Champions League: five clubs already qualified for the round of 16

PSG, Manchester City and Atalanta have joined Arsenal and Bayern Munich among the first clubs guaranteed to play in the round of 16 or the play-offs of the new European format.

At least five clubs have already secured their ticket to the final phase of the Champions League this season. UEFA confirmed the information on Wednesday evening following matchday 6. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Atalanta Bergame are the latest teams to have secured their place either in the round of 16 or in the play-offs, thus joining Arsenal and Bayern Munich among the teams already qualified.

Under the competition’s new format, the top eight in the overall standings advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will have to go through a play-off round to reach the knockout stage. In total, only 24 teams will clinch their places in the final stages of the Champions League.