Champions League 2026: What Each Club Must Do Today to Reach the Knockout Stage

January 28, 2026: Tonight is football night. All 36 teams will play at the same time in the Champions League. There will be 18 matches on the final day of the league stage. For some teams, this matchday is a chance to qualify directly for the last 16. For others, it is about reaching the knockout stage and staying in the tournament.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich will play tonight without any pressure. Both teams have already qualified directly for the last 16. Eintracht Frankfurt, Kairat Almaty, Slavia Prague and Villarreal will also play today. These four teams are already out of the competition.

Current champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and former champions Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Liverpool will play tonight to secure their direct place in the last 16.

So far, 15 teams, including Arsenal and Bayern Munich, have qualified for the knockout stage after seven rounds. Seventeen teams are still fighting for the remaining nine spots. The top eight teams in the points table will qualify directly for the last 16. Teams placed from ninth to twenty-fourth will play in the knockout play-offs. The eight winners of these matches will move on to the last 16. The play-off draw will be held on Friday.

Teams Fighting for the Last Sixteen

Real Madrid will move directly to the last sixteen if they beat Benfica today. The match will be played at Benfica’s home ground. Six-time champion Liverpool will qualify for the last sixteen if they defeat Qarabag at home. Tottenham can also reach the last sixteen if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt.

After the seventh round, eight teams are in 6th to 13th place with 13 points. Among them, current champions PSG will host Newcastle at home. Chelsea, the club world champion, will play Napoli at Napoli’s ground. The match is very important for Napoli, currently 25th, to stay in the tournament.

Former Champions and Other Contenders

Barcelona and Manchester City are in 9th and 11th place. If they win and some top teams lose points, they will qualify directly for the last sixteen.

Sporting CP, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Inter Milan, and Juventus have all already secured at least a place in the knockout stage.

Borussia Dortmund is the biggest team still trying to reach the knockout stage. Other teams fighting for a spot include Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV, Athletic Bilbao, and Olympiacos.

18 games kicking off simultaneously on Wednesday 🤯#UCL pic.twitter.com/NwkUz8XDgQ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 26, 2026

Today’s Matches

1. PSG vs Newcastle

2. Man City vs Galatasaray

3. Liverpool vs Qarabag

4. Dortmund vs Inter Milan

5. Barcelona vs Copenhagen

6. Arsenal vs Kairat

7. Leverkusen vs Villarreal

8. Atletico Madrid vs Bodo/Glimt

9. Benfica vs Real Madrid

10. Frankfurt vs Tottenham

11. Brugge vs Marseille

12. PSV vs Bayern

13. Ajax vs Olympiacos

14. Napoli vs Chelsea

15. Monaco vs Juventus

16. Union vs Atalanta

17. Bilbao vs Sporting CP

18. Paphos vs Slavia Prague

All matches start at 1:30 AM IST.