Friday morning, UEFA conducted the draw for the Champion League's new playoff phase, which essentially adds one more round to the previous format's knockout stage. 16 teams were sorted, with pairings influenced (but not entirely determined) by order of finish in the group stage.

The UEFA Champions League league phase concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 29 with all 36 clubs playing at the same time.

Manchester City will face holders Real Madrid in the Champions League play-offs. The teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase of the tournament will play two-legged play-off ties on 11-12 and 18-19 February to decide who advances to the round of 16.

The draw took place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland and involved teams that finished from ninth to 24th position in the new format of the UEFA Champions League group stage.

The suspense in the UEFA Champions League is reaching a fever pitch as the draw for the knockout phase play-offs nears. Set for 11 am GMT on Friday, January 31, 2025, this event marks a pivotal moment in the tournament. Fans can catch live streaming of the draw on UEFA.com.

Eight teams have been sent home as the tournament shifts from the group stage to the quarterfinals this spring.

The first-ever UEFA Champions League league phase has now concluded, with Liverpool emerging on top. Seven other teams will join the Reds in the round of

The field for the Champions League knockout playoff round is set after Friday's draw. This marks the first year of the new 36-club format in the league