Borussia Dortmund face a two-legged play-off to reach the UEFA Champions League knockout phase. - © IMAGO/Bahho Kara

bundesliga

What's next for Bundesliga clubs in Europe in the knockout rounds?

30.01.2026

Bayern Munich have qualified for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League last 16, but Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen will have to get through the play-offs to join them. Freiburg are also directly through in the UEFA Europa League, with VfB Stuttgart going into the round of 16 play-offs.

UEFA Champions League

Bayern Munich - 2nd - qualified for last 16

With 21 points from a possible 24, Bayern were already one of two teams safely through to the last 16 before Wednesday's 2-1 victory at PSV Eindhoven. It's a return bettered only by table-toppers Arsenal, who - with a perfect record in the league phase - are one of only two teams to have beaten Vincent Kompany's charges in all competitions so far this season.

Bayern Munich's Harry Kane has now scored eight goals in as many UEFA Champions League matches this term. - IMAGO/Jerry Andre

Bayern's high finish in the league phase has its advantages, with the top two facing the winners of Dortmund vs. Atalanta or Olympiacos vs. Leverkusen in the last 16. The top two are also guaranteed to play the second leg at home in every round until the final.

Borussia Dortmund - 17th - knockout phase play-off position (unseeded)

A 2-0 loss against Inter Milan on Matchday 8 saw Dortmund drop out of the seeded positions. They have been paired with Atalanta of Italy in the knockout phase play-offs.

As an unseeded team, Niko Kovač's side will play the first leg at home on 17 February (kick-off 9pm CET) and the second game in Bergamo on 25 February (at 6:45pm CET).

Dortmund reached the Champions League final in 2023/24, but their form in the competition has been mixed this time around. - IMAGO/Ayman Alahmed

Bayer Leverkusen - 16th - knockout phase play-off position (seeded)

Kasper Hjulmand's side leapfrogged Dortmund in the final game of the league phase by beating Villarreal 3-0 thanks to Malik Tillman's brace and another effort from Alejandro Grimaldo. They will now face Olympiacos, who beat them in Greece on Matchday 7.

The Werkself will go to Athens first on 18 February (at 9pm CET) before hosting the second leg at the BayArena on 24 February (at 9pm CET).

Eintracht Frankfurt - 33rd - eliminated

Frankfurt's fate was confirmed after they surrendered a 2-1 lead in defeat to Qarabağ on Matchday 7. The result left them four points adrift of 24th, ahead of a league phase-ending home game with Tottenham. A win would have helped the cause for an extra Bundesliga qualifier for 2026/27, but the Eagles succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against the Londoners and exited the competition with just one win to their name.

Leverkusen's league phase run has included some memorable results this term, including a victory over Manchester City. - IMAGO/Vitalii Kliuiev

UEFA Europa League

Freiburg - 7th - qualified for last 16

Freiburg bypassed the play-offs to reach the round of 16, despite losing their final fixture of the league phase in Lille. It was the Black Forest club's only defeat in eight league-phase fixtures (W5 D2), helping Julian Schuster's team progress in seventh place.

They will now face the winner of one of the play-off ties between Brann vs. Bologna and Dinamo Zagreb vs. Genk.

Freiburg finished among the top eight teams in the UEFA Europa League's league phase. - Daniela Porcelli

VfB Stuttgart - 11th - knockout phase play-off position (seeded)

Stuttgart were already guaranteed at least a play-off spot before beating Young Boys 3-2 in their final fixture of the league phase. Ultimately, it wasn't enough to lift them back into the top eight and send them through to the last 16. Instead, they go into the play-offs as one of eight seeded teams and will take on champions of Scotland Celtic.

The first leg in Glasgow is on 19 February, with the return at the MHPArena on 26 February One of the Portuguese duo of Braga and Porto await the winners in the last 16.

Watch: All of Deniz Undav's Bundesliga goals this season for Stuttgart

Every Undav goal this season26.01.2026

When did the Champions League and Europa League draws take place?

The draws for both competitions took place on 30 January 2026.

In both competitions, seeded teams will play their return leg at home:

Dortmund vs. Atalanta (17 February, 9pm CET)
Olympiacos vs. Leverkusen (18 February, 9pm CET)
Leverkusen vs. Olympiacos (24 February, 9pm CET)
Atalanta vs. Dortmund (25 February, 6:45pm CET)

In the Europa League, the first-leg matches will be held on 19 February 2026 and the second-leg games on 26 February 2026.

Read how Mainz reached the UEFA Conference League last 16!

Recap the draws below:

And Freiburg?

The Black Forest club will now face one of the winners between Brann vs. Bologna and Dinamo Zagreb vs. Genk. The draw for the last 16 will be made on 27 February.

Return leg at home

As a seeded team, Stuttgart will host the second leg at home on 26 February. They will go to Glasgow on 19 February.

Stuttgart's turn

The DFB Cup holders go into the orange side and will take on Celtic.

Possible opponents

Ludogorets go into the silver side and Celtic the orange. One of them will face Stuttgart...

