Football writer Dan Edwards explains what the final night of action in the UEFA Champions League's league phase means for the Premier League clubs involved.
All six Premier League teams participating in this season’s UEFA Champions League will continue to compete in the competition.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City will head straight to the round of 16 after finishing in the top eight places during the competition’s league phase.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, will have to navigate the knockout phase playoffs if they are to join their domestic rivals in the last 16.
Arsenal were one of two teams, along with Bayern Munich, to have already confirmed their place in the next round, but they completed a clean sweep against Kairat Almaty to finish top of the table with eight wins from eight games.
Kai Havertz scored and assisted on his first Arsenal start in 358 days, with further goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli.
The Gunners will face one of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos in the round of 16.
Liverpool finished in third with 18 points, courtesy of a dominant 6-0 victory at Anfield against Qarabag.
There was a brace for Alexis Mac Allister, as well as goals from Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa, with the only blemish on the evening being another injury in defence - right-back Jeremie Frimpong was forced off in the fourth minute.
The Reds’ potential opponents in the round of 16 are Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge or Galatasaray.
Spurs followed Liverpool in fourth place, on the back of a 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
Randal Kolo Muani, against his former club, scored the opening goal, before Dominic Solanke added a second from the bench to continue his strong return from a long-term injury.
Thomas Frank’s side have the same potential opponents as Liverpool in the next round.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Napoli 3-2 away to finish in sixth place.
Two excellent second-half goals from Joao Pedro earned the win for Liam Rosenior’s side, who had trailed at half-time, against the team managed by former Blues boss Antonio Conte.
Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Monaco or Qarabag will be Chelsea's opponents in the round of 16.
A 2-0 victory at home to Galatasaray, as well as some useful results elsewhere, earned eighth place for Man City, who had started the evening outside the automatic qualification spots.
Erling Haaland scored from open play for the first time since 20 December, while Rayan Cherki added a second goal shortly afterwards.
Man City’s potential opponents in the last 16 are Real Madrid, Internazionale, Bodo/Glimt or Benfica; the latter are managed by Jose Mourinho, and they defeated Real 4-2 on Wednesday night with the final goal being scored sensationally by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin in stoppage time.
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Real Madrid have eliminated Pep Guardiola’s side from this competition in each of the last two seasons, while Bodo/Glimt beat City in the previous match round.
Newcastle earned a draw away to the competition’s reigning champions, Paris Saint-Germain, at the Parc des Princes, after Joe Willock cancelled out an early goal from Vitinha.
Alas, despite starting the day in seventh, the result wasn’t enough to gain automatic qualification to the next round for the Magpies, who will be forced to navigate the knockout phase playoffs if they are to reach the round of 16.
The Magpies will face Monaco or Qarabag in the playoffs; if they are victorious, they will face Barcelona or Chelsea in the following round.
When is the draw for the knockout phase play-offs?
The draw for the knockout phase play-offs will be held in Switzerland this Friday, 30 January, at 11:00 GMT.
Teams will be matched based on their final positions at the end of the league phase, creating seeded and unseeded pairings.
The road to the final (swipe left)
Clubs finishing between ninth and 16th form the seeded pairs, while those placed 17th to 24th make up the unseeded pairs.
Each seeded pair will be drawn against an unseeded pair. For instance, the teams ranked 15th and 16th will be drawn to face those finishing 17th and 18th.
The seeded team hosts the second leg of the tie.
The first legs are scheduled for either 17 or 18 February, with the return fixtures taking place one week later.
Potential knockout phase play-off fixtures (and beyond)
Monaco or Qarabag v PSG or Newcastle
Winner to face Barcelona or Chelsea in the Round of 16
Club Brugge or Galatasaray v Juventus or Atletico de Madrid
Winner to face Liverpool or Spurs in the Round of 16
Bodo/Glimt or Benfica v Real Madrid or Internazionale
Winner to face Sporting or Man City
Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos v Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen
Winner to face Arsenal or Bayern Munich
Dates for the remaining rounds
Knockout phase playoffs: 17-18 & 24-25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10-11 & 17-18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7-8 & 14-15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28-29 April & 5-6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)