The Champions League group stage has concluded, with the field whittled down to the final 16 teams. While there will be no more matches before the World Cup break hits, there is still one more event on the calendar that will set the matchups for when the competition resumes in 2023.
The Round of 16 draw will lock in the eight matchups for the first knockout stage and lay the groundwork for what clubs must do as they eye the return of European play once the calendar turns.
There are eight group winners who will match up against eight second-place finishers with all 16 teams having an eye on the final prize.
Only one can emerge victorious, lifting the trophy at the season’s conclusion. Will it be defending champions Real Madrid, Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, or another challenger who emerges with the silverware? The road to Istanbul begins in earnest now, and it’s do or die for everyone remaining as the single elimination knockout tournament beings.
MORE: Get today’s best bets across the football landscape from The Sporting News
How to watch Champions League Round of 16 draw
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| Australia | Mon, Nov. 7 | 22:00 AEDT | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | Mon, Nov. 7 | 06:00 ET | DAZN | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Mon, Nov. 7 | 19:00 HKT | Now TV | beIN Sports |
| India | Mon, Nov. 7 | 16:30 IST | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| Malaysia | Mon, Nov. 7 | 19:00 MYT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| New Zealand | Tue, Nov. 8 | 00:00 NZDT | — | Spark Sport |
| Singapore | Mon, Nov. 7 | 19:00 SGT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| UK | Mon, Nov. 7 | 11:00 GMT | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport |
| USA | Mon, Nov. 7 | 06:00 ET | — | CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+ |
The Champions League Round of 16 draw will take place on Monday, November 7, 2022 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw will be televised live around the world on UEFA.com. It will also be carried on most Champions League rights-holders around the world, which are shown above.
It will be held a mere five days after the conclusion of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, November 2. This will ensure that the knockout stage schedule is set prior to the break for the 2022 World Cup.
How Champions League Round of 16 draw works
In the Champions League Round of 16 draw, only the first knockout round matchups will be selected. There will be a second draw on March 17, 2023 to select the remaining pathways for the knockout stage from the quarterfinal on.
For the November last-16 draw, one seeded team will be selected to face one unseeded team in each of the eight matchups. The seeded teams are those who won their groups, while the unseeded teams are those that finished in second. The unseeded teams will play at home in the first leg.
There are a few restrictions to keep in mind. Teams hailing from the same country and the same group cannot be drawn against one another in the Round of 16. Additionally, teams from the same group cannot end up rematched at this stage. Both of those restrictions will be removed for the rest of the tournament from the quarterfinals through to the final.
Seeded teams in Champions League Round of 16 draw
There are only two pots for the Champions League Round of 16 draw in 2022/23. They consist of the seeded and unseeded teams, with eight in each pot.
The pots below are final as of the conclusion of the group stage on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.
| Group | 1st Place (Group Winners) |
2nd Place (Group Runners-up) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Napoli | Liverpool |
| B | Porto | Club Brugge |
| C | Bayern Munich | Inter Milan |
| D | Tottenham | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| E | Chelsea | AC Milan |
| F | Real Madrid | RB Leipzig |
| G | Man City | Borussia Dortmund |
| H | Benfica | PSG |
Best Possible draw for Champions League Round of 16
Given the above seeds and how they could play out, here’s a mock draw that would leave fans with mouths watering as they await the renewal of Champions League play in 2023.
| Fixture | Seeded Team | Unseeded Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoli | PSG |
| 2 | Porto | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 3 | Bayern Munich | Liverpool |
| 4 | Tottenham | AC Milan |
| 5 | Chelsea | Club Brugge |
| 6 | Real Madrid | RB Leipzig |
| 7 | Man City | Inter Milan |
| 8 | Benfica | Borussia Dortmund |
In this potential draw, all eight fixtures would be hotly contested.
Napoli and PSG pits the two hottest teams in Europe through the first half of the season together, while Bayern Munich draws a flawed but slowly improving Liverpool side that could beat anyone on its day.
Manchester City would get a tough draw with Italian side Inter Milan that continues to baffle teams at the San Siro, while Tottenham and AC Milan would create a wonderful tactical battle. Chelsea could see an upset in Club Brugge, while Real Madrid would have to be sharp to get past RB Leipzig.
