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EspañolThe initial phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League wrapped up this week with the last eight teams booking their spot in the knockout round.
Friday’s draw at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, will not only determine the matchups in the round of 16 but also the path that each team faces to reach the final on May 30 at Puskás Arena in Budapest.
Before the draw happens, we rank the remaining teams in the competition.
1. Arsenal
It’s impossible to look past the Premier League leaders, who finished the initial phase of the Champions League as the only team to go a perfect 8-0. Even more impressive was the fact the Gunners outscored their opponents by a 23-4 margin and that they never trailed in any of their matches. Manager Mikel Arteta’s side has to be considered the favourite to win it all at this point.
2. Bayern Munich
The German giants have barely put a foot wrong, winning seven of eight games to secure an automatic berth in the knockout stage. Their lone loss? Against Arsenal. Harry Kane’s eight goals accounted for almost a third of Bayern’s offence and have him sitting third in the goal-scoring race. Bayern’s next opponent is sure to have its hands full with the prolific English striker.
3. Liverpool
Liverpool finished third in the overall table by recording six wins, including decisions against Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. The Reds also recorded four clean sheets in their last five outings, so their next opponent is going to find it hard to break down Arne Slot’s squad.
4. FC Barcelona
Fermín López and Marcus Rashford combined for 10 goals during the initial phase, pacing Barcelona to fifth place and an automatic berth in the round of 16. With 22 goals, the Spanish side boasts one of the best attacking units in this competition — FC scored twice in seven of their eight games (10 goals in their previous three outings) and were shut out only once.
5. Sporting CP
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise package of the competition. The Portuguese outfit won five of its eight games and racked up more points than defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid to secure an automatic berth for the round of 16.
6. Tottenham
Spurs could just prove to be the top sleeper pick to win this year’s competition based on their overall performance. Six wins (just one loss) and an automatic berth in the knockout stage were secured on the basis of their defensive record — just seven goals against, tied for second-best.
7. Real Madrid
What would the knockout round be without the 15-time winners of this competition? Los blancos just missed out on automatic qualification by one spot and a single point and then dispatched Benfica in the playoffs to move on. Kylian Mbappé leads the tournament in scoring with 13 goals, which accounts for just over half of the La Liga club’s offensive output.
8. Paris Saint-Germain
The reigning champions were forced into the playoffs after finishing just outside of the top eight. But they still looked solid as they navigated their way through a tough schedule — seven of their eight games were against opponents who ended up advancing to the round of 16.
9. Chelsea
The Blues were a tough team to break down during the initial phase of the tournament, conceding just 10 goals across eight games. That allowed them to pick up five wins and secure one of the eight automatic berths for the round of 16. Especially impressive were their 3-0 home win over FC Barcelona and a 3-2 decision away to Napoli.
10. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s side claimed the eighth and final automatic berth for the knockout round with five wins during the initial stage. Erling Haaland is in fine form again — the Norwegian striker is one of top scorers in this year’s competition with seven goals. A 3-1 loss away to FK Bodø/Glimt was embarrassing, but the Blues also registered impressive wins over Real Madrid and Napoli.
11. Atalanta
Full credit to the Italians for overcoming a 2-0 loss away to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the playoffs by posting a comprehensive 4-1 win at home in the return match to advance. As the only Serie A club in the round of 16, manager Raffaele Palladino’s side will be keen to represent its country as it tries to become the first Italian team to win the competition in 16 years.
12. Newcastle United
Don’t sleep on the Magpies, even though they needed to qualify for the round of 16 through the playoffs, the Premier League outfit had one of the best defensive records during the initial phase with just seven goals conceded. They crushed Qarabağ FK in the playoffs (9-3 on aggregate), so tougher challenges are ahead.
13. Atlético Madrid
Los Rojiblancos won four of five games before collecting just one point from their last two matches in the initial phase, including a 2-1 home loss to FK Bodø/Glimt. They overcame Belgian side Club Brugge in the playoffs, but not without some effort. Alexander Sørloth and Julián Alvarez have led the charge for the Spaniards, with five goals apiece.
14. Bayer Leverkusen
The Germans blew hot and cold during the initial phase. Solid wins over Manchester City and Benfica were somewhat overshadowed by a 7-2 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain and a 2-0 loss away to Olympiacos. They faced the Greeks again in the playoffs and just managed to get by them courtesy of a 2-0 road win in the first leg.
15. Galatasaray
The Turks lost more games than they won and conceded more goals than they scored in the initial phase but still did it enough to sneak into the playoffs. They nearly squandered a 5-2 first leg home advantage against Juventus before doing enough in the return leg in Turin to pull things out. Difficult to imagine where’d they be without Victor Osimhen, who is tied for fourth in the scoring race with seven goals.
16. FK Bodø/Glimt
The Norwegian side only had two wins during the initial phase as it claimed the second-last playoff berth. But Superlaget (The Super Team) pulled off a major upset when it defeated Italian giants Inter Milan in both legs of its playoff series to advance to the knockout round for the first time in club history.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.