Champions League: Why Real Madrid were not eligible to be drawn against PSV

13 February: Copenhagen vs Manchester City, Leipzig vs Real Madrid
14 February: PSG vs Real Sociedad, Lazio vs Bayern
20 February: Inter vs Atletico de Madrid, PSV vs Dortmund
21 February: Porto vs Arsenal, Napoli vs Barcelona

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw took place on Monday, setting up some mouth-watering clashes. But before they started to talk about the matchups, fans wondered why Real Madrid were not eligible to be drawn against PSV.

The question arose when the Spanish giants appeared with a red square as the Dutch side’s ball was picked out of the pot, meaning this clash was not possible. Since they were not part of the same group nor belong to the same country, this impossibility took many by surprise.

However, UEFA was right. A PSV-Madrid tie would have left both Leipzig and Copenhagen in the draw, but neither of them were eligible against Bayern Munich, who were still in the pot of the group winners. While Leipzig are also from Germany, Bayern had already faced Copenhagen in the group stage.

Besides, Manchester City (also left in the draw) couldn’t be drawn against Leipzig either as they were group rivals. In all, a PSV-Real Madrid clash would have made the draw impossible to complete because it would have left a tie that was not possible according to the UCL draw rules (Bayern vs. Leipzig, Bayern vs. Copenhagen or Manchester City vs. Leipzig).

Real Madrid being drawn out of the Champions League draw.

UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw

Porto (POR) vs Arsenal (ENG)
Napoli (ITA) vs Barcelona (ESP)
PSG (FRA) vs Real Sociedad (ESP)
Inter Milan (ITA) vs Atletico de Madrid (ESP)
PSV (NED) vs Dortmund (GER)
Lazio (ITA) vs Bayern Munich (GER)
Copenhagen (DEN) vs Manchester City (ENG)
Leipzig (GER) vs Real Madrid (ESP)

When will the UEFA Champions League knockout stages start?

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League knockout phase will get underway on February 13, 2024 with the beginning of the round of 16. The first leg matches will take place in the weeks of Feb. 13 and 20, whereas the rematches will be played in the weeks of March 5 and 12.