The knockout stage of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League began on 5 March 1997 and ended with the final at the Olympiastadion in Munich on 28 May 1997.
For the semi-finals, the winners of each tie between teams from groups A and B played against the winners of the corresponding tie between teams from groups C and D. The knockout stage involved the eight teams which qualified as winners and runners-up of all four groups in the group stage.
In the event that the two teams scored the same number of goals over the two legs, the team that scored more goals away from home qualified for the next round; if both teams scored the same number of away goals, matches would go to golden goal extra time and then a penalty shoot-out if the teams could not be separated after extra time.
Manchester United won 4–0 on aggregate.
The final was played on 28 May 1997 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany.