When is Champions League last-16 draw & how does it work?

21st Feb 2025 | Source: BBC

Have you enjoyed the new Champions League format?

With the play-off phase concluding on Wednesday, we now know the 16 teams who are through to the next stage of Europe's top club competition.

Friday's draw will decide who the seeded teams - the ones who finished first to eighth in the league phase - will face in the last 16 and which half of the draw they go into.

You can watch the Champions League last-16 draw on the BBC Sport website and app on Friday, 21 February from 11:00 GMT, and follow our live text coverage.

We'll also have updates from the Europa League (12:00) and Conference League (13:00) draws.

The Champions League format expanded this year with a increase in games from 125 to 189. The final is in Munich on Saturday, 31 May.

Seeded teams, away goals, clubs from same country

Teams are seeded in couples - so for example Liverpool (1) and Barcelona (2) will be on separate sides of the draw and cannot meet until the final
Teams from the same country can meet each other at any point
There is no away goals rule, which Uefa got rid of at the start of the 2021-22 season saying it was "no longer appropriate" for them "to carry more weight".

Who could Liverpool face?

Liverpool will face either Paris St-Germain, who demolished Brest 10-0 on aggregate after a 7-0 victory in the second leg, or Benfica.

Who could Arsenal face?

Arsenal will play either Feyenoord, who knocked out AC Milan, or PSV who advanced past Juventus in extra time.

Who could Aston Villa face?

Aston Villa will play either Club Brugge, who overcame Atalanta, or Borussia Dortmund, who beat Sporting 3-0 on aggregate after a second-leg 0-0 draw.

Coefficient: England winning race for extra Champions League spot

Two leagues will be rewarded with an extra spot in the Champions League next term based on performance in Europe this season.

At present the Premier League is in the driving seat with six of its seven teams reaching the last 16 across all three Uefa competitions.

Manchester City's defeat to Real Madrid is the only blot on the landscape for England, with Spain in third position as it stands.

However, Italy, who sit second, endured a pretty dismal time in February with AC Milan, Atalanta and Juventus all losing in the knockout play-off round - limiting Serie A's opportunity to gather more points.

Germany's prospects appear difficult with Bayern Munich and Dortmund in the same half of the Champions League draw.

Likewise France. Paris St-Germain and Lille are the representatives remaining in the Champions League, with Monaco and Brest exiting at the play-off stage. Lyon, in the Europa League, are the only other French side left in European competition.

Meanwhile, Portugal has three of its five teams remaining. They lost Sporting, who were defeated by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Porto, beaten by Roma, in the Europa League play-offs.