UEFA Champions League: Fixtures 2025/26, Matches Today

February 2026 marks the moment when European football’s group-stage safety net disappears and two-legged knockout warfare begins. The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League has delivered on that promise, with Paris Saint-Germain holding a 5–4 aggregate lead over Bayern Munich and Arsenal level at 1–1 with Atletico Madrid heading into their semi-final second legs.

Most titles by federation: Spain (20) ·
Current champion: PSG ·
Next season: 2025/26 ·
Key focus: Knockout stage and playoffs

The key facts below summarise the competition at a glance for quick reference.

What are the UEFA Champions League fixtures 2025/26?

The 2025–26 Champions League season follows a structured path from league phase through to the final in Budapest. The knockout phase specifically began on 17 March 2026 with the play-off round, where 16 teams competed for eight additional spots in the round of 16 (Wikipedia). Eight teams had already secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 based on their league phase performance.

Group stage schedule

The draw for the knockout phase play-offs took place on 30 February 2026, setting the stage for first legs on 17–18 February 2026 and return legs on 24–25 February 2026 (Wikipedia). Teams finishing in positions 9 to 24 entered the play-offs, while the top eight seeds waited for their round of 16 opponents to emerge.

Key dates for 2025/26

After the play-offs concluded, the round of 16 draw happened on 27 March 2026, with first legs scheduled for 10–11 March and second legs for 17–18 March 2026 (Wikipedia). The quarter-finals followed in April—first legs on 7–8 April and second legs on 14–15 April—before the semi-finals consumed the final weeks of the month.

The full fixture calendar runs through to 30 May 2026, when the final takes centre stage at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary (Wikipedia). For the latest results and upcoming matches, the official UEFA fixtures page at es.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/fixtures-results provides real-time updates.

What are the UEFA matches today?

As of early May 2026, the Champions League has progressed past the quarter-final stage into the semi-finals. The semi-final second legs are scheduled for 5–6 April 2026: Arsenal faces Atletico Madrid on 5 May, while Bayern Munich meets Paris Saint-Germain on 6 May (UEFA.com). These matches will determine which two clubs advance to the final in Budapest.

Live matches

The semi-final first legs produced compelling action. Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 5–4 on 28 April 2026 in a tense encounter that showcased the French champions’ attacking quality (NBC Sports). Across the city, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal played out a 1–1 draw on 29 April, leaving the tie balanced ahead of the return fixtures (NBC Sports).

Upcoming fixtures

With the 2025/26 season entering its final stages, the Champions League calendar offers clear milestones. The semi-final deciders on 5–6 May will narrow the field to two finalists, who will then face off at the Puskás Aréna on 30 May 2026. For fans seeking real-time updates, UEFA’s official channels publish fixture schedules and results throughout each match week.

What is the Champions League bracket 25/26?

The 2025/26 bracket has produced some dominant performances through the knockout rounds, with several clubs advancing by considerable aggregate margins. Each tie in the knockout phase—apart from the final—is played over two legs, with each team hosting one match (Wikipedia). If scores are level after two legs, 30 minutes of extra time is played, and if still tied, the winners are decided by a penalty shoot-out—without the away goals rule that once favoured narrow away defeats (Wikipedia).

Full bracket overview

Through the round of 16, the standout results included Bayern Munich’s 10–2 aggregate demolition of Atalanta (6–1 first leg, 4–1 second leg) and Barcelona’s remarkable 8–3 comeback against Newcastle United after a 1–1 first leg left the tie seemingly balanced (Wikipedia). Real Madrid’s 5–1 aggregate victory over Manchester City and PSG’s 8–2 win against Chelsea also demonstrated the gulf in class at this level.

