A whirlwind Champions League group stage will be over by the time the World Cup starts, and by Qatar 2022 we will also know the match-ups in the round of 16.
The final round of group games takes place on 1-2 November, but already holders Real Madrid are among the teams to have qualified for the last 16.
Chelsea and Manchester City have also progressed, both as group winners, but Celtic and Rangers can no longer reach the knockout stages of the tournament.
Rangers still have an outside chance of finishing third in Group A, which would seal a place in the Europa League knockout play-offs, but Celtic will finish bottom of Group F – meaning their European campaign is over.
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Champions League results in full as Chelsea qualify, Juventus crash out and Messi dazzles25 October, 2022Meanwhile, both Liverpool and Tottenham are looking to qualify from their respective groups.
Liverpool sit second, three points behind Group A leaders Napoli, with Jurgen Klopp’s side hosting the Italian club on 1 November.
First, though, Liverpool travel to Ajax on Wednesday night, with the Dutch champions third and looking to leapfrog the Reds in the table.
Spurs currently top a tight Group D with two matches remaining. They are a point above both Sporting and Marseille, while Eintracht Frankfurt are three points behind.
On Wednesday, Spurs host Sporting and then travel to France to play Marseille on 1 November. The group looks set to go down to the wire, with first place offering the reward of facing a runner-up from another group in the last 16, providing they are not from the same association.
With that in mind, if Liverpool remain second, they cannot face Napoli, Manchester City or Chelsea in the last 16, but could play Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain – or even Club Brugge, who currently top Group B ahead of Porto and Atletico Madrid.
There is no place in the last 16 for Juventus, meanwhile, with the Serie A club out at the group stage for the first time since 2013. Barcelona could also be knocked out on Wednesday night.
When is the Champions League last-16 draw?
The Champions League last-16 draw will take place at 11am GMT on Monday 7 November.
Group winners will take on group runners-up. Teams from the same group or association cannot meet in the last 16.
Which teams have qualified for last 16?
- Group A: Napoli, TBC
- Group B: Club Brugge, TBC
- Group C: Bayern Munich, TBC
- Group D: TBC, TBC
- Group E: Chelsea*, TBC
- Group F: Real Madrid, TBC
- Group G: Manchester City*, Dortmund
- Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica
*Through as group winners
Who could still qualify?
- Group A: Liverpool, Ajax
- Group B: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Leverkusen
- Group C: Inter, Barcelona
- Group D: Tottenham, Marseille, Sporting, Eintracht Frankfurt
- Group E: Milan, RB Salzburg
- Group F: RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk
- Group G: N/A
- Group H: N/A
How Man City and Chelsea reached last 16
Two recent draws did little to prevent Manchester City from topping Group G with a match to spare, with Pep Guardiola seemingly happy to coast to the line and rest his players whenever possible.
It made the 0-0 draw in Dortmund, which saw Erling Haaland and Joao Cancelo come off at half-time, somewhat of a damp squib, but as Guardiola suggested it was a result which suited both sides.
City took command of the group with a 4-0 win in Sevilla and 2-1 home win over Dortmund. They made it a perfect three when thrashing Copenhagen 5-0, although they did then draw the reverse fixture 0-0 in Denmark.
HAALAND, STOP THAT!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 14, 2022
A ridiculous assist from Cancelo, an even more ridiculous finish from Erling Haaland
How does he do this!? #UCL pic.twitter.com/7u2W23ZC6j
The overall group standings will not be finalised until 2 November, but as it stands City could face Inter or Milan, among others, in the last 16.
Chelsea, meanwhile, bounced back from recording just one point in their opening two games to win their next three and top the group with one match remaining.
Thomas Tuchel’s last match in charge was the 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb, and a week later Graham Potter’s first match as Chelsea boss was the 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg.
From there, Potter’s Chelsea went on to record an impressive double over Milan – 3-0 at home then 2-0 away – before ending Salzburg’s home run with a 2-1 victory.
Like City, Chelsea could also face Inter in the last 16, with Dortmund among their other possible match-ups.
The potential opponents will be known on 2 November, with the draw then taking place five days later in Switzerland.
Champions League dates and schedule
Round of 16: 14/15/21/22 February & 7/8/14/15 March 2023
Quarter-final and semi-final draw: 17 March 2023
Quarter-finals: 11/12 & 18/19 April 2023
Semi-finals: 9/10 & 16/17 May 2023
Final: 10 June 2023
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