The league phase draw for the 2025–26 Europea League was made on Friday, with the 36 qualifiers finding out which eight teams they will face in the opening round of the competition.
Tottenham Hotspur won last season’s Europa League and claimed the double-edged prize, a major continental trophy and a guaranteed place in the Champions League.
A number of sides will fancy their chances of going all the way, including Aston Villa—having reached the Champions League quarter-finals—and Nottingham Forest, who are competing in Europe for the first time in more than 40 years. Roma, Porto, Lille and Real Betis have their own ambitions too.
Pot 1 teams
- Roma
- Home: Lille, Viktoria Plzeň, Midtjylland, Stuttgart
- Away: Rangers, Celtic, Nice, Panathinaikos
- Porto
- Home: Rangers, Red Star Belgrade, Nice, Malmö
- Away: Red Bull Salzburg, Viktoria Plzeň, Nottingham Forest, Utrecht
- Rangers
- Home: Roma, Braga, Ludogorets Razgrad, Genk
- Away: Porto, Ferencváros, Sturm Graz, Brann
- Feyenoord
- Home: Aston Villa, Celtic, Sturm Graz, Panathinaikos
- Away: Real Betis, Braga, FCSB, Stuttgart
- Lille
- Home: Dinamo Zagreb, PAOK, Freiburg, Brann
- Away: Roma, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys, Celta Vigo
- Dinamo Zagreb
- Home: Real Betis, Fenerbahçe, FCSB, Celta Vigo
- Away: Lille, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Midtjylland, Malmö
- Real Betis
- Home: Feyenoord, Lille, Nottingham Forest, Utrecht
- Away: Dinamo Zagreb, PAOK, Ludogorets Razgrad, Genk
- Red Bull Salzburg
- Home: Porto, Ferencváros, Basel, Go Ahead Eagles
- Away: Aston Villa, Lyon, Freiburg, Bologna
- Aston Villa
- Home: Red Bull Salzburg, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys, Bologna
- Away: Feyenoord, Fenerbahçe, Basel, Go Ahead Eagles
Pot 2 teams
- Fenerbahçe
- Home: Aston Villa, Ferencváros, Nice, Stuttgart
- Away: Dinamo Zagreb, Viktoria Plzeň, FCSB, Brann
- Braga
- Home: Feyenoord, Red Star Belgrade, Nottingham Forest, Genk
- Away: Rangers, Celtic, Nice, Go Ahead Eagles
- Red Star Belgrade
- Home: Lille, Celtic, FCSB, Celta Vigo
- Away: Porto, Braga, Sturm Graz, Malmö
- Lyon
- Home: Red Bull Salzburg, PAOK, Basel, Go Ahead Eagles
- Away: Real Betis, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys, Utrecht
- PAOK
- Home: Real Betis, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys, Brann
- Away: Lille, Lyon, Ludogorets Razgrad, Celta Vigo
- Viktoria Plzeň
- Home: Porto, Fenerbahçe, Freiburg, Malmö
- Away: Roma, Ferencváros, Basel, Panathinaikos
- Ferencváros
- Home: Rangers, Viktoria Plzeň, Ludogorets Razgrad, Panathinaikos
- Away: Red Bull Salzburg, Fenerbahçe, Nottingham Forest, Genk
- Celtic
- Home: Roma, Braga, Sturm Graz, Utrecht
- Away: Feyenoord, Red Star Belgrade, Midtjylland, Bologna
- Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Home: Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, Midtjylland, Bologna
- Away: Aston Villa, PAOK, Freiburg, Stuttgart
Pot 3 teams
- Young Boys
- Home: Lille, Lyon, Ludogorets Razgrad, Panathinaikos
- Away: Aston Villa, PAOK, FCSB, Stuttgart
- Basel
- Home: Aston Villa, Viktoria Plzeň, FCSB, Stuttgart
- Away: Red Bull Salzburg, Lyon, Freiburg, Genk
- Midtjylland
- Home: Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic, Sturm Graz, Genk
- Away: Roma, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Nottingham Forest, Brann
- Freiburg
- Home: Red Bull Salzburg, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Basel, Utrecht
- Away: Lille, Viktoria Plzeň, Nice, Bologna
- Ludogorets Razgrad
- Home: Real Betis, PAOK, Nice, Celta Vigo
- Away: Rangers, Ferencváros, Young Boys, Malmö
- Nottingham Forest
- Home: Porto, Ferencváros, Midtjylland, Malmö
- Away: Real Betis, Braga, Sturm Graz, Utrecht
- Sturm Graz
- Home: Rangers, Red Star Belgrade, Nottingham Forest, Brann
- Away: Feyenoord, Celtic, Midtjylland, Panathinaikos
- FCSB
- Home: Feyenoord, Fenerbahçe, Young Boys, Bologna
- Away: Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade, Basel, Go Ahead Eagles
- Nice
- Home: Roma, Braga, Freiburg, Go Ahead Eagles
- Away: Porto, Fenerbahçe, Ludogorets Razgrad, Celta Vigo
Pot 4 teams
- Bologna
- Home: Red Bull Salzburg, Celtic, Freiburg, Brann
- Away: Aston Villa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, FCSB, Celta Vigo
- Celta Vigo
- Home: Lille, PAOK, Nice, Bologna
- Away: Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets Razgrad, Stuttgart
- Stuttgart
- Home: Feyenoord, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys, Celta Vigo
- Away: Roma, Fenerbahçe, Basel, Go Ahead Eagles
- Panathinaikos
- Home: Roma, Viktoria Plzeň, Sturm Graz, Go Ahead Eagles
- Away: Feyenoord, Ferencváros, Young Boys, Malmö
- Malmö
- Home: Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets Razgrad, Panathinaikos
- Away: Porto, Viktoria Plzeň, Nottingham Forest, Genk
- Go Ahead Eagles
- Home: Aston Villa, Braga, FCSB, Stuttgart
- Away: Red Bull Salzburg, Lyon, Nice, Panathinaikos
- Utrecht
- Home: Porto, Lyon, Nottingham Forest, Genk
- Away: Real Betis, Celtic, Freiburg, Brann
- Genk
- Home: Real Betis, Ferencváros, Basel, Malmö
- Away: Rangers, Braga, Midtjylland, Utrecht
- Brann
- Home: Rangers, Fenerbahçe, Midtjylland, Utrecht
- Away: Lille, PAOK, Sturm Graz, Bologna
When Does the 2025–26 Europa League League Phase Start?
The league phase begins in the final week of September and will run until late January. The top 24 finishers in the final standings will advance to the knockout rounds, with the best eight clubs awarded a bye to the last 16 and the rest put into the knockout play-off round.
The draw for that play-off round will take on January 30.
This season’s final is scheduled for May 20, 2026, at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul.
READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS AND PLAYER RATINGS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025-26 Europe League Draw: League Phase Games in Full.