Every Team Eliminated From the 2025–26 Champions League

Only 16 teams remain alive in the Champions League, with 20 sides already eliminated from the competition.

The Champions League season is about to enter its climax. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

The 2025–26 Champions League is entering its climax, and with the league phase and knockout playoff round in the rearview mirror, over half the teams that started the campaign have been eliminated.

The field of 36 teams that competed in the 2025–26 Champions League entered the new year still alive in the hunt for the most prestigious title in European soccer. Still, as league phase action resumed following the winter break, a number of teams were unable to correct course and 12 earned the dishonorable feat being the first eliminated sides in the competition.

The top eight teams in the league phase progressed automatically to the round of 16. Teams that finished from ninth to 24th fought for their place in the last 16 during the knockout playoffs, the round that took center stage over the past two weeks.

As the dust settles following the knockout playoffs, eight more sides have seen their Champions League campaigns come to an end, including some historic European powerhouses. Here are the 20 teams that have been eliminated from the 2025–26 Champions League so far.

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Every Team Eliminated in Champions League League Phase

Villarreal hugely underperformed in the 2025–26 Champions League. | Omar Arnau/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Villarreal and Kairat Almaty were the first two eliminated teams of the league phase. The pair could only muster one point in eight games, a disappointing result especially for Villarreal who have done well domestically this term. Kairat, though, will still be proud after completing their debut Champions League season.

Slavia Prague and Eintracht Frankfurt were the next two league phase casualties. Like Villarreal and Kairat, they were mathematically eliminated before Matchday 8 even kicked off, and all four went on to lose in their final game to finish at the bottom of the standings.

Ajax needed a miracle to advance, but defeat against Olympiacos in their final game was anything but that. Copenhagen were not far behind in 31st despite losing just one of their last four league phase games.

Reigning Serie A champions Napoli failed to make it past the league phase. | Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Perhaps the two biggest disappointments of the league phase are Napoli and Athletic Club, who finished 30th and 29th respectively. Antonio Conte added another failure to his dreadful Champions League resumé, this time with the reigning Serie A champions. Meanwhile, after finishing third in La Liga, Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club dramatically underperformed in Europe.

PSV Eindhoven needed one point in their final game against Bayern Munich to stay alive, but a late Harry Kane strike damned them to 28th and led to their painful elimination.

Union Saint-Gilloise, Pafos and Marseille will be incredibly frustrated to be eliminated because of the goal-difference tiebreaker. Marseille will be particularly heartbroken, given they would’ve advanced had it not been for Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring a dramatic goal in stoppage time against Real Madrid to secure his side’s place in the knockout playoffs, eliminating the French giants.

All 12 Teams Eliminated During Champions League League Phase

• Kairat Almaty
• Villarreal
• Slavia Prague
• Eintracht Frankfurt
• Ajax
• Copenhagen
• Napoli
• Athletic Club
• PSV Eindhoven
• Union Saint-Gilloise
• Pafos
• Marseille

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Every Team Eliminated in Champions League Knockout Playoffs

2024–25 finalists Inter Milan suffered a shocking elimination in the knockout playoffs. | Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

The biggest shock of the Champions League season so far is the premature elimination of Serie A leaders and last season’s finalists Inter Milan. The Italian giants needed to mount a two-goal comeback at San Siro but instead lost for a second time to Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, falling 5–2 on aggregate against the Cinderella story of the season.

Club Brugge competed admirably against Atlético Madrid and entered the final 45 minutes of the tie level. Then, the quality of Diego Simeone’s side proved too much to handle and three unanswered goals saw Brugge fall 7–4 on aggregate.

Olympiacos lost 2–0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg and failed to muster any kind of response in the away leg. Azerbaijani side Qarabağ were completely outmatched against Newcastle United, at one point trailing 9–1 on aggregate, before scoring twice to put a little makeup on a rather unflattering tie against a vastly superior side.

Borussia Dortmund endured a heartbreaking elimination. | Antonino Lagana/Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund squandered a two-goal first leg advantage and fell to Atalanta 4–3 on aggregate. A stoppage time penalty was the final nail in the coffin of the 2023–24 finalists, a European powerhouse that’s grown used to heartbreak in recent times.

Juventus nearly upstaged Atalanta’s comeback but came up just short and suffered the same fate as fellow Italian giants Inter. The Old Lady entered the second leg down three goals against Galatasaray yet managed to send the tie to extra time despite playing much of the game undermanned. Still, their valiant attempt came to a heartbreaking end with a strike from Victor Osimhen.

Both Benfica and Monaco were massive underdogs entering their respective ties against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Although neither team managed to pull off the upset, the pair of underdogs exited the competition only after handing the two title contenders some massive scares.

All Eight Teams Eliminated During Champions League Knockout Playoffs

• Club Brugge
• Olympiacos
• Inter Milan
• Qarabağ
• Borussia Dortmund
• Juventus
• Monaco
• Benfica

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