When was the draw?

The UEFA Europa League play-off draw took place at 13:30CET on Monday 6 August. It was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon and was streamed live on UEFA.com.

Champions path

The ten winners from the third qualifying round in this path (which concludes on 16 August) are joined by the six teams eliminated from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round champions path (ending on 14 August).

Group 1
Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN)/HJK Helsinki (FIN) v Crvena zvezda (SRB)/Spartak Trnava (SVK) 
Hapoel Beer-Sheva (ISR)/ APOEL (CYP) v Astana (KAZ)/Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 
Cork City (IRL)/Rosenborg (NOR) v Salzburg (AUT)/Shkëndija (MKD)
Legia Warszawa (POL)/F91 Dudelange (LUX) v Alashkert (ARM)/CFR Cluj (ROU)

Group 2
Spartaks Jūrmala (LVA)/Sūduva (LTU) v Celtic (SCO)/AEK Athens (GRE)
Sheriff (MDA)/Valur Reykjavík (ISL) v Qarabağ (AZE)/BATE Borisov (BLR)
Malmö (SWE)/Vidi (HUN) v The New Saints (WAL)/Midtjylland (DEN) 
Torpedo Kutaisi (GEO)/Kukës (ALB) v Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)/Zrinjski (BIH)

Draw procedure

• Clubs eliminated in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League were seeded for the draw.
• The 16 teams (ten winners of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League champions path and six pairs of teams from the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League) were divided into two groups which each produced four ties.
• In each group, the 'seeded' ties were drawn against the 'unseeded' ties, with a separate draw to decide which is at home first.
• The two remaining 'unseeded' ties in each group after the first three fixtures were drawn were pitted against each other.

UEFA Europa League main path

Group 1
Sigma Olomouc (CZE)/Kairat Almaty (KAZ) v Sevilla (ESP)/Žalgiris Vilnius (LTU)
Sarpsborg (NOR)/HNK Rijeka (CRO) v Pyunik (ARM)/Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR)
Jagiellonia Białystok (POL)/Gent (BEL) v Mariupol (UKR)/Bordeaux (FRA)
Nordsjælland (DEN)/Partizan (SRB) v Beşiktaş (TUR)/LASK (AUT)

Group 2
Slovan Bratislava (SVK)/Rapid Wien (AUT) v Hajduk Split (CRO)/FCSB (ROU)
Apollon Limassol (CYP)/Dinamo Brest (BLR) v Vitesse (NED)/Basel (SUI)
Rangers (SCO)/Maribor (SVN) v Ufa (RUS) /Progrès Niederkorn (LUX)
Hapoel Haifa (ISR)/Atalanta (ITA) v CSKA-Sofia (BUL)/København (DEN)

Group 3
Dinamo Minsk (BLR)/Zenit (RUS) v Hibernian (SCO)/Molde (NOR)
Trenčín (SVK)/Feyenoord (NED) v Sturm Graz (AUT)/AEK Larnaca (CYP)
Genk (BEL)/Lech Poznań (POL) v Spartak Subotica (SRB)/Brøndby (DEN)
Olympiacos (GRE)/Luzern (SUI) v İstanbul Başakşehir (TUR)/Burnley (ENG)
Zorya Luhansk (UKR)/Braga (POR) v RB Leipzig (GER)/U Craiova (ROU)

Seeds in bold

Draw procedure

• The draw consisted of the 26 teams advancing from the third qualifying round of this path (which concludes on 16 August). 
• The teams were ranked according to the coefficient of the seeded teams in the third qualifying round ties and further split into seeding groups.
• Each side in each seeding group was allocated a number, with the draws for Groups 1 and 2 made together. Balls containing the seeded teams' numbers (1 to 4) were placed into one bowl, with balls for the unseeded teams' numbers (5 to 8) in another.
• A ball was taken from each bowl and put into a large empty bowl in the middle, where they were shuffled.
• The clubs drawn first play their first leg at home.
• The procedure was then repeated for Group 3 (with the seeded teams numbered 1 to 5, and unseeded 6 to 10).

When will the games take place?

The play-offs are two-legged ties, with the opening instalments set for Thursday 23 August and the returns taking place on Thursday 30 August.

Who else will be in the group stage?

Bye to group stage
Arsenal (ENG)
Chelsea (ENG)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Villarreal (ESP)
Anderlecht (BEL)
Lazio (ITA)
Sporting CP (POR)
Marseille (FRA)
AC Milan (ITA)
Krasnodar (RUS)
Real Betis (ESP)
Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
Zürich (SUI)
Rennes (FRA)
Vorskla Poltava (UKR)
Akhisar Belediyespor (TUR)
Jablonec (CZE)

Teams defeated in UEFA Champions League third qualifying round league path
Standard Liège (BEL) v Ajax (NED)
Benfica (POR) v Fenerbahçe (TUR)
Slavia Praha (CZE) v Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)
PAOK (GRE) v Spartak Moskva (RUS)

The six teams defeated in the UEFA Champions League play-off round
Crvena zvezda (SRB)/Spartak Trnava (SVK) v Salzburg (AUT)/Shkëndija (MKD)
Qarabağ (AZE)/BATE Borisov (BLR) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Young Boys (SUI) v Astana (KAZ)/Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Malmö (SWE)/Vidi (HUN) v Celtic (SCO)/AEK Athens (GRE)
Benfica (POR)/Fenerbahçe (TUR) v PAOK (GRE)/Spartak Moskva (RUS)
Standard Liège (BEL)/Ajax (NED) v Slavia Praha (CZE)/Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

Clubs' coefficients are now determined EITHER by the sum of all points won in the previous five years OR by the association coefficient over the same period – WHICHEVER IS THE HIGHER (under a new system introduced for 2018/19 onwards).