Overview
- UEFA’s 36‑team league phase sends the top eight straight to the round of 16, places 9–24 into two‑leg playoffs, and eliminates the bottom eight with no Europa League fallback.
- After matchday seven, 15 clubs have guaranteed at least a playoff berth, while Kairat Almaty, Villarreal, Slavia Prague and Eintracht Frankfurt are out.
- All 18 fixtures kick off simultaneously on Wednesday, Jan. 28, a unified finale that will determine the remaining direct qualifiers and finalize seeds 9–24.
- Premier League sides hold strong positions, with Arsenal already through and Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City well placed in the upper tier.
- Barcelona sit ninth on 13 points and boost their top‑eight chances with a home win over Copenhagen, while Real Madrid on 15 points can clinch direct passage with a win at Benfica and are very likely to do so even with a draw due to goal difference.