Champions League Knockout Stage Set: All 2025-26 Qualifiers Revealed
Numerous clubs participating in this Champions League campaign are perfectly content with merely reaching the league stage.
Kairat Almaty, for example, can derive immense satisfaction from advancing to this phase for the first time in their club's existence—despite their adversaries potentially resenting the need to journey further eastward than previously required.
However, for Europe's powerhouse teams, the league stage represents merely an obstacle to overcome with minimal complications before the genuine competition commences in the elimination rounds—or at least, that's their preferred perspective. Nevertheless, as clubs like Ajax, Benfica and Chelsea have learned, no matches are straightforward at this continental level.
With the league stage approaching its thrilling conclusion, where all 18 fixtures on the eighth and final matchday occur simultaneously, several teams have already secured their spots in the knockout phase.
The leading 24 clubs from the 36-team league table progress further, with the top eight automatically advancing to the round of 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th must first compete in two-legged playoff matches before facing the top eight qualifiers.
Here's the current situation.
Every Team Guaranteed to Play in the Champions League Knockout Rounds
Arsenal successfully clinched a position within the table's top 24 after merely five encounters. The Gunners achieved a flawless campaign start, maintaining a clean sheet until Bayern Munich visited the Emirates in November. Lennart Karl breached that previously solid defense, yet Mikel Arteta's squad still emerged as convincing 3–1 victors.
Before even completing their sixth league phase match, results from Tuesday, Dec. 9 fixtures confirmed that Arsenal remained untouchable by teams outside the top 24. Securing a top-eight position would require minimal additional effort, though this hasn't been officially confirmed yet.
Bayern will likewise advance to the knockout stage alongside Arsenal. Vincent Kompany's Bundesliga titleholders may have felt disappointed following their north London loss, but they recovered to claim a 3–1 victory against Sporting CP, reaching 15 points from six matches—matching their total from the first eight games of last season's Champions League run.
Every Team Qualified for Champions League Round of 16
No team has conclusively guaranteed their round of 16 berth—at this point. If Arsenal overcomes Club Brugge and reaches 18 points, they might mathematically confirm a top-eight placement based on that evening's other outcomes.
Considerable attention has focused on how Liverpool demonstrated that topping the league phase standings offers no success guarantee—Arne Slot's team notably led the table before suffering elimination in the last 16.
Nevertheless, the Reds have also illustrated that additional elements contributed to their downfall beyond losing to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain through penalty kicks. Actually, except for PSG, last season's Champions League semifinalists all finished within the league phase table's top four positions.
Every Club Already Eliminated From the Champions League
Currently, no team has completely lost hope in the competition.
Ajax remains the sole club without any points after five matches, yet could still theoretically climb into the top 24 by winning their final three games. Obviously, this scenario appears improbable.
The struggling Dutch powerhouse, however, cannot secure a top-eight position and automatic round of 16 qualification under any circumstances. This identical situation applies to Kairat, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, Slavia Prague, Eintracht Frankfurt and even Olympiacos, who have collected five points from six encounters.