When is Champions League last-16 draw & how does it work?

With the conclusion of the playoff stage on Wednesday, the 16 teams advancing to the next stage of Europe's premier club competition have been confirmed. Friday's draw will determine which opponents the seeded teams (i.e., the top eight teams from the league stage) will face in the round of 16, and which half of the draw they will enter.

You can watch the Champions League round of 16 draw on the BBC Sport website and app at 19:00 Beijing time on February 21st, and follow our live text coverage. We will also provide updates on the Europa League (20:00) and Europa Conference League (21:00) draws.

This season's Champions League format has been expanded, increasing the number of matches from 125 to 189. The final will be held in Munich on Saturday, May 31st. Teams will be paired as seeded teams, for example, Liverpool (seed 1) and Barcelona (seed 2) will be in different halves of the draw and will not meet before the final. Teams from the same country can meet at any stage. UEFA abolished the away goals rule at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, stating that it was "no longer appropriate" to "carry greater weight."

Liverpool will face either Paris Saint-Germain (who eliminated Brest with a 10-0 aggregate score after a 7-0 victory in the second leg) or Benfica. Arsenal will play against Feyenoord, who eliminated AC Milan, or PSV Eindhoven, who defeated Juventus in extra time. Aston Villa will face Club Brugge, who defeated Atalanta, or Borussia Dortmund, who beat Sporting CP 3-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the second leg.

Based on this season's performance in European competitions, the two leagues will receive an extra spot in next season's Champions League. Currently, the Premier League is in the lead, with six of its seven teams reaching the round of 16 in all three UEFA club competitions. Manchester City's loss to Real Madrid is England's only blemish, while Spain is close behind and closing the gap. However, Italy, ranked third, has had a rather poor period in February, with AC Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus all losing in the knockout round playoffs, limiting Serie A's chances of earning more points. Germany's outlook seems difficult, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the same half of the Champions League draw. The same situation applies to France. Paris Saint-Germain and Lille are the representatives remaining in the Champions League, with Monaco and Brest eliminated in the playoff stage. Lyon, in the Europa League, is the only French team left in European competition. Meanwhile, Portugal has four of its five teams still competing, but lost Sporting CP, who was defeated by Borussia Dortmund. They may need Porto to defeat Roma in the Europa League playoff to improve their chances of catching up with the top five.