Champions League February 25: Full match schedule and kickoff times
Winners to be decided today in four Champions League fixtures (photo: Getty Images)
Today, February 25, the final participants of the first knockout round of the Champions League will be determined. Four evening matches will reveal which clubs join the top eight in the fight for the trophy, according to the official UEFA website.
Tournament format and Round of 16 participants
According to the updated Champions League regulations, the top eight clubs from the group stage automatically secured spots in the Round of 16.
These include English teams Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City, German Bayern Munich, Spanish Barcelona, Portuguese Sporting, and London-based Chelsea.
Teams that finished 9th–24th are currently completing playoff matches for the right to continue in the tournament.
The final will be held in Budapest on May 30, 2026, at the Puskás Arena.
Ukrainian showdown: Real Madrid hosts Benfica
The biggest attention of Ukrainian fans is on Madrid. Real Madrid, with Andriy Lunin in goal, will defend a slim 1-0 advantage from the first leg, thanks to a goal by Vinícius Júnior.
That match was overshadowed by a racist incident, which forced the referee to temporarily stop the game.
Interestingly, Benfica became Real’s opponent after a dramatic group stage finish.
At the end of the group stage, Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored in the final minutes against Madrid, sending his team into the knockout stage. Alongside Trubin, Heorhiy Sudakov also plays for the “Eagles.”
Other Ukrainian players whose fates will be decided today include Illia Zabarniy with PSG, facing Monaco, and Danylo Krevsun with Borussia Dortmund, visiting Atalanta.
Champions League match schedule for February 25
The four concluding matches of the Round of 16 will take place today. Kickoff times are in Kyiv time:
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7:45 p.m. – Atalanta (Italy) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany) (first leg result: 0-2)
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10:00 p.m. – PSG (France) vs Monaco (France) (first leg result: 3-2)
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10:00 p.m. – Real Madrid (Spain) vs Benfica (Portugal) (first leg result: 1-0)
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10:00 p.m. – Juventus (Italy) vs Galatasaray (Turkey) (first leg result: 2-5)
Earlier, we reported the Champions League results from February 24 and the names of the four additional teams advancing to the tournament’s playoffs.
