Sports
How teams can qualify for 2025-26 Champions League knockouts
The league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League has brought plenty of thrills and incredible goals, but the knockout rounds are fast approaching. We’re less than one week away from knowing which 24 teams will advance for a shot at European glory.
But first, the final matchweek of the league phase must be played, and the stakes could hardly be higher for some of the continent’s biggest clubs. Liverpool, Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are all competing for top-eight spots, which would send them straight to the round of 16. Manchester City also find themselves among that group, having suffered a shocking 3-1 loss to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.
The games will all take place Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. ET for what promises to be two hours of pure chaos. Every goal could make a huge difference in determining who moves on and whose European dreams come to a swift, untimely end.
As a reminder, the teams that finish first through eighth get to skip the knockout playoff round. The clubs that place ninth through 24th will go head-to-head in that round in February, and those in 25th to 36th are eliminated. And just like last year, no teams will drop into the Europa League from the Champions League.
Which teams are still in the running for the knockout rounds? What’s at stake for every club? Here’s everything you need to know before the final matchweek of the league phase.
Who is already through to the knockout rounds?
Round of 16 (2):
Arsenal are guaranteed to finish first or second, and thus take a top seeding position in the bracket.
Bayern Munich sealed their round-of-16 spot with a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday.
Guaranteed at least a place in the knockout playoff round (13):
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Tottenham, PSG, Newcastle, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting CP, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter, Juventus
Will make knockout rounds or be eliminated (17):
Borussia Dortmund, Galatasaray, Qarabag, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, AS Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Club, Olympiacos, Napoli, F.C. København, Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, Ajax
Out (4):
Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Kairat Almaty
The battle to go through: How teams can qualify
We’re set for a thrilling final matchweek, as both the top-eight and top-24 races will go down to the wire. At the top, only Arsenal and Bayern can feel fully secure with their positions in the table, while 32 out of 36 teams could still make the knockout rounds.
(Each team below is listed with its opponent in the final matchweek on Jan. 28.)
1. Arsenal (21 points, plus-18 goal difference)
Kairat Almaty (Home)
The Gunners are through and certain to finish in the top two. That ensures they will have the advantage of playing the second leg of each tie at home until the final.
2. Bayern Munich (18, plus-13)
PSV Eindhoven (Away)
Bayern have guaranteed their place in the round of 16 and will secure a top-two spot with a draw or win against PSV. That would ensure the Bavarians avoid Arsenal until the final, if both teams make it that far.
3. Real Madrid (15, plus-11)
Benfica (A)
4. Liverpool (15, plus-6)
Qarabag (H)
The two powerhouses are in similar positions — win in the final matchweek, and passage to the round of 16 awaits. However, while a draw against Benfica would almost certainly send Real Madrid through to the round of 16, Liverpool’s inferior goal differential places them in slightly greater jeopardy if they don’t take all three points at Anfield against Qarabag.
5. Tottenham Hotspur (14, plus-8)
Eintracht Frankfurt (A)
While Spurs’ Premier League campaign has seen its fair share of struggles, they are in a good spot in Europe. A win against Frankfurt would guarantee a round-of-16 spot, and a draw could do the same if Thomas Frank’s club receives help from elsewhere.
6. Paris Saint-Germain (13, plus-10)
Newcastle (H)
7. Newcastle United (13, plus-10)
Paris Saint-Germain (A)
8. Chelsea (13, plus-6)
Napoli (A)
9. Barcelona (13, plus-5)
FC København (H)
10. Sporting CP (13, plus-5)
Athletic Club (A)
11. Manchester City (13, plus-4)
Galatasaray (H)
12. Atletico Madrid (13, plus-3)
Bodo/Glimt (H)
13. Atalanta (13, plus-1)
Union Saint-Gilloise (A)
Here’s where things get a little wild. Six automatic spots in the round of 16 remain up for grabs, and all of these clubs are firmly in the running. Real Madrid, Liverpool and/or Spurs dropping points in their matches would be a boon for these clubs in increasing the chances that a win could land them in the top eight.
Goal differential could play a huge role in determining who gets one of those places, and it’s possible that further tiebreakers will be needed. The next ones, for reference, are goals scored and away goals scored. (Scroll down for the full tiebreaker list.)
In particular, PSG vs. Newcastle promises to be a must-see match. While both sides could make it to the round of 16 with a draw, neither would feel comfortable with that, and their solid goal differential means that a win is highly likely to send them through.
One thing that’s for certain: No matter what happens elsewhere, the three teams in this grouping that win their final match and end up with the most points and best goal differential will advance to the round of 16.
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14. Internazionale (12, plus-6)
Borussia Dortmund (H)
15. Juventus (12, plus-4)
Benfica (H)
This pair of Italian clubs also has an outside shot of earning passage to the round of 16. In all likelihood, they’d need to win their final match. That would put them on 15 points, so they’d need (for example) six of the eight clubs currently with 13 points to draw or lose their final match.
