A 2025-26 Champions League Playoff Preview For Your Enjoyment And Education

After a league phase in which only Arsenal and Bayern Munich looked truly excellent, the Champions League has arrived at the knockout playoff round. A quick refresher of what that means: In the new format, introduced last season, the top eight teams in the league-stage table advance directly to the round of 16; the next 16 teams face each other in a two-leg playoff to get into the round of 16. Of the new format's changes, this one is my least favorite. It gives underperforming big teams a chance to back their way into the knockouts, and though it gives smaller sides an extra shot at glory, most of the ties don't look very competitive.

Still, the format does introduce 16 more elimination matches, and strange things can always happen in knockout rounds. These playoffs look better than last year's in terms of matchup quality as well, so that's a nice bonus. There's only really one completely one-sided tie, and even in that one, the favored team isn't particularly strong; the opposition is just that weak. With that in mind, let's break down each matchup one by one to pick out just why you should watch each of them, and who stands to make it at least one round further at the end of this fortnight's barrage of soccer. Hit my music: