Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa’s path to the Champions League final becomes clearer as the last 16 teams are confirmed.

The Champions League round of 16 draw is set for Friday, with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Aston Villa securing automatic qualification.

Their paths to the final became clearer after the last 16 teams were confirmed on Wednesday night. Tuesday’s matches saw Feyenoord, Bayern Munich, Club Brugge, and Benfica advance on aggregate, concluding the first-ever knockout phase play-offs featuring Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting CP, PSG vs. Brest, Real Madrid vs. Manchester City, and PSV Eindhoven vs. Juventus.

The eight teams that qualified automatically by finishing in the top eight are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, Lille, and Liverpool. However, the draw is not entirely random. A new ‘seeding’ system, based on final league standings, has mapped out potential quarter-final and semi-final matchups, shaping each team’s journey to the final.

Certain teams cannot face each other before the final due to the seeding system. Liverpool and Barcelona, having finished in the top two, can only meet in the final in Munich. Similarly, Arsenal and Inter Milan (3rd and 4th), Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen (5th and 6th), and Lille and Aston Villa (7th and 8th) are also paired accordingly.

Potential Routes:

Liverpool

Round of 16: PSG or Benfica

Quarter-finals: Club Brugge, Lille, Aston Villa, or Borussia Dortmund

Semi-finals (bracket-dependent): Real Madrid, PSV, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, or Feyenoord

Arsenal

Round of 16: PSV or Feyenoord

Quarter-finals: Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, or Real Madrid

Semi-finals (bracket-dependent): PSG, Liverpool, Barcelona, Club Brugge, Lille, Aston Villa, Benfica, or Borussia Dortmund

Aston Villa

Round of 16: Borussia Dortmund or Club Brugge

Quarter-finals: PSG, Benfica, Liverpool, or Barcelona

Semi-finals (bracket-dependent): Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Real Madrid, or PSV

Full List of Round of 16 Teams:

Liverpool

Barcelona

Arsenal

Inter Milan

Atletico Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen

Lille

Aston Villa

Borussia Dortmund

Real Madrid

Bayern Munich

PSV

PSG

Benfica

Feyenoord

Club Brugge