Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Off Draw: Everything You Need to Know
The league phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League has concluded after a dramatic final round, with the competition now moving into its first knockout hurdle.
While the top eight teams in the league phase have secured automatic qualification for the last 16, the next 16 sides must navigate the newly introduced knockout phase play-offs to keep their European hopes alive.
With fixtures piling up across domestic and continental competitions, that guaranteed rest for the top eight could yet prove decisive in the race for European silverware.
Last season showed that the play-off route is far from a dead end. Several heavyweights were forced to take the longer path through February before mounting deep runs in the competition, underlining how unforgiving the new format can be.
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Here is everything you need to know ahead of the draw.
When is the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw?
The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw will take place tomorrow, Friday January 30, at 11am Irish time.
The draw will be held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
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Which teams are involved in the draw?
The draw features the teams that finished ninth to 24th in the league phase. Those ranked ninth to 16th are seeded, while teams finishing 17th to 24th are unseeded.
Seeded teams (league phase finish in brackets):
Real Madrid (9)
Inter Milan (10)
Paris Saint-Germain (11)
Newcastle United (12)
Juventus (13)
Atlético Madrid (14)
Atalanta (15)
Bayer Leverkusen (16)
Unseeded teams:
Borussia Dortmund (17)
Olympiacos (18)
Club Brugge (19)
Galatasaray (20)
AS Monaco (21)
Qarabağ (22)
Bodø/Glimt (23)
Benfica (24)
How does the draw work?
Teams are paired based on their league phase positions.
The seeded pairs are:
9 & 10
11 & 12
13 & 14
15 & 16
The unseeded pairs are:
17 & 18
19 & 20
21 & 22
23 & 24
Each seeded pair will be drawn against a corresponding unseeded pair:
9 or 10 vs 23 or 24
11 or 12 vs 21 or 22
13 or 14 vs 19 or 20
15 or 16 vs 17 or 18
Unlike previous formats, teams from the same national association can face each other, and clubs that met during the league phase are also permitted to be drawn together.
ONE flyweight MMA world champion Yuya Wakamatsu will put his gold on the line against Uzbekistani slugger Avazbek Kholmirzaev at ONE Samurai 1 on Wednesday, April 29.
The showdown will unfold inside Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on the promotion’s new monthly event series from ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’. The world’s largest martial arts organization confirmed their scheduled five-round war on its official website on March 2.
‘Little Piranha’ has been unstoppable since claiming the then-vacant flyweight MMA crown against former longtime king Adriano Moraes at ONE 172 in Saitama last March.
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He stunned the Brazilian veteran inside the opening round to lay his hands on MMA’s most prestigious strap and returned home with a US$50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
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His first title defense came against another tough opponent, ONE strawweight MMA world champion Joshua Pacio, at ONE 173 in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 16, 2025.
Yuya Wakamatsu can expect to have his hands full against Avazbek Kholmirzaev
Yuya Wakamatsu’s vicious finishes last year upped his winning streak to five, and now he’ll look to make it six back-to-back triumphs when he shares the Circle against the high-flying Kholmirzaev at ONE Samurai 1.
The Uzbek talent, 25 years of age, has built one of the most impressive winning runs on the global stage since debuting at ONE Friday Fights 50 in February 2024.
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‘Ninzya’ kicked off his tenure with three finishes on ONE Friday Fights. Though he suffered a defeat to Bektur Zhenishbek Uulu in his fourth fight, the Raqobat affiliate returned to the winner’s column with a brilliant second-round rear-naked choke triumph against Valmir Galiev in December 2024.
Since then, he’s emerged victorious all of his five fights, with four wins inside the distance. Put simply, Kholmirzaev does not the judges decide the outcome of his fights.
His finishing instincts and well-rounded arsenal should match up well alongside Yuya Wakamatsu’s world-class fight IQ, technicality, and dexterity when these two throw down for the ONE flyweight MMA world title at ONE Samurai 1 on April 29.
Rodrigo Gomes put Wolves in front with 12 minutes to play but Liverpool were on level terms five minutes later through Mohamed Salah’s first league goal since November.
Wolves left it late once again to snatch all three points when Andre’s effort deflected off Joe Gomez and beyond the helpless Alisson Becker, meaning Rob Edwards’ side have now scored in stoppage time in their last three home matches.