Inter’s relatively strong goal differential of plus-6 — equal to or better than seven of the 13 clubs above them in the table — puts them in decent position for any tiebreakers.
At the very least, the clubs know they’ve made it out of the league phase.
16. Borussia Dortmund (11, plus-4)
Internazionale (A)
17. Galatasaray (10, even)
Man City (A)
18. Qarabag (10, minus-2)
Liverpool (A)
These teams are all technically still in the running for the round of 16, but their attention (especially Galatasaray’s and Qarabag’s) will most likely be directed toward those below them. Dortmund must win or draw to guarantee that they’ll make the knockout rounds, while Galatasaray and Qarabag must notch wins against top-tier competition. It would still take a lot of results going against them to miss the knockouts, but a blowout loss could have them nervously checking scores as full time approaches.
19. Marseille (9, even)
Club Brugge (A)
20. Bayer Leverkusen (9, minus-4)
Villarreal (H)
21. AS Monaco (9, minus-6)
Juventus (H)
Sometimes the task is simple: Win your final match, and you advance to the knockout rounds. So it is for these three clubs, and though a draw might still get the job done, it would give the six clubs directly beneath them in the table reason to hope.
Dropped points could be particularly disastrous for Monaco. Five of the six clubs beneath them with seven or eight points have superior goal differentials.
22. PSV Eindhoven (8, plus-1)
Bayern Munich (H)
23. Athletic Club (8, minus-4)
Sporting CP (H)
24. Olympiacos (8, minus-5)
Ajax (A)
25. Napoli (8, minus-5)
Chelsea (H)
26. FC København (8, minus-6)
Barcelona (A)
27. Club Brugge (7, minus-5)
Marseille (H)
At the heart of the top-24 race, the second tiebreaker (goals scored) currently separates Olympiacos and Napoli on the dividing line.
The specific matchups go a long way to determining how these teams will feel about their chances of qualifying. Olympiacos, for example, are surely glad to see Ajax (currently 32nd in the table) on their fixture list. Meanwhile, PSV, Napoli and København will have monumental tasks ahead of them if they want to seal a place, facing off with some of the biggest teams in Europe.
Winning their final matches would do any of these teams a world of good, although nothing can be guaranteed independent of other results.
28. Bodo/Glimt (6, minus-2)
Atletico Madrid (A)
29. Benfica (6, minus-4)
Real Madrid (H)
30. Pafos (6, minus-6)
Slavia Prague (H)
31. Union Saint-Gilloise (6, minus-10)
Atalanta (H)
32. Ajax (6, minus-12)
Olympiacos (A)
It’s win and hope for these teams currently on the outside looking in. Anything less, and their European campaigns will come to an end.
33. Eintracht Frankfurt (4, minus-9)
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
34. Slavia Prague (3, minus-11)
Pafos (A)
35. Villarreal (1, minus-10)
Bayer Leverkusen (A)
36. Kairat Almaty (1, minus-14)
Arsenal (A)
The bottom four clubs have been eliminated.
What are the league phase tiebreakers?
1 – Goal difference
2 – Goals scored
3 – Away goals scored
4 – Wins
5 – Away wins
6 – Higher number of total points collected by league phase opponents
7 – Higher goal difference attained of league phase opponents
8 – Higher goals scored by league phase opponents
9 – Disciplinary points
10 – UEFA club coefficient
Does it matter where you finish in the table?
Potentially, because the league-phase placements shape the knockout round bracket.
The “seeding” system introduced for 2024-25 means the highest-placed teams won’t face each other until the late stages of the knockout rounds.
Last season provided a notable example of how the new system can make a huge impact. Manchester City didn’t qualify for the knockouts until the final day of the league phase, and their 22nd-place finish meant they had to compete in the knockout round playoffs. That set them on a collision course with Real Madrid, who won 6-3 over two legs. However, PSG seemed unaffected by the extra round of matches, rolling past Brest in the playoffs and all the way to the title.
The graphic below shows how the final table affects the bracket.
When is the draw for the knockout round playoffs?
The draw for the knockout round playoffs — featuring the clubs that finish ninth to 24th — will take place Jan. 30 at 6 a.m. ET.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution” after the government denied permission to the national side for a match against India in T20 World Cup 2026.
In a statement, the cricket governing body noted the government’s statement, in which it said that Pakistan would play the tournament but skip their game against India.
“While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” the ICC said.
The cricket-governing body added that such “selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions” built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness.
The ICC said that it respected the roles of governments in matters of national policy, however, it added that the decision was not “in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan”.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” the ICC stated.
The cricket-governing body asserted that its priority remained the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, saying it should also be the responsibility of all its members including the PCB.
The statement follows Pakistan’s announcement that its team would participate in the tournament but would boycott the match against arch-rival India.
