Several heavyweight clubs will be forced into the knockout phase play-offs of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League after failing to secure automatic qualification from the league phase under the competition’s new format.
Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are among the teams facing the extra hurdle, while record winners Real Madrid also missed direct passage to the Round of 16 following a 4–2 defeat to Benfica in their final league-phase match. Only the top eight teams earned automatic qualification.
Under the revised Champions League structure, clubs finishing outside the top eight must contest a two-legged play-off, with winners advancing to the last 16. The change has significantly raised the stakes in the league phase, drawing several elite sides into the play-offs.
The confirmed teams for the knockout phase play-offs are Atalanta, Atlético de Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Bodø/Glimt, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, Newcastle United, Olympiacos, Paris Saint-Germain, Qarabağ, and Real Madrid.
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