Andre, left, celebrates after scoring Wolves’ late winner (Nick Potts/PA)
Liverpool missed the chance to go level with Aston Villa and Manchester United for the Champions League places after a ninth league defeat of the season and Slot admits the late goal summed up their campaign.
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He said: “Same old story. Recently we are picking up points because we scored many times from set-pieces. But end result, we score one and they scored two and another in (added) time so it sums up our season again.
“What I mean by it sums up our season that we have far more ball possession than the other team and we’ve created most open play chances, but in open play we’ve struggled to score.
“My expectations have changed throughout the season because I expected more from us and what we are fighting for now. But it’s another setback and we didn’t help ourselves with this result, not at all.
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Arne Slot saw his side stunningly beaten by rock-bottom Wolves (Nick Potts/PA)
“But there are still nine games to play so we are coming closer to the end and dropping points in the game when it’s absolutely not necessary when you look at the run of play.
“If we play this game in this fashion 10 times, I don’t think we lose 10 times but I’m far from sure we win every time – therefore we are not good enough.”
Liverpool missed the chance to extend their winning run to four matches and could drop to sixth if Chelsea beat Villa on Wednesday.
Slot handed full credit to Wolves for their victory.
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He added: “Well done by Wolves, they made it really hard for us and compact.
“If you want to go faster you have to dominate situations on the side, and we struggled to dominate on the sides today.
“If we don’t want to rely on a deflected shot, we need to do better and play better. But we’ve had enough chances to win the game but credit to Wolves, they fought from the first second to the end and got a little bit of luck they deserved.”
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Wolves’ upturn in form continues and they are still fighting for their lives despite the games running out.
They sit 11 points off safety with eight games remaining and Edwards admits it has taken a while but they are now starting to see positive results.
Edwards, who said he felt his groin “falling apart” as he ran down the touchline in celebration, said: “Certainly could get used to it, it’s a good feeling.
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Wolves manager Rob Edwards celebrates victory over Liverpool (Nick Potts/PA)
“It’s taken a while to realise how hard you’ve got to work to take something from a game, especially at this level.
“There is a stark difference from when we came in to now, the level of fight and work the lads are showing.
“We’ve got a tight group that are fighting for each other and working hard. Showing that we’re not as bad as people thought.
“We’re showing characteristics what I want my teams to have but we are finding a way. That’s where I want it to be.”
Increasingly, injury time is not Arne time. A night when Wolves could savour an action replay left Arne Slot lamenting the “same old story”. For the second time in four days, head coach Rob Edwards set off down the touchline in manic celebration. Wolves, as their fans had chorused, are bound for the Championship, but on the way they are bloodying the noses of those with ambitions of Champions League qualification. First Aston Villa and now Liverpool have fallen at Molineux.
For Slot, the sense of déjà vu was depressing. His side are record breakers in the wrong sense, the first team in Premier League history to lose five matches in a season due to 90th-minute goals. “The three times we lost in the last 22 games were all three in extra time,” Slot said after Wolves, like Bournemouth and Manchester City before them, struck at the death. Include the late equalisers Fulham and Leeds got and Liverpool have let nine points slip through their grasp in injury time. It may cost them Champions League football.
Liverpool could call their latest setback cruel, when the decider needed a deflection, when they had hit the woodwork twice. “That it happens in extra time might be a coincidence but it happens so many times,” said Slot. Once again, it calls into question Liverpool’s game management.
Andre’s deflected strike snatched all three points for Wolves (AFP via Getty Images)
For him, there were further familiar themes, another occasion when Liverpool dominated possession, had more shots, had the better of the statistics beyond the scoreline. “We hardly give away a chance but they score two,” he rued.
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Yet Virgil van Dijk did not plead misfortune. “I think it’s down to ourselves,” said the Liverpool captain. “It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and [guilty of] wrong decision-making.” It was an excoriating verdict but scarcely an exaggeration.
Defeat came late but Liverpool could trace it to their sluggish start. Even as they picked up the pace, even as Mohamed Salah ended a Premier League goal drought that had extended over four months, even though Wolves did not attempt a shot of any kind until their opening goal, Liverpool arguably did too little over the course of a match that was three-quarters forgettable fare, one quarter frenetic entertainment.
