UEFA Champions League: Africa well represented in knockout stage draw

The UEFA Champions League Knockout phase play-off draw was held on Friday with many African players competing for a place in the Round of 16.

The standout match of the round will feature two African national team players as Real Madrid takes on Manchester City, with Moroccan midfielder Brahim Diaz representing Real Madrid and Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush playing for City.

The first-leg matches will take place on February 11, 2025, at 20:00 GMT, with the return fixture scheduled for February 18, 2025, at 20:00 GMT.

Pan-Africa Football looked through each of the Round of 32 duels to highlight African players who will compete in the UEFA Champions League Round of 32 phase along with their teams, opponents, nationalities and positions.

African Players in the UEFA Champions League Round of 32

Here’s a breakdown of African players and their teams in the UEFA Champions League play-off round:

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Stade Brestois

* Paris Saint-Germain (PSG):

* Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – Defender

* Stade Brestois:

* Ibrahim Salah (Morocco) – Forward

* Abd Allah Sima (Senegal) – Forward

* Mama Baldé (Guinea-Bissau) – Forward

* Kamory Doumbia (Mali) – Midfielder

* Abdoulaye Ndiaye (Senegal) – Defender

* Massadio Haïdara (Mali) – Defender

* Kenny Lala (Madagascar) – Defender

* Luc Zogbe (Ivory Coast) – Defender

AS Monaco vs. SL Benfica

* AS Monaco:

* George Ilenikhena (Nigeria) – Forward

* Eliesse Ben Seghir (Morocco) – Midfielder

* Lamine Camara (Senegal) – Midfielder

* Krépin Diatta (Senegal) – Midfielder

* Wilfried Singo (Ivory Coast) – Defender

* Mohammed Salisu (Ghana) – Defender

Club Brugge vs. Atalanta

* Atalanta:

* Ademola Lookman (Nigeria) – Forward

* Ibrahim Sulemana (Ghana) – Midfielder

* Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast) – Defender

* Club Brugge:

* Raphaël Onyedika (Nigeria) – Midfielder

Sporting CP vs. Borussia Dortmund

* Sporting CP:

* Geny Catamo (Mozambique) – Midfielder

* Ousmane Diomande (Ivory Coast) – Defender

* Borussia Dortmund:

* Serhou Guirassy (Guinea) – Forward

* Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria) – Defender

Manchester City vs. Real Madrid

* Manchester City:

* Omar Marmoush (Egypt) – Forward

* Real Madrid:

* Brahim Diaz (Morocco) – Midfielder

Celtic vs. Bayern Munich

* Bayern Munich:

* Adam Aznou (Morocco) – Defender

Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven

* PSV Eindhoven:

* Ismail Saibari (Morocco) – Midfielder

* Couhaib Driouech (Morocco) – Midfielder

* Adamo Nagalo (Burkina Faso) – Defender

Feyenoord vs. AC Milan

* Feyenoord:

* Anis Hadj Moussa (Algeria) – Forward

* Ibrahim Osman (Ghana) – Forward

* Ramiz Zerrouki (Algeria) – Midfielder

* Chris-Kévin Nadje (Ivory Coast) – Midfielder

* AC Milan:

* Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria) – Forward

* Ismaël Bennacer (Algeria) – Midfielder

Champions League Play-Off round Dates & Kickoff Times

* First Leg: February 11, 2025 – 20:00 GMT

* Second Leg: February 18, 2025 – 20:00 GMT

The UEFA Champions League Round of 32 will determine which eight teams will advance to the Round of 16 to face the top eight finishers from the League phase.