Knockout Fever: Europe’s Biggest Clubs Collide This Week!

Addis Ababa, February 17, 2026 (FMC) – The UEFA Champions League 2025/26 season enters its most intense phase this week as the knockout play-offs kick off. Sixteen clubs that finished outside the top eight in the league phase now face high-stakes, two-legged ties to secure a spot in the Round of 16.

The first legs are scheduled for Tuesday, 17 February, and Wednesday, 18 February, with return legs following on 24–25 February 2026. The winners of these ties will join the eight clubs already qualified for the Round of 16, setting the stage for the next chapter in Europe’s premier club competition.

Among the week’s most anticipated matches is Benfica versus Real Madrid, where the Spanish giants return to Lisbon hoping to overturn recent setbacks and assert their European credentials. In France, Monaco face Paris Saint‑Germain, a fixture that pits Ligue 1 heavyweights against each other in a contest that could influence both European and domestic momentum.

Other fixtures promise drama as Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Newcastle United, Club Brugge, Atlético Madrid, Bodø/Glimt, Inter Milan, Olympiacos, and Bayer Leverkusen look to gain an advantage in their respective ties. Weather could play a role in northern Europe, with Bodø/Glimt’s snowy conditions potentially influencing the game against Inter Milan, while tactical battles, player fitness, and squad rotations will be closely watched across all matches.

The first-leg fixtures are as follows:

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

Galatasaray vs Juventus

Monaco vs Paris Saint‑Germain

Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta

Benfica vs Real Madrid

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Qarabağ vs Newcastle United

Club Brugge vs Atlético Madrid

Bodø/Glimt vs Inter Milan

Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen

All matches kick off in the evening CET slots, providing fans across Europe with back-to-back nights of high-stakes football.

Return legs on 24–25 February 2026 will decide which eight teams progress to the Round of 16. With Europe’s elite clubs now in direct knockout competition, every goal, tackle, and decision counts in the race toward the season’s climax at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna on 30 May 2026.