebanon had boiled after decades of economic and political mismanagement by the government. Then, as the country’s economy started collapsing, the government tried to implement a series of taxes, including on WhatsApp calls.

The response was widespread protests that collapsed the government, led at the time by then-Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. But they failed to dislodge the wider sectarian system that many activists and experts say plagues Lebanon and prevents reform.

Last week’s protests were on a far smaller scale than 2019, however.

Then, protesters forced the government to walk back the taxes. But Salam, the prime minister, defended the tax hike on Friday. The government’s argument is that the taxes are necessary to pay salaries and pensions for state employees and retirees.

“We had to find a quick source to fund the raises,” he said. “These are exceptional measures… but the government wants to reform the tax system, not just impose new taxes.”

Salam also said that his government inherited a “very difficult” financial situation and promised that he would rebuild trust between the state and the people by working to establish a fair tax system.

Lebanon’s Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said the fuel price increase would take effect immediately, but that VAT increases would need parliament’s approval.

“More than 50 per cent of the budget today is allocated to salaries, and it was necessary to take steps to secure the funds,” he said.

VAT is a regressive tax

But not everyone agreed with the decision, including some ministers themselves. The right-wing Lebanese Forces bloc – which is part of the government coalition – voiced objection to the tax increase, calling for a study of the impacts.

Analysts, meanwhile, were heavily critical of the tax increase. They said that the rise of petrol prices and VAT would punish the country’s most vulnerable and would further widen the gap between rich and poor in Lebanon.

“The people who are most affected by value-added taxes are usually the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable, given the type of their consumption, which is mostly filled of the goods and the services that are affected by taxation, and whereby the proportion of the taxation is significant,” Farah al-Shami, senior fellow and programme director for Social Protection at the Arab Reform Initiative, told Al Jazeera. “VAT is by nature the most regressive type of taxation. Studies have shown that it affects the full supply chain, meaning everything that goes into the production, for example, of a certain good is affected.”

A price increase at every step of the supply chain means that prices compound to end up being more expensive for consumers.

In 2019, decades of government mismanagement of the economy ended in the collapse of the banking sector and the depreciation of the Lebanese pound by over 90 percent. Before 2019, $1 was equivalent to 1,500 Lebanese pounds, whereas now $1 is valued at nearly 89,500 Lebanese pounds.

Many lost their life savings with the currency freefall. Banks quickly shut their doors and limited withdrawals. More than six years later, many Lebanese have not recovered, nor has the economy.

Scandalous undertaxing

The high cost of living is a regular talking point among Lebanese, particularly in the capital, Beirut. Many are struggling to make ends meet and rely on the $5.8bn in remittances from family or contacts abroad (these are 2024 figures).

With so many struggling, a tax increase that impacts the entire population is a recipe for anger. And analysts said that if the government is in need of tax revenue, there are plenty of undertaxed sources to draw from.

“Property in Lebanon remains scandalously undertaxed,” Dania Arayssi, a senior analyst at New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy Luxury, told Al Jazeera. “Real estate in Beirut — some of the most expensive per square metre in the region — generates a fraction of the public revenue it could and should. Capital gains on property are minimal. Wealth held in land and assets is effectively sheltered. Similarly, luxury goods face no meaningful additional burden.”

Fouad Debs, a lawyer and member of the Depositors Union, a group founded after the 2019 banking crisis to protect the rights of depositors, said the decision went against the government’s stated goals of reform.

“All of this is to keep the [current] system intact and save the banks, instead of having them also pay the taxes that they should pay,” Debs said.

Nicolás Fernández scored on a penalty kick in the second half and New York City FC tied the Galaxy 1-1 in a season opener on Sunday before a sellout crowd of 30,510 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Newcomer João Klauss needed 90 seconds to win the hearts of Galaxy fans, scoring with assists from Marco Reus and Joseph Paintsil for a 1-0 lead. L.A. worked a cash-for-player trade with St. Louis City to acquire Klauss on a one-year deal, hoping he’ll ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season after complications from a torn ACL.

Los Angeles maintained the lead until Emiro Garces was sent off the field for a second yellow card, setting up a successful PK for Fernández that tied it in the 66th minute and left the Galaxy a man short. Fernández scored five goals in 19 appearances with L.A. last season.

