The UEFA Europa League draw for the playoff round is set to take place next week with the final round of group-stage matches taking place on Thursday 14 December. The teams involved in the draw will be a mixture of teams who have finished 2nd in their UEFA Europa League groups and teams who finished in third place in their UEFA Champions League group.
Discover everything you need to know about both draws, including times, location, format and TV streaming options below.
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When is the UEL draw? Playoff draw date, location and time
The UEL playoff draw is set to take place on Monday 18 December at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw will take place after the Champions League round of 16 draw and before the Europa Conference League playoff draw. UEFA estimate that proceedings will get underway at 12:00 UK time.
How does the Europa League draw work?
The Europa League playoff draw will put together the eight teams who finished second in their respective Europa League groups and the eight teams who finished third in their respective Champions League groups. The Champions League teams will be drawn first which means the Europa League teams will get to play the second leg of the playoff at home.
Can teams from the same country play each other in the Europa League playoff round?
Teams from the same nation will be kept apart from each other at this stage of the competition. For example, Toulouse (currently 2nd in Europa League Group E) will be unable to draw Lens (finished 3rd in Champions League Group B).
Which teams have already qualified?
At the time of writing, there are no confirmed second-placed teams from the Europa League with everything still to play for on matchday six. There are 17 teams who could still potentially make it through to the playoff round from the UEL route, including Rangers and West Ham.
There are six teams who are confirmed to be in the UEL playoff draw via the Champions League route:
- Galatasaray
- Lens
- Braga
- Benfica
- Feyenoord
- Young Boys
Which teams can still qualify?
The 17 teams who could end up in the Europa League playoff draw from the Europa League route are:
- West Ham
- Freiburg
- Marseille
- Brighton
- Real Betis
- Rangers
- Sparta Praha
- Atalanta
- Sporting Lisbon
- Toulouse
- Union Saint-Gilloise
- Rennes
- Villarreal
- Slavia Praha
- Roma
- Qarabag
- Molde
The five teams who could still drop into the draw from the Champions League are:
- PSG
- Newcastle
- AC Milan
- Porto
- Shakhtar Donetsk
How can I watch the Europa League draw?
The Europa League playoff draw will be streamed live on UEFA's official website and app. UK-based fans will also be able to watch the draw unfold live on TNT Sports with the broadcaster showing it immediately after the Champions League draw is concluded.
When are the UEL playoff round matches?
The Europa League will take a two-month break after the final round of group stage matches on Thursday 14 December. The playoff round will commence in February with both legs taking place in consecutive weeks. The UEL playoff dates are:
First leg: 15 February 2024
Second leg: 22 February 2024
Kick-off times for both legs will be confirmed by UEFA shortly after the draw is finalised.
Where is the Europa League final being played this year?
The 2024 Europa League final is set to be played in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, 22 May 2024. It is the second time that the stadium has hosted final after Braga played Porto at the 51,000-seater stadium in the 2011 final.