Arsenal can face one of four teams in the Champions League round of 16: Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, or Olympiacos.

Who can Arsenal face in the round of 16?

Because Arsenal finished top of the new Champions League league-phase table, their last-16 opponent will come from the teams that finished 15th–18th in that table.

Those four confirmed possibilities are:

  • Atalanta (Italy)
  • Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
  • Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
  • Olympiacos (Greece)

These four sides first play knockout play‑off ties (15th vs 18th and 16th vs 17th), and the two winners will then be drawn against Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the round of 16.

How the draw works (quick explainer)

  • Arsenal finished 1st in the league phase, so they skip the play‑off round and go straight to the last 16.
  • Teams placed 9th–16th host a two‑legged play‑off against teams placed 17th–24th; from within that bracket, positions 15–18 are the ones that can funnel into Arsenal’s slot.
  • Once those play‑off ties are done, a draw (within UEFA’s pre‑set bracket) determines whether Arsenal get the 15th/16th winner or the 17th/18th winner, which is why you see those four specific names mentioned as “possible opponents.”

Mini table of possible opponents

[3][5] [1][3][5] [3][5][1] [5][1][3]
Club Country League-phase band
Atalanta Italy 15th range (play‑off side in Arsenal’s band)
Bayer Leverkusen Germany 16th range in the league phase
Borussia Dortmund Germany 17th range play‑off route
Olympiacos Greece 18th range play‑off route

Quick forum-style take

Arsenal fans right now are in that funny sweet spot: the team has smashed the league phase with a perfect record, but nobody is totally relaxed about any of Atalanta, Leverkusen, Dortmund, or Olympiacos.

On paper these are “favourable” compared to Europe’s absolute elite, but every name on that list has enough pedigree or chaos factor to turn a two‑leg tie into a real test.

From a narrative angle, Dortmund or Leverkusen would feel like classic high‑profile knockout nights, while Atalanta and Olympiacos carry that awkward “trap tie” energy that fans never fully trust.

TL;DR: Arsenal’s possible round‑of‑16 opponents are Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, or Olympiacos, with the exact tie decided after the knockout play‑offs among those teams.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.