The Champions League play-off draw has concluded, setting up crucial fixtures as teams compete for a place in the last 16. Defending champions Manchester City will take on 15-time European Cup winners Real Madrid, while Celtic face Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
City, who won the Champions League in 2023, will host Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on 11 or 12 February before travelling to Spain for the second leg the following week. Celtic, winners of the competition in 1967, will play Bayern Munich at Celtic Park before the German side hosts the return leg at Allianz Arena.
Champions League Play-Off Draw in Full
Top Half:
- Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain
- Club Brugge vs Atalanta
- Manchester City vs Real Madrid
- Juventus vs PSV
Bottom Half:
- AS Monaco vs Benfica
- Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund
- Celtic vs Bayern Munich
- Feyenoord vs AC Milan
Play-Off Structure
The play-offs feature teams that finished between ninth and 24th place in the 36-team Champions League group phase. The top eight teams progressed directly to the last 16, while the bottom eight were eliminated.
The 16 remaining clubs were split into seeded and unseeded groups. Teams that finished between ninth and 16th were seeded, while those that finished 17th to 24th were unseeded.
Unseeded teams were drawn against one of two seeded teams, with the seeded side hosting the second leg. Manchester City finished 22nd in the league table, while Celtic finished 21st, meaning both were drawn against high-ranking teams. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who finished 11th and 12th respectively, emerged as their opponents.
The play-off winners will progress to the round of 16, where they will join the top eight teams from the group stage.
