UEFA Youth League round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final draw: Real Madrid vs Chelsea, Inter vs Real Betis

The draw for the UEFA Youth League round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final took place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday 6 February 2026.

Youth League round of 16 fixtures

24/25 February

Inter vs Real Betis
Frankfurt vs Sporting CP
Benfica vs AZ Alkmaar
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Žilina vs Club Brugge
Paris Saint-Germain vs HJK Helsinki
Atlético de Madrid vs Maccabi Haifa
Villarreal vs Legia Warszawa

Youth League quarter-final ties

Inter/Real Betis vs Benfica/AZ Alkmaar
Real Madrid/Chelsea vs Frankfurt/Sporting CP
Atlético de Madrid/Maccabi Haifa vs Žilina/Club Brugge
Villarreal/Legia Warszawa vs Paris Saint-Germain/HJK Helsinki

Ties are planned to place on 17/18 March 2026

Youth League semi-final ties

Inter/Real Betis/Benfica/AZ Alkmaar vs Atlético de Madrid/Maccabi Haifa/Žilina/Club Brugge
Real Madrid/Chelsea/Frankfurt/Sporting CP vs Villarreal/Legia Warszawa/Paris Saint-Germain/HJK Helsinki

Ties are planned to take place on 17 April 2026

Which teams were in the Youth League round of 16 draw?

The 16 winners from the round of 32 were involved in the draw: Atlético de Madrid, AZ Alkmaar, Benfica, Chelsea, Club Brugge, Eintracht Frankfurt, HJK Helsinki, Inter, Legia Warszawa, Maccabi Haifa, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Sporting CP, Villarreal and Žilina

How did the round of 16 draw work?

One bowl was prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the 16 teams placed in this bowl initially, where they were shuffled. One ball was drawn and opened to reveal the team.

The team displayed was allocated to the first available spot in the bracket (i.e. the home position of match 1). A second ball was then drawn from the bowl in the same way and was allocated to the next available spot in the bracket (the away position of match 1). The process continued in the same way with the remaining balls in the bowl to place all teams into the bracket from match 2 to match 8.

Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other in this round.

Drawing the teams in this way could create the pairings of the round of 16, as well as determining the order of the matches, as the team drawn into the top row of each match pairing in the bracket will play the single-leg tie at home.

How did the quarter-final draw work?

As the teams were positioned in the bracket by the draw of the round of 16, the ties were already determined by the position of the teams from that draw. The teams qualifying from the round of 16 follow the path of the bracket until the final.

However, for the quarter-finals, a draw was made to determine which team will host the single-leg tie at home.

Four bowls were prepared for this draw, Each bowl contained two balls representing the winners of the Round of 16 matches from one rung of the bracket, with the balls of the first bowl containing slips of paper marked "Winners of Round of 16 – Match 1" and "Winners of Round of 16 – Match 3", the balls of the second bowl "Winners of Round of 16 – Match 2" and “Winners of Round of 16 – Match 4" and so on to the fourth bowl with the balls containing "Winners of Round of 16 – Match 6" and "Winners of Round of 16 – Match 8".

The draw started by shuffling and then drawing one after another the balls placed in the first bowl. The first ball drawn from this bowl indicated the team which will play the single-tie of the quarter-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play away.

The procedure was repeated with the remaining bowls to determine the order of matches for all the quarter-final pairings.

Was there a semi-final/final draw?

As the teams were designated to each side of the bracket by the draw of the round of 16, no draw was made for these rounds. For purely administrative purposes, for the semi-finals the winners of the QF 1 and the winners of the QF 2 are designated as the nominal home team for the semi-finals (neutral venue). Similarly, for the final, the winner of the SF1 will for administrative purposes be considered as the nominal home team for the final.

When do the Youth League round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place?

The dates for the remainder of the knockout phase are as follows:

Round of 16: 24/25 February 2026
Quarter-finals: 17/18 March 2026
Semi-finals: 17 April 2026
Final: 20 April 2026

Calendar elaboration

22.04: "For phase two of the competition, [...], round of 16 matches and quarter-finals are played in the matchweeks indicated in Annex C. If there is no common agreement on the date of a specific match, the match is played on the Wednesday (subject to Paragraph 22.08)."

22.06: "The match dates for […] the round of 16 and the quarter-finals must be announced to opponents and the UEFA administration by the deadline communicated in due course by the UEFA administration. Upon reasoned request, changes may be made after these deadlines if both clubs concerned and the UEFA administration agree."

22.07: "If both clubs and the UEFA administration agree, […], round of 16 matches and quarter-finals may also be played on other dates, provided they are completed before the following dates:

a) [...]

b) round of 16: 26 February 2026;

c) quarter-finals: 19 March 2026."

22.08: "UEFA decides on the date of the semi-finals and final, as well as on the date of matches that are televised (after consultation with the two teams) or on any other match date, if circumstances so require."

23.06: "Kick-off times must be announced using the dedicated online tool by the deadline set by the UEFA administration."

23.07: "The home club decides the kick-off times of non-televised matches, in consultation with the visiting club. UEFA reserves the right to decide on the kick-off times of televised matches after consulting with both clubs involved. UEFA sets the kick-off times for the semi-finals and the final."