The race to secure a place in the 2023/24 Champions League Round of 16 went to the final set of group-stage games.
The group stage ended on December 13, as 16 teams moved into the knockout stage in 2024, and 16 teams dropped out of the competition at the first hurdle.
Manchester City were one of the teams to seal their place in the knockouts early, with rivals Manchester United knocked out.
The semifinals have now concluded, with Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid both producing sensational performances to book their spot in the showpiece.
Dortmund defeated PSG 2-0 on aggregate to reach the final for the first time in 11 years, while Real staged a stunning late comeback to beat Bayern Munich over two legs.
The Sporting News looks at which teams competed in the knockouts and how the schedule shaped-up.
MORE: UEFA Champions League group stage standings, results, schedule, and fixtures for 2023/24
Which teams were in UEFA Champions League semifinal?
- Borussia Dortmund
- PSG
- Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
UEFA Champions League semifinal results 2024
Here is how the ties were drawn for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League semifinals.
| Semifinal | First leg | Second leg |
| Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain | Dortmund 1-0 PSG | PSG 0-1 Dortmund |
| Real Madrid 4-3 Bayern Munich | Bayern 2-2 Real Madrid | Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern |
Which teams were in UEFA Champions League quarterfinals?
- Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid
- Arsenal
- Barcelona
- Borussia Dortmund
UEFA Champions League quarterfinal results 2024
Here is how the ties were drawn for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
| Quarterfinal | First leg | Second leg |
| Arsenal 2-3 Bayern Munich | Arsenal 2-2 Bayern | Bayern 1-0 Arsenal |
| Atletico Madrid 4-5 Borussia Dortmund | Atletico 2-1 Dortmund | Dortmund 4-2 Atletico |
| Real Madrid 4-4 Manchester City | Real Madrid 3-3 Man City | Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (3-4 pens) |
| Paris Saint-Germain 6-4 Barcelona | PSG 2-3 Barcelona | Barcelona 1-4 PSG |
Teams in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Every team qualified
As teams reached their goal of clinching a place in the knockout stages, other sides were eliminated during a crucial final round of group matches in December.
The table below shows which teams qualified for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 after the final matchday.
| Team | Date progressed | Group |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| RB Leipzig (GER) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| Bayern Munich (GER) | Nov. 8 | Group A |
| Real Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group C |
| Real Sociedad (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Inter Milan (ITA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Barcelona (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group H |
| Borussia Dortmund (GER) | Nov. 28 | Group F |
| Atletico Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Lazio (ITA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Arsenal (ENG) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| PSV Eindhoven (NED) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| FC Copenhagen (DEN) | Dec. 12 | Group A |
| Napoli (ITA) | Dec. 12 | Group C |
| Paris St-Germain (FRA) | Dec. 13 | Group F |
| Porto (POR) | Dec. 13 | Group H |
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 results
Here's the full draw.
| Round of 16 fixtures | First leg | Second leg |
| Porto 1-1 Arsenal | Porto 1-0 Arsenal | Arsenal 1-0 Porto (4-2 pens) |
| Napoli 2-4 Barcelona | Napoli 1-1 Barcelona | Barcelona 3-1 Napoli |
| Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Real Sociedad | PSG 2-0 Real | Real 1-2 PSG |
| Inter 2-2 Atletico Madrid | Inter 1-0 Atletico | Atletico 2-1 Inter (3-2 pens) |
| PSV 1-3 Borussia Dortmund | PSV 1-1 Dortmund | Dortmund 2-0 PSV |
| Lazio 1-3 Bayern Munich | Lazio 1-0 Bayern | Bayern 3-0 Lazio |
| Copenhagen 2-6 Manchester City | Copenhagen 1-3 Man City | Man City 3-1 Copenhagen |
| RB Leipzig 1-2 Real Madrid | Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid | Real Madrid 1-1 RB Leipzig |
How does Champions League Round of 16 qualification work?
Qualification for the Champions League Round of 16 follows a mini-league format based on results from group matches. All eight groups (A-H) include four teams, with the top two qualifying for the next phase, and the bottom two eliminated.
Tiebreakers are used when two teams are tied on overall points, with head-to-head points in the games played between them used first, followed by head-to-head goal difference and head-to-head goals scored.
Here is the full list of UEFA Champions League group stage tiebreakers follow below as per the official tournament regulations:
- Points obtained in group matches played among teams in question
- Superior goal difference from group matches played among teams in question
- Goals scored in group matches played among teams in question
- Criteria 1-3 reapplied exclusively to the matches between the remaining teams
- Superior goal difference in all group matches
- Goals scored in all group matches
- Away goals scored in all group matches
- Wins in all group matches
- Away wins in all group matches
- Disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards
- UEFA club coefficient
When the groups were finally settled, the team finishing fourth is eliminated from European competition for the season, with the third-place side offered a route into the UEFA Europa League.
The Europa League group stages follows the same format as the Champions League, with group winners qualifying directly for the Round of 16 in that competition, and teams finishing in second facing a playoff against second place Champions League finishers, to reach the Round of 16.
Europa League second-place teams are seeded for the Round of 16 playoff draw and Champions League third place teams are not.
How does the knockout stage work in the Champions League?
From the Round of 16 onwards, the Champions League is a straight knockout format, with two-legged games determining the winner in the Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal.
What happens if knockout matches finish tied?
UEFA no longer use away goals as a tiebreaker in Champions League, and if a game is level after both legs of the tie, for example a 1-1 draw in the home and away games, it will progress to extra time at the end of the second match.
If no winner is confirmed after the 30 minutes of extra time, the qualifier for the next round will be decided by a penalty shootout, with the final following the same structure.
UEFA Champions League schedule 2023/24
- Group stage: Sept 19-Dec 13, 2023
- Round of 16: Feb 13-March 13, 2024
- Quarterfinals: April 9-17, 2024
- Semifinals: April 30-May 8, 2024
- Final: June 1, 2024
The 2022/23 Champions League was amended to fit in the 2022 World Cup, but the 2023/24 tournament follows a more traditional format, with group-stage matches stretching into December
There was then a standard three-month break before the knockout stages began in mid-February.
The 2023/24 Champions League final will be held on June 1, at Wembley Stadium, as a slightly earlier clash, due to the incoming Euro 2024 tournament.
How to watch Champions League around the world
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | Sony TEN | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| Malaysia | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect, sooka |
| New Zealand | — | Spark Sport |
| Singapore | beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect, StarHub TV+ |
| UK | TNT Sports | discovery+ |
| USA | CBS, CBSSN, Univision, TUDN, UniMas | Fubo, Paramount+, ViX or ViX+ |
USA: Matches are available to stream on Paramount+ (English) and ViX (Spanish) for subscribers, and when matches are televised on CBS or Univision channels, those are also streamed on Fubo.
Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.
UK: Matches are broadcast on TNT Sports and streamed on discovery+.
