Champions League last 16 draw details – Liverpool learn 4 clubs they can face

January 29, 2025
Jack Lusby

Liverpool finished top of the Champions League‘s league phase despite their 3-2 loss at PSV Eindhoven, and now know which four clubs they could face next.

A heavily rotated and largely inexperienced Liverpool side fell to their first defeat of the Champions League campaign on Wednesday night.

It mattered little, though, as with Barcelona held to a 2-2 draw by Atalanta they have finished top of the table regardless.

Progress to the last 16 had already been secured, of course, and with the league phase now wrapped up they can look ahead to the knockout draw – knowing they will face one of four teams.

Who can Liverpool face in the last 16?

Liverpool will play one of the teams to finish 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th in the league phase.

Those teams are: Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco and Brest.

They already know the second leg of their tie will be held at Anfield.

When is the draw?

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League will take place on February 21, alongside the draws for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Why is there such a long wait?

There is still the matter of the knockout playoffs, with those sides finishing ninth to 24th playing eight two-legged ties to determine who will join the top eight teams in the last 16.

Those playoffs will take place on February 11/12 and 18/19 – explaining the long wait for the last 16 draw.

Who else will be in the draw?

Much of that is still up in the air, pending the results of those eight playoffs.

However there are already seven other teams guaranteed to make the last 16: Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.

The following teams will face off in the playoffs, with eight progressing: Atalanta, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, PSG, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Man City, Sporting CP and Club Brugge.

Salzburg, Girona, Sparta Prague, Bologna, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys had already been knocked out ahead of Wednesday night and have now been joined by Shakhtar Donetsk, Stuttgart and Dinamo Zagreb.