UEFA Champions League: how the knockout rounds work in 2026
From the new league phase to the final — your complete guide to the format, fixtures and how to stream every minute.
The Champions League format reshuffled in 2024, and 2026's edition keeps the new rhythm: a single 36-team league phase, followed by knockouts. Here's how to follow every twist.
The league phase, explained
Each club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, four at home and four away, drawn from four pots of nine. The top eight clubs in the unified standings advance directly to the round of 16. Clubs ranked 9 to 24 fight it out in a two-legged playoff round.
The knockouts
From the round of 16 onwards, it's classic two-legged ties — except for the final, of course. The 2026 Final will be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
Streaming in 4K
Every Champions League fixture is available on StreamlixIPTV in 4K UHD with the option of original-language commentary. Pre-match analysis starts 45 minutes before kickoff.
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