The presence of six Premier League clubs in the Champions League round of 16 was widely seen as proof of the league’s growing dominance in European football. Yet the first-leg results have quickly dampened that narrative.

Instead of reinforcing English supremacy, the opening matches delivered a sobering reminder that success in Europe is rarely straightforward. Manchester City and Chelsea both suffered heavy defeats, while Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur had already endured disappointing results earlier in the week.

Sobering Champions League matchday for EPL clubs

Even Arsenal, currently leading the Premier League, were pushed to the brink. Mikel Arteta’s side needed a stoppage-time penalty from Kai Havertz to salvage a draw against Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, despite having cruised through the league phase with eight wins from eight matches.

Tottenham’s struggles were particularly stark as they were comfortably beaten by Atletico Madrid. Liverpool also stumbled against Galatasaray, while Newcastle United came agonisingly close to beating Barcelona at St James’ Park before a late penalty denied them a memorable victory.

The Premier League has had a rough time through the first two days of the Champions League knockout round 😬

🤝 Arsenal draw 1-1 after an 89th-minute penalty
❌ Liverpool lose 1-0 to Galatasaray for the second time this season
❌ Manchester City lose 3-0 to UCL rivals Real… pic.twitter.com/Z44RZVBMDg

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 11, 2026

With the second legs still to come, several English teams now face an uphill battle to keep their Champions League hopes alive. Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham must overturn three-goal deficits, a daunting task at this stage of the competition. Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool appear to have the best chance of advancing.

It is worth noting that five of the six Premier League teams played their first legs away from home, which could make the return fixtures slightly more favourable. Still, the early results suggest that English clubs may not have things as easy as the league-stage standings initially indicated.

The revamped Champions League format had seen Premier League teams dominate the table phase, prompting predictions that they could control the knockout rounds as well. But clubs that progressed through the play-offs — including Bodo/Glimt, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Galatasaray — have shown they are more than capable of challenging the English contingent.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was present at the Bernabeu, believes the talk of English dominance may have been premature.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Robinson said: “We spoke about the England teams and dominance in Europe. Look at how easily they qualified, in the Europa and Conference leagues as well. But in the Champions League, not one English team has won.

“Manchester City were in a better place than Real Madrid. They were injury-ravaged. It looked like an under-23 side with a scattering of experience for Real. But they were clinical and well-coached and hit City on the counter-attack.”

“Unfortunately we couldn’t do it!”

Pep Guardiola reacts after Manchester City’s defeat to Real Madrid 🎙️@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK | @julesbreach pic.twitter.com/25sZ6GrUFU

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 11, 2026

Data analysts have also adjusted their projections following the first-leg results. According to Opta, the chances of all six Premier League clubs reaching the quarter-finals have dropped compared to the probabilities before the round-of-16 matches began.

For now, the idea of Premier League dominance in Europe remains under scrutiny, with the second legs set to determine whether English clubs can restore their standing in the competition.

Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16, the UEFA draw decided on Friday, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain will take on Chelsea in what will be a rematch of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final.

While Man City directly qualified for the UCL Round of 16, Real Madrid had to play a playoff against Benfica. Now they have another big challenge in Man City.

It will be the second consecutive time that Real Madrid will face Man City in the Round of 16 in the Champions League. Last season, Real had won 6-3 on aggregate.

Real Madrid and Manchester City also met in the league phase of the Champions League this season, with the former English Premier League team winning 2-1.

Arsenal, who topped the league phase, have been drawn against Bayer Leverkusen, while second-ranked Bayern Munich take on Atalanta. EPL team Newcastle face a tough task against Barcelona. In the group stage, Barcelona had defeated Newcastle 2-1.

Another big game in the Round of 16 is Atletico Madrid facing Tottenham, while Liverpool will be up against Galatasaray.

Bodo/Glimt, who have been the story of the Champions League so far, have been drawn against Sporting Club.

UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 draw

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

Bodo/Glimt vs Sporting Club

Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea

Newcastle United vs Barcelona

Galatasaray vs Liverpool

Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur

Atalanta vs Bayern Munich

Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen

The Champions League Round of 16 matches will be played on 10 and 11 March, with the return legs taking place on 17 and 18.

Champions League Round of 16 LIVE Streaming: The matches will be shown live on Sony Sports TV channels and the SonyLIV app and website.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side’s second goal during the second leg of the Champions League playoff soccer match between Real Madrid and Benfica in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo)

PARIS: Real Madrid and Manchester City will face off in a Champions League knockout tie for the fifth season running after being drawn Friday to play each other in the last 16, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will take on Chelsea.The Spanish giants, record 15-time European champions, will host City in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month before travelling to England for the return the following week. The clubs have already played each other this season, with Pep Guardiola’s City winning 2-1 in Madrid in December during the league phase, in which the Premier League club finished eighth and Real ninth.That allowed City, Champions League winners in 2023, to advance straight to the last 16 while Madrid had to come through the knockout phase play-offs, in which they beat Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.This is the eighth season in which the teams have played each other since 2012. Real beat City in the knockout phase play-offs last season, and in the quarter-finals on the way to winning the trophy in 2024. They also emerged victorious in the semi-finals in 2022 with City winning at the same stage the following year.PSG will be at home to Chelsea in the first leg after qualifying for this stage with a 5-4 aggregate win over Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in the play-offs. Chelsea progressed straight to the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase.The sides played each other in the knockout stages in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, with Chelsea winning the first of those confrontations in the quarter-finals and PSG triumphing in the last 16 in the following two.Their last encounter came in July’s Club World Cup final in the United States, when Chelsea won 3-0 against last season’s European champions.Chelsea have been coached since January by Liam Rosenior, who had previously come up against PSG in Ligue 1 as coach of Strasbourg.– Arsenal face Leverkusen, Newcastle play Barcelona –There is a record total of six English clubs in the last 16. None will play each other in the last 16 but there are two potential all-English quarter-finals.Liverpool will have a last-16 rematch against Galatasaray, the Turkish giants having defeated the Anfield club 1-0 in September in the league phase.The winner of that tie will play either PSG or Chelsea in the quarter-finals, meaning there is a chance Liverpool will get the opportunity to avenge their defeat by the Parisians on penalties a year ago.Meanwhile, Newcastle United will take on Barcelona with the first leg at St James’ Park — the Spanish side won 2-1 there during the league phase in September.Tottenham Hotspur were drawn to play Atletico Madrid, with the winners of that tie then facing Newcastle or Barcelona in the last eight.Arsenal, who finished first in the league phase, will come up against Bayer Leverkusen and if they win that would then be huge favourites in a quarter-final against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting of Portugal.The last-16 meeting with Sporting is the Norwegian upstarts’ reward for knocking out last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan in the play-offs.German champions Bayern Munich will play Atalanta, the sole Italian club left in the competition.The first legs will take place on March 10 and 11, with the second legs a week later. The teams who qualified directly for this stage after finishing in the top eight in the league phase will all be at home in the return matches.This season’s Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.