Champions League play-off draw spotlights UEFA’s new format—and a risky middle tier

As Anatoliy Trubin sprinted into the Real Madrid penalty area on a cold January night in Lisbon, the new shape of European football was not on anyone’s mind.

Benfica’s goalkeeper had joined the attack for a last-gasp corner on Matchday 8 of the Champions League’s league phase. His team trailed Madrid 2-1 and stood on the brink of elimination. In the 98th minute, Trubin met the cross with a thudding header, sparking a 4-2 turnaround win that kept Benfica’s season alive and pushed Marseille out of Europe.

It also nudged the most decorated club in the competition’s history into unfamiliar territory.

Three days later, inside UEFA’s headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva, that moment was translated into bureaucracy. Officials drew the balls for the second Champions League knockout phase play-off draw under the tournament’s revamped format. Out came one of the headline ties: Benfica vs. Real Madrid, this time over two legs in February with a place in the round of 16 on the line.

The draw, staged Friday at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, did more than fix eight pairings. It offered the clearest view yet of how UEFA’s redesigned Champions League—built around a 36-team league phase and a new play-off round—is reshaping the competition’s balance of power.

A new Champions League, and a new danger zone

Under the changes, which began in 2024-25, the familiar 32-team group stage has been scrapped. In its place is a single league table of 36 clubs. Each team plays eight matches—four at home and four away—against eight different opponents drawn from seeding pots.

• Top eight after Matchday 8 qualify directly for the round of 16.
• Teams ranked ninth to 24th enter a two-legged knockout phase play-off to decide the remaining eight spots.
• Clubs finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from Europe entirely, with no drop into the Europa League.

UEFA says the format is designed to create “more meaningful, competitive matches” and to keep fans engaged via one league table—where late goals in one city can reshape standings across the continent.

This season, that volatility left some of Europe’s biggest names marooned in the competition’s new middle band.

Heavyweights forced into February

Real Madrid, 15-time European champions, finished in the 9–16 bracket for the second straight year. They will be seeded against Benfica, one of eight unseeded clubs ranked 17th to 24th. Defending champions Paris—who lifted the trophy in 2024-25—also landed in the play-offs after failing to secure an automatic top-eight berth. Inter and Newcastle United joined them as seeded sides forced into an extra knockout hurdle.

The seeded teams were:

• Real Madrid
• Inter
• Paris
• Newcastle
• Juventus
• Atlético de Madrid
• Atalanta
• Bayer Leverkusen

The unseeded teams were:

• Borussia Dortmund
• Olympiacos
• Club Brugge
• Galatasaray
• Monaco
• Qarabağ
• Bodø/Glimt
• Benfica

Those rankings produced a draw that mixed heavyweight clashes, domestic showdowns and long-haul journeys that underline UEFA’s push for a broader geographic spread.

Headline ties: rematches and domestic rivals

Benfica’s rematch with Madrid is one of the marquee pairings, pitting the Portuguese club—now coached by José Mourinho—against his former employers. Trubin’s stoppage-time header in Lisbon ensured Benfica clung to 24th place and a spot in the play-offs. Madrid, despite two goals from Kylian Mbappé that night, missed out on the top eight and must navigate a two-leg tie in which one mistake could undo their season.

Another standout pairing sees Paris vs. Monaco in an all-French contest. Paris, whose first Champions League title last season ended years of near-misses in Europe, are now attempting to become the first club to retain the trophy under the new format.

UEFA’s revised rules allow domestic clashes earlier than in the previous system. Under the former model, draw constraints helped keep clubs from the same country apart until later knockout rounds. Now, there is no country protection and no restriction on repeat fixtures from the league phase.

UEFA has argued that removing some of those constraints would “increase sporting fairness” and simplify procedures.

A wider map—and tougher travel

The play-off draw also highlighted the format’s geographic reach.

Newcastle United, back in the Champions League under Saudi ownership, were paired with Qarabağ of Azerbaijan, setting up a mid-February trip to the South Caucasus. Bodø/Glimt, from a small city above the Arctic Circle in Norway, were drawn against Inter Milan, sending the Italian giants north in midwinter to a club that has built a reputation for unsettling bigger opponents.

Other ties include:

• Atlético de Madrid vs. Club Brugge
• Juventus vs. Galatasaray
• Bayer Leverkusen vs. Olympiacos
• Atalanta vs. Borussia Dortmund

The first legs are scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18, with the return fixtures on Feb. 24 and 25. UEFA regulations state that, in principle, seeded clubs play the second leg at home, though matches can be moved for stadium or security reasons.

The top eight: safe passage, for now

Above the new turbulence, eight clubs have already secured direct passage to the round of 16: Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Sporting CP and Tottenham Hotspur.

English clubs were particularly dominant in the format’s second season. Arsenal reportedly finished the league phase with a perfect record, while Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City also claimed top-eight places.

A separate draw on Feb. 27 will map the bracket from the round of 16 through to the final, scheduled for May 30 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.

Money, momentum—and the cost of more games

UEFA has framed the expanded format as a response to pressure from elite clubs for more high-profile fixtures and as a way to reinforce the economic appeal of its flagship competition. The league phase now spans eight matchdays instead of six, and the play-offs add at least two additional nights of prime-time football for broadcasters and sponsors.

For clubs landing between ninth and 24th, the stakes are considerable. Each play-off brings at least one extra home match, with gate receipts, hospitality income and global exposure. For teams like Qarabağ, Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos and Club Brugge, hosting European giants can be among the most lucrative nights in their history.

For players and supporters, the costs are more complicated. Midweek travel to Azerbaijan or northern Norway in February adds time and expense for fans, while managers and player representatives continue to warn about fixture congestion as domestic leagues, cups and international competitions crowd an already tight calendar.

The new structure has also removed a longstanding safety net. Under the previous format, teams finishing third in their group dropped into the Europa League knockout rounds. Now, clubs eliminated in the league phase or the play-off round are out of European competition altogether.

A tournament still settling into its new shape

After two seasons, the early contours of the league-phase era are starting to show. Late drama such as Trubin’s header has delivered on UEFA’s promise of meaningful final matchdays, while the play-off draw has produced classic pairings and journeys that might not have occurred under the old system.

At the same time, familiar powers remain clustered near the top, and the competition’s middle band has become a high-risk, high-reward neighborhood where reputation offers no guarantees.

When the play-off ties kick off on Feb. 17, Trubin’s goal in Lisbon—and dozens of other small swings from Matchday 8—will be cashed in. In UEFA’s redesigned Champions League, the road to Budapest now runs through this compressed, two-week window in February: a new hinge in a tournament still adapting to its latest format.