Uefa Champions League round of 16: Who qualify, who enta play-off, who comot, and what next?

Di last matches of di 2025/2026 Champions League first stage on Wednesday night throw up beta drama as all di 18 matches bin start di same time.

But di biggest upset of di night gatz be di match between Benfica and Real Madrid, wia Jose Mourinho show im former club say im still be di 'Special One'.

Benfica bin need to win dat game wit plenty goals and dat na exactly wetin dem do as dem sama Madrid 4-2, but di main drama come as Benfica goalkeeper Anatoly Trubin score di fourth goal for added time, and na dat single goal push dem into di last play-off position.

Dat loss mean say Madrid no enta di automatic qualification position as dem finish ninth for di UCL table; na only di first eight teams go qualify automatically for di round of 16.

Di oda match wey bin dey veri dramatic na Napoli versus Chelsea, wia di Blues wire dia former coach Antonio Conte and dia former striker Romelu Lukaku 3-2.

Chelsea bin first score for di game bifor Napoli equalise and take di lead 2-1, but two goals from Joao Pedro wey na Cole Palmer give am di assists, finish di match in favour of di English club.

In fact, Wednesday night na ogbonge advert for English football bicos out of di six English clubs wey dey for dis year Champions League, five of dem finish for top eight.

Arsenal finish for first place, Liverpool third, Tottenham fourth, Chelsea sixth and Manchester City eighth, na only one goal difference make Newcastle drop down to di play-off position as dem hold PSG to 1-1 draw for France.

If Newcastle later make am to di round of 16, e go be history bicos e neva hapun bifor say six English teams enta di knockout stage of di Champions League.

Which clubs qualify automatically?

Di automatic qualifiers for di UCL round of 16 na:

For finishing for di first two position, Arsenal and Bayern go get di priviledge of playing di second leg of all dia knockout matches for dia home stadiums.

Who enta play-offs and how di draw go be?

Di 16 teams wey finish from ninth position to 24th for di UCL table go face each oda for two-legged playoffs to determine who go join di automatic qualifiers for di round of 16.

Di teams na:

Di draws to find out who go play who go take place on Friday, 30 January 2026.

How di draws go hapun be say di teams wey finish from ninth to 16th go dey seeded, while 17th to 24th dey unseeded.

Di seeded teams go play against di unseeded teams. For example, 15th and 16th go face 17th and 18th.

Di seeded sides go play dia second leg for home.

Wetin next afta di play-offs?

Once di eight winners of di play-offs don emerge, dem go enta di round of 16 wia dem go meet di top eight finishers from di league phase.

From dis point, di competition go enta knockout format and each fixture go be two legs except di final.

All di rounds of di tournament go be by seeding; di teams wey finish for top eight go get advantage of playing dia second leg for home.

Teams wey finish first to fourth for di league phase go dey seeded for di quarter-finals and dem go get second leg home advantage.

Di first two teams for di league stage go also dey seeded for di semi-finals if dem reach am, meaning say dem go play di second leg of dia semi-final match for home.

Any seeded team wey no progress to di quarter or semi-finals, di team wey comot dem go inherit dia seeding position.