Champions League Group Stage Concludes

On the night of January 29, the UEFA Champions League group stage matches concluded. As a result, eight teams directly advancing to the Round of 16 were determined.

«Arsenal» topped the group table. The London club became the first team to win all eight group matches. In the final match, they defeated Kazakhstan’s «Kairat» 3:2.

The day’s most dramatic event occurred in Lisbon, where José Mourinho’s «Benfica» defeated Madrid’s «Real» 4:2. As a result, Madrid finished 9th in the group stage, just missing direct qualification to the Round of 16. The Portuguese club, thanks to a goal in extra time by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, moved from 32nd to 24th place, becoming the last team to qualify for the play-off round.

Another important news is Azerbaijan’s «Qarabag». Despite a heavy 6:0 defeat to «Liverpool», the club became the first team from CIS countries in the last decade to reach the Champions League play-offs. Gurbano Gurbanoğlu’s team finished the group stage in 22nd place and will now compete in the knockout play-offs.

Champions League 8th Round Results:

Ajax – Olympiacos — 1:2;

Pafos – Slavia Prague — 4:1;

Athletic Bilbao – Sporting — 2:3;

Atletico Madrid – Bodo-Glimt — 1:2;

Brugge – Marseille — 3:0;

Monaco – Juventus — 0:0;

Arsenal – Kairat — 3:2;

Eintracht Frankfurt – Tottenham Hotspur — 0:2;

Bayer Leverkusen – Villarreal — 3:0;

Union – Atalanta — 1:0;

Manchester City – Galatasaray — 2:0;

Liverpool – Qarabag — 6:0;

Barcelona – Copenhagen — 4:1;

PSG – Newcastle United — 1:1;

Borussia Dortmund – Inter — 0:2;

Napoli – Chelsea — 2:3;

Benfica – Real Madrid — 4:2;

PSV Eindhoven – Bayern — 1:2.

Teams directly advancing to the Round of 16: Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, and Manchester City.

The remaining teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in the play-off round to determine their opponents.

Play-off Draw Pots:

• Pot 1 (9–16): Real, Inter, PSG, Newcastle, Juventus, Atletico, Atalanta, Bayer.
• Pot 2 (17–24): Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodo-Glimt, Benfica.

The draw will be held on January 30. The final will take place on May 30, 2026, at Budapest’s Puskás Arena.