What time does Champions League draw start today and how UCL play-offs work

The league phase of the Champions League came to a thrilling conclusion on Wednesday, but there are still 16 teams vying for a place in the knockout stage proper.

Five of the six Premier League presentatives – Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – are all safely through, but Newcastle now face a two-legged play-off clash next month despite holding Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw.

The competition holders are also facing the same prospect, along with record winners Real Madrid, who fell to a shock defeat away at Benfica.

It is a stacked draw, with the likes of Inter Milan, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid all also in the mix.

The draw for the Champions League knockout phase play-offs will take place at 11am GMT on Friday, January 30, 2026.

Teams that finish between ninth and 16th in the League Phase will be seeded and play their second leg at home, against the sides who finished the league phase in 17th to 24th.

There is also a pairing system in place. That means the ninth and tenth-placed teams will take on either the team that finished 23rd or 24th, with 11th and 12th up against the 21st or 22nd-placed side, and so on.

Clubs can face other teams from the same country, as well as sides that they played in the league phase.

The first legs will be played on either Tuesday, February 17 or Wednesday, February 18 with the reverse fixtures taking place a week later.

Paris Saint-Germain (11th)

TV channel: The draw will be broadcast live on TNT Sport 1.

Live stream: TNT Sport subscribers can watch the draw via the Discovery+ app and website. The draw will also be streamed live on the UEFA.com website.

LIVE coverage: You can follow the draw with Standard Sport’s dedicated live blog.