Europa League Draw: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace to learn last-16 opponents on Friday
The europa league draw and the Conference League draw are scheduled for Friday, with the Europa League draw at 12pm ET and the Conference League draw at 1pm ET. Sixteen teams remain in each competition, including three Premier League clubs whose last-16 opponents have been narrowed down to two possibilities each.
Europa League Draw: timing, format and what’s at stake
The europa league draw will take place at 12pm ET on Friday, followed by the Conference League draw at 1pm ET. Every team’s potential opponent for the next round has already been narrowed to two possibilities. Teams can be drawn against clubs from their own country and against opponents they have already faced earlier in the competition. Sides that did not require a play-off are seeded and will play the second leg of their last-16 ties at home; seeded teams finished in the top eight in the league phase.
Which Premier League clubs are involved and their possible opponents
- Aston Villa: Celta Vigo or Lille
- Nottingham Forest: Real Betis or Midtjylland
- Crystal Palace: Mainz or AEK Larnaca
With the midweek play-offs now concluded, each English club knows the two teams they could face but not their specific pathway until the draw is made. The earliest stage at which two English teams could meet is the quarter-finals of the Europa League between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Crystal Palace does not have any potential English opponents in the Conference League.
Play-off outcomes that determined potential opponents
- 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 defeat to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade and progress.
- Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and eliminate Ludogorets Razgrad.
- Stuttgart, despite losing 1-0 at home to Celtic, went through 4-2 on aggregate.
Scheduling timeline: when match details will be confirmed
The round-of-16 match schedule will be published on Friday evening. The quarter-final match schedule will be confirmed on March 19, while the semi-final schedule will be communicated on April 16. Exact dates and times for individual ties will be released as these schedules are confirmed.
Live coverage and next steps
Live coverage of the draws will be available on Friday on sports websites and apps. After the draws, round-of-16 pairings and the full match schedule for the next stage will be known, resolving the immediate uncertainty for the 16 teams left in each competition.
Note: details may evolve once the draw is completed; the article reflects the situation as outlined ahead of Friday’s draws.