Wolves began frustrating Liverpool with their obduracy and ended doing it with their attacking. They began compact and organised, four central midfielders and three centre-backs forming a solid block. But Edwards rationalised the game would open up and made influential substitutions.
Two combined for the breakthrough with a second goal in as many games for the man who finished off Villa. Rodrigo Gomes had only been on the pitch for eight minutes when he struck. A fellow replacement, Tolu Arokodare, was too strong for Van Dijk, turning him and supplying on the on-rushing Gomes to dink a shot over Alisson.
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Rodrigo Gomes broke the deadlock for Wolves with 12 minutes to play (AFP via Getty Images)
After Salah levelled, as Liverpool committed men forward in the search for a winner, so did Wolves. After Alisson’s poor kick, Andre’s shot looped up off Joe Gomez and left the goalkeeper helpless. Wolves, the team with the four Gomeses, got the decisive touch from a Gomez. “We conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance,” said Slot.
Liverpool are nevertheless left to consider the prospect their struggles against their supposed inferiors will cost them a top-five finish. They have lost to Nottingham Forest and Wolves this season, drawn with Burnley and Leeds. Some 12 points have escaped their grasped in those games.
When it seemed they had salvaged something at Molineux, it was when Salah briefly turned back time. There are times, even when their powers are waning, when the greats can summon a little of their old selves. Hitherto ineffectual, Salah then darted into a gap and improvised a finish which he flicked with the outside of his left foot. Jose Sa got his left hand to it, but the ball nestled in the net. Salah’s 253rd Liverpool goal was his first in the Premier League since November.
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Mohamed Salah ended his goal drought but Liverpool were beaten (PA Wire)
Perhaps, though, it summed up the current Salah that it did not prevent defeat. Liverpool had struck the woodwork twice, in distinctly different fashion. A couple of minutes before Salah struck, Rio Ngumoha’s low shot was brilliantly turned on to the post by Sa. Just after half-time, a combination of Curtis Jones’s shoulder and Cody Gakpo’s boot turned the ball on the bar after Hugo Ekitike had flicked on Salah’s corner. After three goals from set-pieces against West Ham on Saturday, Liverpool ought to have had another.
But they mustered too little else. “What didn’t change in the last five, six seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create,” admitted Slot. Nor did they create enough.
This was a game that was crying out for Ngumoha long before his introduction, though, at 64 minutes, it was the earliest he had come on in the Premier League. Gakpo, though, had been poor as a starter.
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And Wolves finished with a flourish; on the night and perhaps over the season. After one win all season, they have two in a week. “We are showing we are not as bad as people thought,” said Edwards, whose touchline dash showed the emotional relief of victory and brought pain, though not the sort Slot was feeling. “It’s my groin this time,” the Wolves manager said. “I’m falling apart.”
League One strugglers Port Vale cause a cup upset as they beat Championship side Bristol City 1-0 in extra time at Vale Park to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in 30 years.
Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu is edging closer to making history at Trabzonspor following an outstanding campaign in the Turkish Süper Lig.
The 30-year-old forward, who sealed a permanent move from Southampton last summer, has quickly established himself as a key figure for the Black Sea club. Onuachu has scored 18 league goals and provided two assists in just 21 appearances this season, underlining his impact since arriving in Turkey.
His goals account for a significant portion of Trabzonspor’s total league output, highlighting his importance to the team’s attacking play. The former Genk striker’s fine form has helped lift the club to third place in the table, keeping them within touching distance of the title contenders.
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Statistically, this is shaping up to be one of the most productive seasons of Onuachu’s career since his remarkable 2020/21 campaign in Belgium, when he scored 33 goals and registered four assists for Genk.
Beyond his immediate influence, Onuachu is now chasing a notable club milestone. He is reportedly eight goals away from becoming Trabzonspor’s highest-scoring foreign player in a single league season. The record is currently held by Georgian great Shota Arveladze, who netted 25 goals during the 1995/96 campaign.
Breaking that mark would firmly secure Onuachu’s place in the club’s history and further elevate his status among supporters.
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The Nigerian international has shown versatility in front of goal this season. He leads the Turkish top flight in headed goals, with seven coming from aerial efforts, while also demonstrating sharp finishing with his feet. Several of his strikes have earned widespread praise, and he has collected multiple Goal of the Month awards.
