To UCL KnockOut: RM dropped out of the top 8; Barca, City, Sporting CP advanced

The league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League concluded, with all qualification outcomes officially confirmed.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich, who had already secured advancement prior to the final matchday, both won their last games, locking in top-two finishes—Arsenal notably advanced with a perfect record.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur also claimed victories this round, both qualifying directly for the knockout stage as top-eight finishers.

Real Madrid, who had been third after the previous round, surprisingly lost to Benfica and ultimately dropped to ninth place, relegating them to the knockout play-offs; Benfica, meanwhile, clinched a dramatic 24th-place finish with this win, narrowly squeezing into the play-offs.

Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United, both previously in the top eight after the prior round, drew their match this round and consequently fell into the knockout play-offs together.

Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, and Manchester City—all part of the large group of teams tied on 13 points—each won their final matches and successfully broke into the top eight, advancing directly to the Round of 16.

Inter Milan defeated Borussia Dortmund on the road, but their earlier three-match losing streak proved too deep to overcome, leaving them in 10th place and forcing them into the knockout play-offs.

Napoli lost at home to Chelsea in the final round and finished 30th, resulting in the Serie A defending champions being eliminated outright.

UEFA Champions League League Phase Qualification Summary

Direct Qualification to Knockout Stage

Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Manchester City

Knockout Play-off Seeded Teams

Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen

Knockout Play-off Unseeded Teams

Borussia Dortmund, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabağ, Bodø/Glimt, Benfica

Eliminated

Marseille, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Bilbao, Napoli, Copenhagen, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Kairat Almaty