Novak Micovic did not have a save in his 25th career start for the Galaxy — 20 of them coming last season when the 24-year-old allowed 37 goals.

Matt Freese, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, saved six shots for NYCFC — four in the first half. Freese had eight clean sheets in 31 starts last season on his way to the award.

NYCFC is coming off a loss to eventual MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference Final last season.

The Galaxy are hoping to rebound from a disastrous season that saw them endure a league-record 16-match winless streak — one year after beating the New York Red Bulls to win the MLS Cup.

After blowing a two-goal lead to draw against the Premier League’s bottom club Wolves, there will be no dodging the questions on whether Arsenal are mentally ready to end their 22-year wait to become champions.

For the first time really this season, the title race is not completely in the control of Mikel Arteta and his players.

If Manchester City – five points behind in second place – win all of their remaining 12 games, which includes a home meeting against Arsenal, they will finish first.

The same, though, can be said for the Gunners, who have 11 matches left – and they win the April encounter at Etihad Stadium.

But after dropping four crucial points in successive draws against Brentford and Wolves, they are in danger of being haunted by the ghost of past failures.

Three successive runners-up finishes, two of them to Pep Guardiola’s men, provide a constant reminder.

Former Arsenal forward Alan Smith admitted “that word bottle will be used quite a bit in the next few days”.

The scenario seemed a lot different when Piero Hincapie slotted home his first goal for the club in the 56th minute, adding to Bukayo Saka’s fifth-minute opener.

But the Gunners lacked the control and ruthlessness to finish off a Wolves side that had lost their nine previous meetings and are heading for the Championship.

The hosts showed remarkable spirit to fight back with Hugo Bueno’s 20-yard curler giving them hope. Then, in the fourth minute of added time, 19-year-old Tom Edozie – off the bench for his senior debut – pounced on a mix-up between Arsenal pair David Raya and Gabriel and his shot went in off Riccardo Calafiori for a dramatic, dreamy leveller.

Arsenal next face London derbies with Tottenham and Chelsea and they have worryingly started to wobble at a decisive stage in the season.

Arteta knows his side will come under fire and scrutiny.

“Any opinion you have to take it on the chin,” he said. “Any bullet, take it, because we didn’t perform at the level required.

“Anything anyone says can be right because we didn’t do what we had to do. The way to do it is on the pitch on Sunday [against Spurs].”

Wolves boss Rob Edwards said his side “knew there is a massive pressure” on Arsenal at the minute – and they capitalised on that.

The Gunners have not been performing at their best since the start of 2026 and won only two of their last seven league matches, with victories against Leeds and Sunderland.

Arteta added: “Certain basics we have to do, we did them so poorly, one after the other.

“It is better not to judge it. We are all too emotional about it. You have to take the hit because we deserve it. It is very easy with emotion to say things that can damage the team. Everyone wants to do their best.”

Only Crystal Palace and West Ham (both eight) have dropped more points from winning positions in the league in 2026 than Arsenal (seven) and the Gunners have now failed to win from a leading position in three of their last five league games.

This was also the first time in Premier League history that a side starting the day bottom of the table avoided defeat to the leaders, despite trailing by two or more goals.

“It feels like a pivotal moment, a vital one, maybe a turning point,” Smith added on Sky Sports.

“It’s in Manchester City‘s hands now. With their experience and Guardiola’s experience they will really fancy it now. They can almost feel the nerves of the Arsenal team watching that.

“Having been 2-0 up against the team rock bottom on nine points is just not good enough for the team hoping to win the title. It doesn’t bode well for Arsenal to be able to handle the pressure.”

League A

Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkey

Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece

Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czech Republic

Group A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales

League B

Group B1: Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia

Group B2: Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland

Group B3: Israel, Austria, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo

Group B4: Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden

League C

Group C1: Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino

Group C2: Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Gibraltar/Latvia*

Group C3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova

Group C4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg/Malta*

League D

Group D1: Gibraltar/Latvia, Luxembourg/Malta, Andorra

Group D2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

*Gibraltar and Latvia, and Luxembourg and Malta, will contest play-offs in March to determine who will play in Leagues C and D.