One of the most awaited days for football fans is here. The league phase and the knockout phase play-offs for UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League has ended, and we finally enter into the meat of the competition: the knockouts from round of 16 to the finals in May. And it starts today, with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League draw.
It will be the same event, on Friday, February 27, in Nyon, Switzerland, at different start times:
- Champions League draw: 12:00 CET, 11:00 GMT
- Europa League draw: 13:00 CET, 12:00 GMT
- Conference League draw: 14:00 CET, 13:00 GMT
You will be able to follow the draws live on UEFA.com, UEFA.tv and the official UEFA Champions League app.
How does the Champions League draw works
The draw will be the same for the three competitions: clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase, balls are taken out from the bowls to decide which one of the two options.
There are only two options for each of the team, so it will be like flipping a coin, 50% chances for each one… but the decision will decide which side of the bracket they fall, and all of their potential subsequent rivals before the final.
As a reminder, these are the potential duels for the draw on Friday:
Champions League
- Paris Saint Germain vs. Barcelona or Chelsea
- Newcastle vs. Barcelona or Chelsea
- Galatasaray vs. Liverpool or Tottenham
- Atleti vs. Liverpool or Tottenham
- Real Madrid vs. Sporting or Manchester City
- Bodo/Glimt vs. Sporting or Manchester City
- Atalanta vs. Arsenal or Bayern
- Leverkusen vs. Arsenal or Bayern
Europa League
- Ludogorets or Ferencvaros vs. Porto or Braga
- Celtic or Stuttgart vs. Porto or Braga
- Panathinaikos or Viktoria Plzen vs. Midtjylland or Betis
- Fenerbahçe or Nottingham Forest vs. Midtjylland or Betis
- GNK Dinamo or Genk vs. Freiburg or Roma
- Brann or Bologna vs. Freiburg or Roma
- PAOK or Celta vs. Lyon or Aston Villa
- Lille or Crvena Zvezda vs. Lyon or Aston Villa
Conference League
- Rijeka vs. Raków Częstochowa/Strasbourg
- Fiorentina vs. Raków Częstochowa/Strasbourg
- Sigma Olomuc vs. Larnaca/Mainz
- Crystal Palace vs. Larnaca/Mainz
- Lech Poznań vs. Rayo Vallecano/Shaktar Donetsk
- Samsunspor vs. Rayo Vallecano/Shaktar Donetsk
- Celje vs. Sparta Praha/Athens
- AZ Alkmaar vs. Sparta Praha/Athens
After the draw, a brief rest before round of 16 games take place in the week of March 10-12 and March 17-19. Did you team make it into Champions League, Europa League or Conference League round of 16 this year?
