All you need to know about the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 draw and the Conference League
The Europa League and Conference League draws take place on Friday, with the Conference League draw scheduled at 1 p. m. ET. Sixteen teams remain in each competition, including three Premier League clubs, and every club already knows it will face one of two possible opponents.
Europa League at 12 p. m. ET; Conference League at 1 p. m. ET
The Europa League draw will be held from 12 p. m. ET and the Conference League draw from 1 p. m. ET. Every team's potential opponents for the round of 16 have already been narrowed down to two possibilities, and the round-of-16 match schedule will be available on Friday evening.
Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace to learn last-16 opponents
Aston Villa will be drawn against Celta Vigo or PAOK, Nottingham Forest will face Real Betis or Midtjylland, and Crystal Palace will be paired with Mainz or AEK Larnaca. There are three Premier League clubs among the 16 teams in each competition, and with the midweek play-offs now finished those English sides know they will face one of two opponents but do not yet know the exact pathway until the draw is made.
Join now now to receive the latest news, purchase tickets and get exclusive access to Aston Villa content as well as a host of other benefits.
Seedings, rules and what they mean for home advantage
Teams can be drawn against opponents from their own country and against teams they have already faced in the competition. The sides that did not require a play-off will be seeded (finished top eight in the league phase), meaning those seeded teams get to play the second leg of their last-16 ties at home.
The earliest two English teams could meet is the quarter-finals, where Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest could be drawn on a collision course. Crystal Palace do not have any potential English opponents in the Conference League.
Play-off outcomes and late reversals that shaped the draw
Celta Vigo beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate, winning 1-0 in their Europa League play-off second leg. Lille recovered from a first-leg loss to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade. Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and knock out Ludogorets Razgrad. Stuttgart lost 1-0 at home to Celtic but went through 4-2 on aggregate.
Highlights from recent ties include Forest surviving a Fenerbahce scare to continue their European run and Bodo/Glimt making history with a stunning victory over Inter.
How to follow the draws and the next scheduled dates
Live coverage of the draws will be available on Friday on websites and apps. The round-of-16 match schedule will be published on Friday evening, the quarter-final match schedule will be confirmed on March 19, and the semi-final schedule will be communicated on April 16.
Friday's confirmed events are the Europa League draw at 12 p. m. ET and the Conference League draw at 1 p. m. ET, followed by the publication of the round-of-16 match schedule that evening.
