Europa League and Conference League group stage draws: Seven British clubs discover their opponents | Football News
The Europa League and Conference League league phase draws will see seven British clubs – including Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea and Rangers – discover their opponents today.
When is the draw?
The Europa League league phase draw – which includes Man Utd, Spurs and Rangers – takes place at 12pm UK time today, with the Conference League draw – involving Chelsea, Hearts, Welsh side The New Saints and Northern Irish team Larne – getting under way at 1.30pm UK time today.
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How will the draws work?
Like the Champions League, the Europa League and Conference League will see the number of teams expanded from 32 to 36. The biggest change sees a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league phase including all participating teams.
In the Europa League, every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.
In the Conference League though, each side will face six different teams (three home games, three away).
In both tournaments, the top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.
Who is in Europa League draw? What are the pots?
Pot One: AS Roma, Manchester United, Porto, Ajax, Rangers, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio, Tottenham, Slavia Prague.
Pot Two: Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, Braga, Olympiakos, Lyon, PAOK, Fenerbahce, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Ferencvaros.
Pot Three: Qarabag, Galatasaray, Viktoria Plzen, Bodo/Glimt, Union SG, Dynamo Kyiv, Ludogorets, Midtjylland, Malmo.
Pot Four: Athletic Club, Hoffenheim, Nice, Anderlecht, Twente, Besiktas, FK RFS, Steaua Bucharest, Elfsborg.
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Who is in Conference League draw? What are the pots?
Pot One: Chelsea, Copenhagen, Gent, Fiorentina, LASK, Real Betis.
Pot Two: Istanbul Basaksehir, Molde, Legia Warsaw, Heidenheim, Djurgarden, APOEL Nicosia.
Pot Three: Rapid Vienna, Omonia Nicosia, HJK Helsinki, Vitoria, Astana, Olimpija Ljubljana.
Pot Four: Cercle Brugge, Shamrock Rovers, The New Saints, Lugano, Mlada Boleslav, Hearts.
Pot Five: Petrocub, St Gallen, Panathinaikos, TSC Backa Topola, Borac Banja Luka, Jagiellonia.
Pot Six: Celje, Larne, Dinamo Minsk, Pafos, Vikingur Reykjavik, Noah.
How many teams can you face from any one nation?
In the league phase, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and can face a maximum of two sides from the same country.
When will fans know the fixture dates?
The finalised fixture list will be released on Saturday August 31.
When are the league phase games?
Europa League
Matchday 1: September 25/26
Matchday 2: October 3
Matchday 3: October 24
Matchday 4: November 7
Matchday 5: November 28
Matchday 6: December 12
Matchday 7: January 23, 2025
Matchday 8: January 30, 2025
Conference League
Matchday 1: October 3
Matchday 2: October 24
Matchday 3: November 7
Matchday 4: November 28
Matchday 5: December 12
Matchday 6: December 19
Manchester United won the Europa League back in 2017
The key dates
The 2024/25 Europa League final will take place on May 21, 2025 at the Estadio de San Mames in Bilbao, while the Conference League final is scheduled for May 28, 2025 at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland.
Europa League
Knockout round play-offs: February 13 & 20, 2025
Round of 16: March 6 & 13, 2025
Quarter-finals: April 10 & 17, 2025
Semi-finals: May 1 & 8, 2025
Final: May 21, 2025 (Estadio de San Mames, Spain)
Conference League
Knockout round play-offs: February 13 & 20, 2025
Round of 16: March 6 & 13, 2025
Quarter-finals: April 10 & 17, 2025
Semi-finals: May 1 & 8, 2025
Final: May 28, 2025 (Stadion Wroclaw, Poland)