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Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City players have now discovered their complete pathway to a potential third UEFA Champions League final.
That comes after the completion of the knockout stage draw on Friday morning, with Manchester City one of eight teams to have qualified automatically for the last-16, avoiding a two-legged play-off affair that cost them dearly during the last campaign.
City’s campaign featured a historic start and a nervous finish, ending the league phase on 16 points after five wins, one draw, and two defeats, with the early highlights dominated by Erling Haaland – who became the fastest player to reach 50 Champions League goals in a 2–0 win over Napoli.
Statement victories followed including a 4–1 rout of Borussia Dortmund and a 1-2 win away at Real Madrid. However, City’s momentum stalled with a home loss to Bayer Leverkusen and 3–1 defeat in Norway to Bodø/Glimt, forcing them to beat Galatasaray 2–0 on the final matchday to ensure they bypassed the play-off round.
By securing a seeded spot, City also ensured they would play the second leg of the Round of 16 at the Etihad Stadium, and following the results of the play-off round, the club were guaranteed to face either Real Madrid or Bodø/Glimt.
Now, it has been confirmed that Manchester City will face Real Madrid across two-legs in the Champions League’s last-16, starting with an away tie at the Bernabeu on 10/11 March, before returning to the Etihad Stadium for the second-leg on 17/18 March.
For Manchester City, this will mean that their first-leg clash in Spain will follow the FA Cup fifth round tie away at Newcastle United, and precede an away trip to West Ham at the London Stadium.
As for the second-leg at the Etihad Stadium, that match will follow the aforementioned trip to the capital, and precede the Carabao Cup Final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.
Champions League Last-16 Draw
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Bodo/Glimt vs Sporting CP
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
Newcastle United vs Barcelona
Galatasaray vs Liverpool
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur
Atalanta vs Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal
As part of Friday’s draw procedure, Manchester City have also found out a potential route to the showpiece Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May, 2026.
Should Manchester City progress beyond Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League, they would then go on to face the winners of Atalanta vs Bayern Munich in that particular Round of 16 clash.
The semi-final of the Champions League would then see Manchester City take on one of either Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Galatasaray, or Liverpool depending on the outcome of that element of the tournament bracket.
Full Champions League round dates
Round of 16: 10/11 March and 17/18 March
Quarter-Final: 7/8 April and 14/15 April
Semi-Final: 28/29 April and 5/6 May
Final: 30 May