UEFA Youth League round of 32 report: Inter, Paris Saint-Germain, Atleti through
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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Reigning champions Barcelona were knocked out by Maccabi Haifa, while Benfica, Villarreal and Real Betis were among the other teams to book their places in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
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The UEFA Youth League round of 32 concluded in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, with the line-up for the round of 16 now set.
In front of a record-breaking crowd of 50,000 in Cologne, Inter left it late to score 97th and 99th-minute goals through Dilan Zarate and Roberts Kukulis to beat Köln 3-1. Meanwhile Rodrigo Marina was the hero for Real Betis, netting a hat-trick in his side's 5-1 victory over Tottenham.
Who is through to the round of 16?
Atleti (ESP), AZ Alkmaar (NED), Benfica (POR), Chelsea (ENG), Club Brugge (BEL), Frankfurt (GER), HJK (FIN), Inter (ITA), Legia Warszawa (POL), Maccabi Haifa (ISR), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Real Betis (ESP), Real Madrid (ESP), Sporting CP (POR), Villarreal (ESP), Žilina (SVK)
There were two dramatic penalty shoot-out victories, with Maccabi Haifa beating holders Barcelona 3-1 following a 2-2 draw and HJK Helsinki defeating Manchester City 5-4 after a thrilling 3-3 draw in normal time, to become the first Finnish side to reach the round of 16.
Elsewhere Benfica and Villarreal secured 3-2 triumphs over Slavia Praha and Leverkusen respectively, Legia Waszawa overcame Ajax 2-1, Sporting CP saw off Puskás Akadémia by the same scoreline and there were big wins for Atleti over Dynamo Kyiv (6-2) and Paris over Dinamo-Minsk (4-0).
On Tuesday, a Bendegúz Kovács hat-trick helped AZ beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 and reach the round of 16 for the fifth year running. Another former champion, Real Madrid, kept up their unique record of getting there in all 12 competition editions thanks to a 5-2 defeat of Marseille. In the process they became the first club to reach 100 games and 250 goals in the UEFA Youth League.
Two-time winners Chelsea, who topped the league phase table, edged out PSV Eindhoven after an epic penalty shoot-out.
Club Brugge recovered from two down to beat Monaco 3-2 and reach the round of 16 for the first time, a feat matched by Eintracht Frankfurt as they overcame Athletic Club on penalties. Žilina will make their third last-16 appearance in five seasons after their own comeback to defeat Liverpool 2-1.
The 16 winners go into the draw at 13:00 CET on Friday that will set the knockout bracket for the rest of the competition.
UEFA YOUTH LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 MATCHES
Tuesday 3 February
AZ Alkmaar 4-0 Borussia Dortmund
Club Brugge 3-2 Monaco
Real Madrid 5-2 Marseille
Žilina 2-1 Liverpool
Chelsea 1-1 PSV (Chelsea win 7-6 on pens)
Athletic Club 2-2 Frankfurt (Frankfurt win 4-3 on pens)
Wednesday 4 February
Dynamo Kyiv 2-6 Atleti
Legia Warszawa 2-1 Ajax
Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Dinamo-Minsk
Benfica 3-2 Slavia Praha
Villarreal 3-2 Leverkusen
HJK Helsinki 3-3 Manchester City (HJK Helsinki win 5-4 on pens)
Puskás Akadémia 1-2 Sporting CP
Maccabi Haifa 2-2 Barcelona (Maccabi Haifa win 3-1 on pens)
Köln 1-3 Inter
Real Betis 5-1 Tottenham
ROAD TO NYON: UEFA YOUTH LEAGUE KNOCKOUT CALENDAR
Knockout draw (round of 16 onwards): 6 February, Nyon
Round of 16: 24/25 February
Quarter-finals: 17/18 March
Semi-finals: 17 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
Final: 20 April (Colovray Sports Centre, Nyon)
How teams reached the round of 32
League phase 1st–6th place: Chelsea, Benfica, Club Brugge, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Athletic Club
League phase 7th–16th place: Atleti, Barcelona, Tottenham, Manchester City, B. Dortmund, Sporting CP, Paris, Inter, Ajax, Liverpool
League phase 17th–22nd place: Leverkusen, Monaco, PSV, Slavia Praha, Frankfurt, Marseille
Domestic champions path qualifiers: AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo-Minsk, Dynamo Kyiv, HJK, Köln, Legia Warszawa, Maccabi Haifa, Puskás Akadémia, Real Betis, Žilina
