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When is it? Which teams are involved? When are the fixtures? All you need to know about the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw.
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The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw takes place at 13:00 CET on Friday 21 February at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
The top eight sides in the league phase qualified automatically for the round of 16, where they are joined by the eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs.
From the knockout phase play-offs onwards the tournament is a bracket with potential opponents in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals also pre-defined by pairings which are determined by teams' final league positions. For example, teams that finished first and second in the league phase will face the winners of the knockout phase play-off ties involving the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th-placed teams in the round of 16; teams that finish third or fourth will be drawn against the winners of the knockout phase play-off ties involving the 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th-placed teams and so on.
Which teams are in the Europa League round of 16 draw?
The eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs – which take place on 13 and 20 February – join the top eight sides from the league phase in the round of 16 draw. The league phase top eight will be seeded for the round of 16 draw and will, in principle, play their return legs at home.
Confirmed in round of 16 (ordered by league phase position)
1. Lazio (ITA)
2. Athletic Club (ESP)
3. Manchester United (ENG)
4. Tottenham (ENG)
5. Frankfurt (GER)
6. Lyon (FRA)
7. Olympiacos (GRE)
8. Rangers (SCO)
Knockout phase play-off ties
Ferencváros (HUN) vs Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
Porto (POR) vs Roma (ITA)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) vs Galatasaray (TUR)
Midtjylland (DEN) vs Real Sociedad (ESP)
Union SG (BEL) vs Ajax (NED)
PAOK (GRE) vs FCSB (ROU)
Twente (NED) vs Bodø/Glimt (NOR)
Fenerbahçe (TUR) vs Anderlecht (BEL)
How can I watch the draw?
The draw will be streamed live on UEFA.com.
How does the round of 16 draw work?
The clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8).
The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.
Four bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of each pair of seeded teams placed in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league rankings.
The draw allocates the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7/8 and finishing with the teams 1/2.
One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 7 and 8) and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket (see bracket graphic above). The other seeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the orange side of the bracket (see above).
The same procedure is carried out with the remaining seeded teams.
In principle, the seeded clubs play the return leg at home.
How does the Europa League quarter-final draw work?
The draw is made to determine the order of the matches (i.e. which team will host the first leg and which team the return leg) as all the potential opponents are known until the final.
Four bowls are prepared for this draw, two for the silver side of the bracket and two for the orange side of the bracket. Each bowl contains two balls representing the winners of the round of 16 matches from one rung of the relevant side of the bracket, with the first silver bowl containing slips of paper marked 'Winners R16 1' and 'Winners R16 2' and the second silver bowl 'Winners R16 3' and 'Winners R16 4'.
The first bowl on the orange side will contain slips of paper marked 'Winners R16 5' and 'Winners R16 6' and, finally, 'Winners R16 7' and 'Winners R16 8' in the second bowl on the orange side.
The draw starts by shuffling and then drawing the balls placed in the first bowl of the silver side of the bracket. The first ball drawn from this bowl indicates the team which will play the first match of the quarter-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play the return leg at home.
The procedure is repeated with the remaining bowls to complete the quarter-final pairings.
How does the Europa League semi-final draw work?
Two bowls are prepared for this draw, one for the silver side of the bracket with balls containing slips of paper marked 'Winners Q-F 1' and 'Winners Q-F 2', and one for the orange side of the draw containing 'Winners Q-F 3' and 'Winners Q-F 4'.
The draw starts by shuffling and then drawing the balls placed in the bowl for the silver side of the bracket. The first ball drawn indicates the team which will play the first match of the silver side semi-final at home, and the second ball the team which will play the return leg at home.
The procedure is repeated with the remaining bowl to complete the semi-final pairings.
Is there also a draw for the Europa League final?
As the teams were designated to a side of the bracket by the draw for the knockout phase play-off / round of 16, no draw is made for the final. The winners of the semi-final on the silver side of the bracket are designated as the nominal home team for the final.
Can teams from the same country face each other in the Europa League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals?
Yes, clubs can face opposition from the same national association, and teams they previously came up against in the league phase.
When do the Europa League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals take place?
The dates for the remainder of the knockout phase are as follows:
Round of 16: 6 & 13 March
Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April
Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May
Final: 21 May (Bilbao)
Calendar elaboration (Paragraphs 23.01, 24.02 and 24.03 of the official UEFA Europa League regulations)
23.01: All matches are played in accordance with the UEFA Match Calendar (see Annex C). These dates are final and binding on all concerned, subject to the provisions of Paragraph 24.01 to Paragraph 24.02. The following principles apply to this competition:
a) Matches in the competition are played on Thursdays […], and the final, which is played on a Wednesday. Exceptions to this rule can be made by the UEFA administration.
b) From the league phase onwards, the UEFA administration decides the match schedule of each round.
24.02: If two or more clubs from the same city, within a radius of 50km of each other and/or playing in the same stadium, take part in any of the UEFA club competitions, and if the association and the clubs concerned explicitly declare when entering the clubs that their matches cannot be played on the same day or on consecutive days, the UEFA administration may alter or confirm dates and kick-off times in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.
24.03: The UEFA administration decides on match dates and fixture reversals on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the applicable principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. In any case, the UEFA administration reserves the right to impose a match date if the circumstances so require.
The round of 16 match schedule will be available on 21 February; the quarter-final and semi-final match schedules will be communicated on 14 March, following the return legs of the round of 16.