With a relatively favourable run of fixtures ahead and several home matches still to play, Onuachu has a strong opportunity to continue his scoring run. If league leaders Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe drop points in the coming weeks, his goals could yet inspire Trabzonspor to mount a late push in the title race.
For now, all eyes remain on the Super Eagles forward as he closes in on a record that would crown an already memorable season.
From the two semi-finals at The Oval, India know they will play in the tie taking place on 30 June if they qualify for the last four. The first semi-final has been scheduled to begin at 14:30 BST to suit the Indian TV audience.
This follows a recent pattern in global tournaments, particularly for men, when India’s route through a competition has been predetermined. The arrangements raise questions over sporting integrity.
T20 World Cup tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild, said it was “always” a challenge to balance fairness with commercial opportunities.
“We’re comfortable with that balance,” said Barrett-Wild.
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“Both of those semi-finals are at the same venue, so the same conditions for all teams. From a global game perspective, if India do reach the semi-finals, it gives us that reach for India to tune in and watch that fixture.”
Barrett-Wild said the tournament will take a “watching brief” on any disruption that could be caused by the US-Israel war with Iran.
That conflict has already caused an England training camp in Abu Dhabi, due to begin this week, to be cancelled.
England have not played since losing in the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup in October and the Abu Dhabi trip was due to be the third of three winter camps designed to inform selection for the summer.
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“It’s obviously a bit of a scary time in the world,” said Sciver-Brunt. “As cricketers, we’re quite flexible and adaptable. We are looking at alternate venues so we can get outside, and take part in some of that programme we were going to be doing.”
England’s light winter schedule has contributed to Lauren Filer’s lack of competitive action – the pace bowler has not played since summer.
The 25-year-old said she has used the downtime to remodel her run-up in a bid avoid injuries and potentially add extra pace to her bowling.
Already one of the most fearsome bowlers in the women’s game, Filer rates herself and Australian Tayla Vlaeminck as the two fastest in the world.
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A speed of 80mph is seen as a benchmark for extreme pace in the women’s game. Filer has only just begun to bowl off her full run, so is yet to learn if the new approach will have her at that speed on a regular basis.
“I would love someone to hit 80mph consistently,” she said. “It would be such a great prospect for the women’s game and I do think it can happen.”
NEW YORK — Zuby Ejiofor scored 23 points, Joson Sanon added 15 off the bench — all after halftime — and No. 18 St. John’s rallied from 12 down in the second half to beat skidding Georgetown 72-69 on Tuesday night.
With a gritty comeback on Senior Night at Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm (24-6, 17-2 Big East) tied No. 4 UConn atop the conference standings with one regular-season game remaining. A victory Friday night at Hudson River rival Seton Hall would give the Johnnies at least a share of their second consecutive Big East regular-season championship following a 32-year drought.
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The only time they’ve won back-to-back league crowns was 1985 and ’86.
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Dylan Darling had 12 points for St. John’s, which has won 15 of 16 overall and 11 straight meetings with Georgetown — the longest streak for either school in a series that dates to 1909.
For now, Daniel Jones is expected to return to the Colts in 2026. But it’s not guaranteed since Indianapolis used the transition tag on the quarterback on Tuesday.
The transition tag gives Jones a one-year, fully guaranteed $37.83 million salary for 2026 and allows him to negotiate with other teams, though Indianapolis retains the right to match any offer sheet. Barring something unexpected, Jones should play for the Colts in 2026 — once he’s healthy.
Jones underwent surgery in December to repair a torn right Achilles that he suffered in Week 14. The recovery timeline is 6-to-8 months, which puts him in a position to be fully cleared for Week 1.
Fantasy managers should view Jones as a No. 2 quarterback in all leagues, and he’s only worth drafting with a late-round pick in one-quarterback leagues. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Jones is worth a mid-round selection.
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After spending the majority of his career with the Giants and a brief stop in Minnesota, he resurrected his career with Indianapolis in 2025 when he completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, along with 164 rushing yards and five touchdowns. And prior to suffering the Achilles injury, Jones was also playing though a fibula injury suffered in Week 10.
When healthy, through the first nine games of the season, Jones was averaging 22.8 Fantasy points per game. He topped 20 Fantasy points six times during that span.
