The draw for the knockout playoff round of the new-look UEFA Champions League is upon us.

But who is taking part in this draw? Why are the league phase positions so important? And when is the next draw?

When is the draw for the knockout playoff round?

The draw for the knockout playoff round will take place on Friday, Jan. 31 at 6 a.m. ET / 11 a.m. UK at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Which clubs are in Friday's draw?

Only the 16 teams who finish in positions 9 to 24 will have an interest.

The clubs who finish in the top eight go directly through to the round of 16.

Clubs finishing 25th to 36th are eliminated.

Did it matter where you finished in the table?

Yes, because the league placings created the knockout bracket. Unlike in previous seasons, where there would be open draws, paths were set after the league phase was completed.

The new "seeding" system means the highest-placed teams can't face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.

For instance, if we look at the final table, Liverpool and Barcelona finished first and second and cannot play each other until the final. The teams in third and fourth -- Arsenal and Internazionale -- can't play Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.

However, the value of being placed high in the table has been complicated by poor European seasons for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who unexpectedly became possible opponents earlier in the knockout rounds.

Indeed, with Man City finishing 22nd it's created a heavyweight knockout playoff round tie -- as they must face 11th or 12th ... Read Madrid or Bayern Munich.

PSG, meanwhile, will have to face Barcelona or Liverpool in the round of 16 if they get through.

How does the knockout draw work?

Teams are paired by their final position, in order (e.g. 9th and 10th, 11th and 12th, etc). Of each pair, teams will be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket. For instance, 11th (Real Madrid) and 12th (Bayern Munich) will split off and cannot play each other until the final (which is the case for all pairs).

Before the draw, paired teams will have two possible opponents. If we take Real Madrid and Bayern again, they will be drawn to play either 21st (Celtic) or 22nd (Man City).

The eight unseeded teams are drawn first into a position in the bracket. This starts with 23rd and 24th, and moves down to 17th and 18th. In each case the first team drawn goes into the first half of the bracket (let's say Celtic), meaning the other club in the pair (which would be Man City) goes into the second half.

The draw then moves on to the seeded teams, continuing with 15th and 16th down to ninth and 10th. Again, the first team drawn goes into the first half of the bracket (so if that's Bayern, they'd be playing Celtic) -- which automatically creates a knockout playoff round fixture -- and so on with the other paired team into the second half (which makes Man City vs. Real Madrid).

The seeded clubs will play the second leg at home.

So there's no country protection?

Correct. Clubs from the same country can play each other from the knockout playoff round onward. For instance, PSG have to play AS Monaco or Brest.

It was also possible to draw one of the eight teams you'd already faced -- including the most recent opponents from Matchday 8.

What dates are the knockout playoff round?

First legs: Feb. 11-12, 2025

Second legs: Feb. 18-19, 2025

Each club will play once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.

So what about the top eight clubs?

After the knockout playoff round draw, the teams who finished inside the top eight will still have four possible opponents.

For instance, Liverpool and Barcelona would still be able to play any of 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th (PSG, Benfica, Monaco and Brest). This is because Liverpool and Barcelona could yet be drawn into either half, but only into the specific paths for those fixtures.

Once the knockout playoff round is complete, and two of those clubs have been knocked out, Liverpool and Barcelona would have two possible opponents remaining: the winners of the knockout playoff round ties.

When is the draw for the round of 16?

The round of 16 draw then takes place on Friday, Feb. 21, when Liverpool and Barcelona would simply be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket -- which would create a fixture against one of the winners of the ties involving PSG, Benfica, Monaco and Brest.

The teams placed first to eighth are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.

First legs: March 4-5, 2025

Second legs: March 11-12, 2025

The knockout bracket is now set through to the final.

Who gets home advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals?

There will be one more draw, straight after the round of 16 is set, to determine the home teams in the second leg for the quarterfinals and semifinals. This is not done on league phase seeding.