The eighth and final round of the league stage in the UEFA Champions League for the 2025/2026 season concluded on Wednesday evening, featuring 18 decisive matches to determine the team rankings.

According to the report, eight clubs qualified directly for the Round of 16 after securing the top eight positions in the Champions League standings, under the new system implemented since last season.

The system stipulates that the top eight positions qualify directly, while teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth will compete in a playoff stage with a home-and-away format to determine the remaining qualifiers.

Among the teams that secured their qualification earlier were English club Arsenal and German club Bayern Munich, while Liverpool joined the direct qualifiers after securing third place with 18 points following their 6-0 victory over Qarabag.

The direct qualifiers were ranked as follows: Arsenal with 24 points, Bayern Munich with 21 points, Liverpool with 18 points, Tottenham with 17 points, Barcelona with 16 points, Chelsea with 16 points, Sporting Lisbon with 16 points, and Manchester City with 16 points.

With this direct qualification, these teams have guaranteed their participation in the Round of 16 without the need to play in the playoff matches, while the remaining teams will compete for the remaining spots according to the home-and-away system, keeping the excitement alive in the tournament until the final round of the playoffs.