The UEFA Champions League knockout stage has produced some of the most anticipated matches of 2024 as the best teams in Europe aimed to reach the final in London.
The two-legged Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal ties have culminated in the finalists — Real Madrid and Dortmund — booking a spot to contest the trophy in a one-off showpiece at Wembley Stadium.
By the time they play the showpiece, Real and Dortmund will have played at least two matches a month in the competition between February and early May, having qualified from a group stage which took place between September and December.
So, when does the knockout stage conclude? When have the matches taken place and how were the fixtures decided? The Sporting News provides a recap of the dates.
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UEFA Champions League knockout stage start date
After a two-month break from mid-December, the 2023/24 Champions League resumed with the Round of 16 stage in February 2024.
The quarterfinals concluded on April 17, and the semifinals took place at the end of April and early May.
Away goals do not count in the Champions League after the rule was dropped before the 2021/22 season, so ties that are level at the end of normal time in the second leg go to extra time and, if necessary, penalties.
Champions League knockout stage schedule
The quarterfinals took place in April, with the semifinals starting on the final day of the month and concluding in May.
The final takes place on June 1, which is 13 days before the first game of Euro 2024 in Germany. Here's the full knockout stage schedule.
| Stage | Dates |
| Round of 16 | February 13/14, 20/21 (first legs); March 5/6, 12/13 (second legs) |
| Quarter-finals | April 9/10 (first legs); 16/17 (second legs) |
| Semi-finals | April 30/May (first legs); May 7/8 (second legs) |
| Final | June 1 |
UEFA Champions League semifinals
| Semifinals fixtures, results | First leg | Second leg |
| Real Madrid 4-3 Bayern Munich | Bayern 2-2 Madrid | Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern |
| Borussia Dortmund 2-0 PSG | Dortmund 1-0 PSG | PSG 0-1 Dortmund |
UEFA Champions League quarterfinals
| Quarterfinals fixtures, results | First leg | Second leg |
| Arsenal 2-3 Bayern Munich | Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal |
| Real Madrid 4-4 Man City (Real Madrid through on penalties) |
Real Madrid 3-3 Man City | Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (3-4 on pens) |
| Atletico Madrid 4-5 Borussia Dortmund | Atletico Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund | Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atletico Madrid |
| PSG 6-4 Barcelona | PSG 2-3 Barcelona | Barcelona 1-4 PSG |
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw in full
Here's the full draw.
| Round of 16 fixtures | First leg | Second leg |
| Porto 1-1 Arsenal | Porto 1-0 Arsenal | Arsenal 1-0 Porto (4-2 pens) |
| Napoli 2-4 Barcelona | Napoli 1-1 Barcelona | Barcelona 3-1 Napoli |
| Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Real Sociedad | PSG 2-0 Real | Real 1-2 PSG |
| Inter 2-2 Atletico Madrid | Inter 1-0 Atletico | Atletico 2-1 Inter (3-2 pens) |
| PSV 1-3 Borussia Dortmund | PSV 1-1 Dortmund | Dortmund 2-0 PSV |
| Lazio 1-3 Bayern Munich | Lazio 1-0 Bayern | Bayern 3-0 Lazio |
| Copenhagen 2-6 Manchester City | Copenhagen 1-3 Man City | Man City 3-1 Copenhagen |
| RB Leipzig 1-2 Real Madrid | Leipzig 0-1 Real Madrid | Real Madrid 1-1 Leipzig |
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Teams in UEFA Champions League knockout stage
The table below shows the teams that qualified for the 2023/24 Champions League Round of 16.
| Team | Date progressed | Group |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| RB Leipzig (GER) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| Bayern Munich (GER) | Nov. 8 | Group A |
| Real Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group C |
| Real Sociedad (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Inter Milan (ITA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Atletico Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Lazio (ITA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Borussia Dortmund (GER) | Nov. 28 | Group F |
| Barcelona (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group H |
| Arsenal (ENG) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| PSV (NED) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| FC Copenhagen (DEN) | Dec. 12 | Group A |
| Napoli (ITA) | Dec. 12 | Group C |
| PSG (FRA) | Dec. 13 | Group F |
| Porto (POR) | Dec. 13 | Group H |
Here's how the final group tables looked:
Q = Qualified for Champions League knockout round
X = Drops to Europa League knockout round
E = Eliminated from European play
Group A table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Bayern Munich (Q) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 16 |
| Copenhagen (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Galatasaray | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 5 |
| Manchester United | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 4 |
Group B table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Arsenal (Q) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | +12 | 13 |
| PSV (Q) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | 9 |
| Lens | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 8 |
| Sevilla | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 2 |
Group C table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Real Madrid (Q) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 18 |
| Napoli (Q) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Braga | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 |
| Union Berlin | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -4 | 2 |
Group D table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Real Sociedad (Q) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +5 | 12 |
| 2. Inter Milan (Q) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 12 |
| 3. Benfica | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 |
| 4. RB Salzburg | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 |
Group E table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atletico (Q) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | +11 | 14 |
| 2. Lazio (Q) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 3. Feyenoord | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| 4. Celtic | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -10 | 4 |
Group F table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bor. Dortmund (Q) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +3 | 11 |
| 2. PSG (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 8 |
| 3. AC Milan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 8 |
| 4. Newcastle | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 5 |
Group G table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Man City (Q) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 18 |
| 2. RB Leipzig (Q) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 12 |
| 3. Young Boys | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 |
| 4. Red Star Belgrade | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -8 | 1 |
Group H table
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barcelona (Q) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | +6 | 12 |
| 2. Porto (Q) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +7 | 12 |
| 3. Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
| 4. Antwerp | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -11 | 3 |
Champions League knockout stage fixtures: Wembley awaits again
The 2023/2024 season marks a record eighth time that the final will take place at Wembley Stadium and the third time it has been held at the modern version of England's national stadium.
The finals of Champions League predecessor the European Cup were held at Wembley in 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1992.
Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 final, Lionel Messi putting them 2-1 in front after Wayne Rooney cancelled out Pedro's opener.
When the final returned there two years later, Arjen Robben scored the 89th-minute winner in an all-German decider to give Bayern Munich victory over Borussia Dortmund.