Ever wondered what the road to the Champions League Final would look like for your favourite club? Our brand-new Champions League Bracket Simulator lets you find out — pick any qualified team and simulate every knockout round from the Round of 16 all the way to the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
What Is the Champions League Bracket Simulator?
The UCL Bracket Simulator is a free, interactive tool that generates a complete knockout bracket for the 2025/26 Champions League season. Unlike a simple draw simulator, it creates an entire tournament bracket showing:
- Round of 16 matchups (8 ties)
- Quarter-Final matchups (4 ties)
- Semi-Final matchups (2 ties)
- The Budapest Final
You pick your club, and the simulator generates realistic opponents for every round based on the actual seeding and pot structure.
How to Use the Bracket Simulator
Using the simulator is simple:
- Pick your club — Choose from the top 8 seeded teams or the unseeded playoff qualifiers
- Simulate round by round — Click the simulate button to progress through each knockout round
- Watch your journey unfold — See who your team faces and who advances
- Share your bracket — Download the bracket as an image or share directly on X, WhatsApp, or copy the link
👉 Try it now → Champions League Bracket Simulator
The 2025/26 Knockout Format Explained
The Champions League knockout stage features a two-pathway system:
Seeded Path (League Phase Top 8)
The top 8 teams from the league phase qualify directly for the Round of 16 as seeded teams. These clubs enjoy:
- Skipping the Knockout Playoffs
- Home advantage in the second leg
- A potentially easier path through the bracket
Unseeded Path (Playoff Winners)
Teams finishing 9th–24th must survive a Knockout Playoff Round before entering the Round of 16 as unseeded teams. The playoff is a two-legged tie where higher-ranked teams are seeded against lower-ranked opponents.
Which Teams Are in the Bracket?
The bracket simulator includes all teams that qualified for the knockout stage:
Seeded — Top 8
These teams go directly to the Round of 16:
- FC Barcelona — La Liga royalty
- Chelsea — London blues
- Liverpool — Premier League giants
- Tottenham — North London's finest
- Sporting CP — Portuguese champions
- Manchester City — Pep's project
- Arsenal — Gunners on a mission
- Bayern München — German powerhouse
Unseeded — Playoff Winners
These teams battle through the playoffs first:
- PSG — French champions
- Galatasaray — Turkish giants
- Real Madrid — The record holders
- Atalanta — Serie A dark horse
- Atlético de Madrid — LaLiga contenders
- Bodø/Glimt — Norwegian surprise package
- Bayer Leverkusen — Bundesliga force
- Newcastle United — Magpies rising
Dream Bracket Scenarios
What makes the bracket simulator addictive is the endless possibilities:
The Dream Final
Imagine Real Madrid vs Liverpool in the Budapest Final — a rematch of the 2022 classic in Paris. Or what about Barcelona vs Bayern München — two of the biggest names in European football history?
The Giant-Killing Run
Pick an underdog like Bodø/Glimt or Galatasaray and see if they can navigate past the heavyweights to reach Budapest. The new format makes these dream runs more possible than ever.
The All-English Bracket
With Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Newcastle all in the knockout stage, there's a real chance of English clubs dominating one side of the bracket.
Share Your Bracket on Social Media
After completing the simulation, you can:
- 📸 Download a high-quality bracket image
- 🐦 Share on X (Twitter) with one click
- 💬 Share on WhatsApp directly
- 🔗 Copy the link to share anywhere
Challenge your friends — whose bracket prediction will be closest to reality?
Champions League Final 2026 — Budapest
The 2025/26 Champions League Final takes place at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary. The 67,000-capacity stadium will host the biggest match in club football. Our bracket simulator lets you visualize exactly how your team could get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the bracket simulator free?
Yes! The Champions League Bracket Simulator is completely free to use with no registration required.
How realistic are the bracket results?
The simulator uses the actual seeded/unseeded team lists and respects UEFA's knockout draw rules. The match results are randomly generated, creating realistic tournament scenarios.
Can I simulate multiple times?
Absolutely! Hit the reset button and try again with the same team or pick a different club. Every simulation creates a unique bracket.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — the simulator is fully responsive with a custom mobile bracket view designed for smaller screens.
More Champions League Tools
- UCL Draw Simulator — Simulate the league phase draw for any team
- Knockout Draw Guide — Complete guide to the knockout format
- UCL Pots 2025/26 — All 36 teams and their pot assignments
- How the Format Works — The complete UCL format explained