The decision came following a meeting between PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026,” the government said in a post on X.
“…however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.”
Kansas shooting guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa loom as the projected top two picks in the upcoming NBA draft. They are the precocious cream of what projects to be one of the best NBA drafts — particularly in the top 10 — in the past generation.
Who will be No. 1? ESPN polled 20 NBA scouts and executives to get an early vibe, and the results indicate that there will be a rigorous debate right up to June’s draft.
Peterson received 12 votes and Dybantsa eight for the top spot. With No. 13 BYU visiting No. 14 Kansas on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), it will mark the first collegiate matchup between the two stars.
“It’s Darryn Peterson for me,” a veteran scout told ESPN. “He makes things look so effortless, it’s unbelievable. His shotmaking is unmatched. He’s the closest thing to Kobe Bryant I’ve seen since Kobe in terms of shotmaking and ability to create his own shot. He’s not the same athlete as Kobe, but no one is. He’s really special.”
Few of the scouts and executives polled indicated the choice was easy.
“It’s so close,” a veteran NBA executive told ESPN. “I’m saying 51% to 49%, just barely. I just feel like there’s a little bit more potential with AJ Dybantsa as a player who makes others better. But if you call me on March 1, I could tell you that I changed my mind.”
The NBA is descending on Lawrence, Kansas, this weekend for some additional empirical evidence.
At least 32 NBA front office personnel from 17 teams are attending the game, with seven general managers/decision-makers expected to be among them. (Also slated to attend is Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler.)
Some teams are sending multiple scouts and executives, including a majority of the front office staffs of both the Hawks (five attendees) and Indiana Pacers (six attendees). Both the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards are sending three reps.
Multiple NBA sources told ESPN that they are eager to see how Peterson looks after missing a game against Kansas State last Saturday with an ankle sprain. Kansas coach Bill Self has said he anticipates Peterson to play, and the injury has not been considered long term.
Peterson missed nine games over two separate stretches earlier in the season with a hamstring issue. With the ankle injury costing him a game, it means that he has missed half of Kansas’ games this season. He has also been managing a cramping issue.
“I don’t like the drama of playing and not playing,” said one scout, who chose Peterson as his No. 1 pick. “But he’s a scoring menace. He’s just a killer offensively.”
Dybantsa is listed at 6-foot-9 and 210 pounds. Peterson is 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. It’s uncertain if they will often match up directly with each other on the floor Saturday, but they will certainly be compared and debated in the upcoming months.
The core of the debate comes to Peterson’s rare offensive upside against Dybantsa having more athleticism and two-way upside. Multiple scouts and executives mentioned having both Duke‘s Cam Boozer and North Carolina‘s Caleb Wilson in the conversation about the top pick, but none picked those players as their preference for No. 1.
One scout summed up his Dybantsa pick this way: “He’s the only one who has a chance to be elite on both ends.”
Another said about Peterson: “I think he can be a championship-level shot creator in the NBA.”
Peterson is averaging 21.6 points per game in 27.2 minutes. He is also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists and shooting an impressive 42% from 3-point range.
Dybantsa is scoring 23.6 points per game, snags 6.7 rebounds and dishes 3.6 assists. He has played in all 20 of BYU’s games and is shooting 31.8% from 3-point range.
No one is debating the talent at the top of this draft, as college basketball is having a freshman renaissance this season. This draft is both elite at the top and deep, with freshman stars such as Houston‘s Kingston Flemings, Louisville‘s Mikel Brown Jr., Tennessee‘s Nate Ament, Arkansas‘ Darius Acuff Jr., Arizona‘s Koa Peat, UConn‘s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Illinois‘ Keaton Wagler giving the sport an adrenaline shot of young talent.
“It is extra deep with high-end talent,” said a veteran scout. “This draft will hold up historically as one of the better ones in the last 20 years.”
Pakistan have achieved a series whitewash against Australia by winning the third T20 match with a huge margin of 111 runs.
After winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bat first and posted 207 runs.
In response, the Australian team was bowled out for just 96 runs. Mohammad Nawaz delivered a career-best bowling performance, taking five wickets for only 18 runs.
Babar Azam scored his 38th T20 international fifty in the match, remaining unbeaten on 50. Shadab Khan contributed a quick 46 runs off 19 balls, while Saif Ayub scored a blistering 56 runs off 37 deliveries. Other notable performances with the bat included Khawaja Nafi with 21 runs.
As said by Pakistan captain Salman Agha, Pakistan made three changes to the team. Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafi and Shaheen Afridi were included in the final XI, while Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq were left out.
In the previous match, Pakistan secured a comprehensive 90-run victory over Australia to take a 2-0 lead.
In the whole series, Australia’s bowling attack struggled to contain Pakistan’s middle order, despite wickets shared among the bowlers.
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