But before we can fully evaluate Jones as a Fantasy quarterback in 2026, we need to see what his receiving corps will look like. With Jones getting the transition tag, Alec Pierce is now an unrestricted free agent.
The Colts have said they want to keep Pierce, so we’ll see what happens. And Michael Pittman has a cap hit of $29 million for 2026, which could force the Colts to release him if they don’t restructure his contract.
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It would be great if Indianapolis ran it back with the same receiving corps, which also features Tyler Warren and Josh Downs. But no matter what happens with Pierce or Pittman, Jones will only be a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues in 2026 if he stays with the Colts as expected.
Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Jurickson Profar has failed a PED test for the second straight season and been suspended for 162 games, MLB announced Tuesday. He was also set to be on Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and is now ineligible for the event.
Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, according to the league. His suspension officially begins on March 6.
“We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Jurickson tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is in violation of MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the Braves said in a statement late Tuesday. “Our players are consistently educated about the program and the consequences if they are found to be in violation. The Atlanta Braves fully support the program.
The 2024 All-Star was also suspended last season for a violation of the MLB Joint Drug Agreement. This time around, he’ll miss the entirety of the 2026 season. The first offense carries an 80-game suspension, the second is 162 games and the third is a permanent ban.
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Keep in mind that suspended players aren’t eligible for the playoffs, so even if the Braves qualify for the postseason, Profar is out until 2027.
Profar, 33, had a career year in 2024 for the Padres. He hit .280/.380/.459 (134 OPS+) with 3.6 WAR and made his first All-Star team. He parlayed that into a three-year, $42 million deal with the Braves, but PED suspensions come without pay and he missed basically half of last season and will get nothing in 2026.
In his 80 games last year, Profar hit .245/.353/.434 (121 OPS+) with 16 doubles, 14 homers, 43 RBI and 56 runs, looking like he’d be an important part of the Braves’ 2026 lineup.
In fact, he was expected to hit cleanup while serving as Atlanta’s DH. The loss of Profar leaves the Braves scrambling. Until catcher Sean Murphy and infielder Ha-Seong Kim return from surgery, the best DH option on the big-league roster looks like Eli White. Maybe a non-roster invite to camp like Dom Smith makes a mark. The available pool of free agents is thinned to the point that possible options out there are Rowdy Tellez, Justin Turner, Wilmer Flores, Tommy Pham and Jesse Winker. Andrew McCutchen is also out there if he wants to stray from Pittsburgh.
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The Braves could also wait until there are cuts from spring training or they could explore a trade (people continue to pine for Byron Buxton to return to Georgia, where he was born and raised, though he has long said he’s a Twin for life).
The Braves entered March as the favorites to win the NL East, according to some projections. FanGraphs had them winning the division by a game, Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA also had them by roughly one game. They were +190 to win the NL East on DraftKings, even with the Phillies and trailing the +165 Mets, entering Tuesday.
Wolves celebrated back-to-back Premier League wins after producing a dramatic, last-gasp victory over defending champions Liverpool at Molineux.
After a quiet first half, the second period erupted into chaos. Wolves’ breakthrough came late when Rodrigo Gomes’ superb finish put the hosts ahead. Mohamed Salah responded seven minutes from time to level for the visitors, keeping the tension high.
But Wolves refused to settle for a draw. In the fourth minute of injury time, Andre struck from distance, aided by a significant deflection, to beat Alisson and send the home crowd into raptures.
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The match had begun cautiously, with Liverpool testing Wolves early through Cody Gakpo, whose effort was comfortably saved by Wolves goalkeeper Sa. The visitors dominated possession in the first half, creating chances through Dominik Szoboszlai and Gakpo, but Wolves’ disciplined defending kept the score level at the break.
Liverpool continued their pressure after the interval, with Curtis Jones hitting the crossbar in a scramble inside the Wolves box. Wolves responded by introducing Tolu Arokodare, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, and Yerson Mosquera, which gradually shifted momentum in their favour.
In the final ten minutes, substitutes Arokodare and Gomes combined to give Wolves the lead, only for Salah to equalise moments later. The match reached a frenetic climax, with Wolves finally snatching victory through Andre’s deflected strike, securing a memorable three points and sending a statement to the Premier League heavyweights.
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Wolves’ victory highlighted their resilience and ability to thrive under pressure, leaving the reigning champions humbled at Molineux.