• Bayern Munich 10–2 Atalanta (aggregate)
• Barcelona 8–3 Newcastle United (aggregate)
• Real Madrid 5–1 Manchester City (aggregate)
• PSG 8–2 Chelsea (aggregate)

Path to final

The semi-final bracket now pairs PSG against Bayern Munich and Arsenal against Atletico Madrid. The winners of these two ties will meet in the final on 30 May 2026 at the Puskás Aréna. Both semi-final first legs were decided by single-goal margins—the tighter contest between Arsenal and Atletico remains delicately poised at 1–1.

The implication: whoever survives these semi-final ties will have navigated two-legged pressure in every round, a testament to consistency across multiple high-stakes matches.

What are the Champions League knockout matches?

Beyond the headline results, the 2025/26 knockout phase has delivered memorable individual ties through the round of 16 and into the quarter-finals. The format structures each round as a two-legged tie, creating drama across multiple dates rather than a single decisive match (Wikipedia).

Round of 16

The round of 16 results reflected both the hierarchy of European football and moments of surprising emphatic dominance. Paris Saint-Germain’s 8–2 aggregate win over Chelsea (5–2 first leg, 3–0 second leg) announced their title credentials (Wikipedia). Liverpool progressed 4–1 against Galatasaray, while Real Madrid’s 5–1 victory over Manchester City continued their knockout pedigree.

In the play-offs that preceded the round of 16, Galatasaray’s 7–5 aggregate win over Juventus (including extra time in the second leg) and PSG’s 5–4 aggregate escape against Monaco demonstrated that survival often requires resilience rather than smooth sailing.

Quarterfinals and beyond

The quarter-finals, held across 7–8 April and 14–15 May 2026, advanced four clubs to the semi-finals. Barcelona’s 8–3 round of 16 aggregate against Newcastle United set up their semi-final meeting, while Bayern Munich’s 10–2 destruction of Atalanta positioned them as strong contenders before facing PSG.

What is the Champions League knockout stage 2026?

The 2025–26 knockout stage is notable for its scale: 24 teams compete across the knockout rounds, with 16 entering in the play-offs and eight receiving a bye directly to the round of 16 based on their league phase finishing positions (Wikipedia). This structure rewards consistent performers while still giving lower-seeded clubs a path to the main draw.

Playoff format

The knockout phase play-offs determine which teams join the eight automatic qualifiers in the round of 16. The draw for these play-offs took place on 30 January 2026, with first legs on 17–18 February and return legs on 24–25 February 2026 (Wikipedia). The eight winners advanced to join the eight seeded teams for the round of 16 draw on 27 February.

Each play-off tie follows the same two-legged format as subsequent rounds, with away goals no longer counting as a tiebreaker—any level aggregate after two legs goes to extra time and potentially penalties.

Teams advancing

Through the knockout phase, eight clubs have advanced from the round of 16 to the semi-finals: Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Barcelona, and one additional club that emerged from a tightly contested quarter-final. The semi-final stage now represents the final four of the competition, all positioned for a place in the Budapest final.

The final itself, on 30 May 2026, reverts to a single match at the Puskás Aréna rather than the two-legged format used throughout earlier rounds—neutral ground, one game, everything at stake.

Summary

The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase has delivered on its promise of high-stakes football through February to February 2026. With PSG holding a 5–4 lead over Bayern Munich and Arsenal level at 1–1 with Atletico Madrid heading into their respective semi-final second legs, the path to Budapest remains contested. The final on 30 May 2026 at the Puskás Aréna will conclude a knockout phase that began on 17 February 2026 with 24 clubs dreaming of European glory.

For clubs chasing Champions League knockout football, the lesson is straightforward: consistency through the league phase earns a bye to the round of 16, but only teams that perform across two-legged ties will still be standing in May—and PSG, holding the narrowest of leads over Bayern, have shown that even a single-goal advantage requires relentless focus to protect.

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As the 2025/26 knockout phase heats up with PSG’s 5-4 win over Bayern and Arsenal’s 1-1 Atletico draw, the knockout schedule overview details the full path to Budapest.

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