Here we go

After a bit of talking, former Beşiktaş forward İlhan Mansız is ready to start the draw.

Europa League contenders ready

The full list of teams for the draw are: Genk, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ferencváros, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzeň, Crvena Zvezda, Celta Vigo (all seeded), PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahçe, Panathinaikos, Celtic, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb and Brann (all unseeded).

Stuttgart's possible opponents

Thanks to Chema's late winner, Stuttgart will now face either Bulgarian side Ludogorets or Scottish giants Celtic in the knockout play-offs.

Stuttgart - the story so far

Defeats to Basel, Fenerbahçe and Roma but otherwise five wins meant that Stuttgart fell just one point short of the automatic qualification places. Chema Andrés' dramatic late winner on the final matchday against Young Boys ensured an 11th placed finish, however, elevating their position in the play-off seeding as Stuttgart qualified for the knockout rounds in a European competition for the first time in 13 years.

How does it work?

The draw ceremony has started in Switzerland. The format is the exact same as the Champions League, as seeded teams are paired against unseeded teams in the play-offs.

Europa League draw to follow...

Stuttgart are the next German team to learn their play-off opponent. That draw in Nyon starts at 1pm CET.

When are the games?

The first legs are scheduled to be played on 17/18 February, with the return legs on 24/25 February. As a seeded team, Leverkusen will play at home in the second leg. Dortmund will host Atalanta first up. UEFA will confirm the exact dates in due course.

Full draw

Monaco vs. PSG, Benfica vs. Real Madrid, Qarabağ vs. Newcastle United, Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter Milan, Galatasaray vs. Juventus, Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta, Club Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid, Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen.

To confirm

Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta, Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen.

Leverkusen to face...

Atalanta are the first of the seeded pairs out, so they will face Dortmund. Leverkusen go into the blue side and will have a rematch with Olympiacos. It means no all-German play-off tie.

Dortmund's turn

The current second-placed team in the Bundesliga will be on the 'silver' side of the knockout bracket. What does that mean? We'll find out in a moment...

First draws

The first part of the draw sees the unseeded teams assigned to a particular side of the draw, starting from the lowest-ranked sides and working up the table. We'll learn their opponents soon...

Special guest

Former Metz, Marseille, Arsenal, Villarreal and Aston Villa winger Robert Pirès will be conducting the draw.

Any restrictions?

There are no restrictions on clubs from the same association playing each other, so we could well get an all-German play-off tie between Leverkusen and Dortmund.

How it works

Clubs have been paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 9 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, and 15 and 16) and four unseeded pairs (positions 17 and 18, 19 and 20, 21 and 22, and 23 and 24). The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into the knockout phase bracket, against the clubs in each unseeded pair: clubs 9 or 10 against clubs 23 or 24, clubs 11 or 12 against clubs 21 or 22, clubs 13 or 14 against clubs 19 or 20, and clubs 15 or 16 against clubs 17 or 18.

Champions League contenders ready

The full list of teams for the draw are: Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen (all seeded), Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabağ, Bodø/Glimt and Benfica (unseeded).

Dortmund's possible opponents

BVB's 2-0 defeat against Inter did not damage their goal difference enough to take them further down the play-off seeding, meaning they will face either Leverkusen or Atalanta.

Leverkusen's possible opponents

Heading into Matchday 8 two points worse off than Dortmund, Leverkusen secured their play-off berth in style with a 3-0 win over Villarreal. That was enough to get them the final seeded position, meaning they will face either Olympiacos or Dortmund, with the second leg at home.

Dortmund - the story so far

Dropped points against Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham Hotspur meant it was always going to be a tall order to qualify automatically for the round of 16 with a victory against Inter Milan needed as well as other teams above them slipping up. A defeat against the Italian side places Dortmund in 17th, an unseeded play-off spot, but they'll take confidence from just one defeat in four at the Signal Iduna Park in this season's competition.

Leverkusen - the story so far

Paris Saint-Germain and Olympiacos were the only team to get the better of Kasper Hjulmand's side in the eight league phase games, which also included draws against Copenhagen, PSV and Newcastle United, but wins against Benfica, Manchester City and Villarreal was enough to secure 16th.

Freiburg's possible opponents

Thanks to their automatic qualification, Julian Schuster's side could face any of: Brann, Dinamo Zagreb, Genk or Bologna in the round of 16.

Freiburg - the story so far

Heading into the final matchday with their place in the top eight all but assured, Julian Schuster's side would have been understandably confident, after having gone unbeaten in their opening seven matches, with memorable victories over Basel, Nice and Utrecht. Despite a final-day slip up against Lille (1-0 defeat), the Black Forest outfit managed to hold onto a seventh-place finish which sees them automatically qualify for the round of 16.

Road to Budapest

Hungary's Puskás Aréna will host this season's UEFA Champions League final, with the date for this year's European showpiece pencilled in for 30 May.

Welcome!

Enjoy all of the build-up as the live draws for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League play-off rounds take place in Nyon, Switzerland, starting at 12pm CET and 1pm respectively on Friday 30 January 2026.