Europa League bracket, explained: Possible knockout opponents for every team in Round of 16, playoffs
The change in UEFA Europa League format has completely rearranged the way the league phase is played and how the subsequent knockout stage is structured.
After the thrilling conclusion to the Champions League the day before, which saw clubs jockeying for position until the final kick of the final match, the spotlight now turns to the Europa League where 24 teams will be chosen to battle for European supremacy.
The top eight finishers in the league phase advance straight to the Round of 16, while the sixteen teams below them will contest a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight qualifiers.
The Sporting News details exactly how the matchups are decided, who can play who, and where each team’s pathway to Europa League glory can be drawn.
MORE: Final standings for Europa League league phase and what teams qualified for Europa League knockouts
How the Europa League bracket works
In the new Europa League format, which follows what is known as the Swiss Model as does the Champions League, the knockout-stage bracket is largely predetermined by final league-phase positions, although not entirely.
There will be a draw following the league phase (taking place on Friday, January 30 this year) to set the playoff-round matchups, and then another draw prior to the Round of 16 to set the entire rest of the bracket.
In both the knockout playoffs and the Round of 16, each qualifier has only two possible opponents against whom they can be drawn.
MORE: Breaking down the Champions League knockout bracket for 2025/26
Possible opponents for every team in knockout playoffs
In the Europa League knockout playoffs, the top qualifiers from the league phase are drawn against the lowest-finishing qualifiers, and so on.
The matchups are as follows:
- 9th & 10th vs. 23rd & 24th
- 11th & 12th vs. 21st & 22nd
- 13th & 14th vs. 19th & 20th
- 15th & 16th vs. 17th & 18th
The table below shows how the seeding works in the Europa League knockout-playoff round for the 2025/26 season.
| League phase pos. | Possible opponents |
| 9th (Genk) | 23rd (Dinamo Zagreb) or 24th (Brann) |
| 10th (Bologna) | 23rd (Dinamo Zagreb) or 24th (Brann) |
| 11th (VfB Stuttgart) | 21st (Celtic) and 22nd (Ludogorets) |
| 12th (Ferencvaros) | 21st (Celtic) and 22nd (Ludogorets) |
| 13th (Nottingham Forest) | 19th (Fenerbahce) or 20th (Panathinaikos) |
| 14th (Viktoria Plzen) | 19th (Fenerbahce) or 20th (Panathinaikos) |
| 15th (Red Star Belgrade) | 17th (PAOK) or 18th (Lille) |
| 16th (Celta Vigo) | 17th (PAOK) or 18th (Lille) |
| 17th (PAOK) | 15th (Red Star Belgrade) or 16th (Celta Vigo) |
| 18th (Lille) | 15th (Red Star Belgrade) or 16th (Celta Vigo) |
| 19th (Fenerbahce) | 13th (Nottingham Forest) or 14th (Viktoria Plzen) |
| 20th (Panathinaikos) | 13th (Nottingham Forest) or 14th (Viktoria Plzen) |
| 21st (Celtic) | 11th (VfB Stuttgart) or 12th (Ferencvaros) |
| 22nd (Ludogorets) | 11th (VfB Stuttgart) or 12th (Ferencvaros) |
| 23rd (Dinamo Zagreb) | 9th (Genk) or 10th (Bologna) |
| 24th (Brann) | 9th (Genk) or 10th (Bologna) |
Possible opponents for every team in Round of 16
In the Europa League Round of 16, the eight winners from the knockout playoffs are drawn against the top eight finishers from the league phase, again according to those final positions.
The matchups are as follows:
- 1st & 2nd in league phase vs. winners of 15/16 vs. 17/18
- 3rd & 4th in league phase vs. winners of 13/14 vs. 19/20
- 5th & 6th in league phase vs. winners of 11/12 vs. 21/22
- 7th & 8th in league phase vs. winners of 9/10 vs. 23/24
The table below shows how the seeding works in the Europa League Round of 16 for the 2025/26 season.
| League phase pos. | Possible opponents |
| 1st (Lyon) | 15/16 (Red Star/Celta Vigo) or 17/18 (PAOK/Lille) |
| 2nd (Aston Villa) | 15/16 (Red Star/Celta Vigo) or 17/18 (PAOK/Lille) |
| 3rd (FC Midtjylland) | 13/14 (Forest/Viktoria Plzen) or 19/20 (Fenerbahce/Panathinaikos) |
| 4th (Real Betis) | 13/14 (Forest/Viktoria Plzen) or 19/20 (Fenerbahce/Panathinaikos) |
| 5th (FC Porto) | 11/12 (Stuttgart/Ferencvaros) or 21/22 (Celtic/Ludogorets) |
| 6th (Braga) | 11/12 (Stuttgart/Ferencvaros) or 21/22 (Celtic/Ludogorets) |
| 7th (SC Freiburg) | 9/10 (Genk/Bologna) or 23/24 (Zagreb/Brann) |
| 8th (AS Roma) | 9/10 (Genk/Bologna) or 23/24 (Zagreb/Brann) |
Europa League knockout bracket, matchups for 2025/26
The schedule and matchups for the 2025/26 Europa League knockout playoffs will be set at the draw on Friday, January 30.
Following that round, the schedule and matchups for the rest of the Europa League knockout phase will be determined at the Round of 16 draw on February 27. There will be no further draws from that point on, as the entirety of the bracket will be set at that point.
2025/26 Europa League knockout stage schedule
Playoff Round — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO1: Dinamo Zagreb or Brann vs. Genk or Bologna | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO2: Dinamo Zagreb or Brann vs. Genk or Bologna | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO3: Celtic or Ludogorets vs. Stuttgart or Ferencvaros | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO4: Celtic or Ludogorets vs. Stuttgart or Ferencvaros | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO5: Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos vs. Nottingham Forest or Viktoria Plzen | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO6: Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos vs. Nottingham Forest or Viktoria Plzen | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO7: PAOK or Lille vs. Red Star or Celta Vigo | ||
| Thu, Feb. 19 | KO8: PAOK or Lille vs. Red Star or Celta Vigo |
Playoff Round — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO1: Genk or Bologna vs. Dinamo Zagreb or Brann | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO2: Genk or Bologna vs. Dinamo Zagreb or Brann | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO3: Stuttgart or Ferencvaros vs. Celtic or Ludogorets | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO4: Stuttgart or Ferencvaros vs. Celtic or Ludogorets | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO5: Nott’m Forest or Viktoria Plzen vs. Ferenbahce or Panathinaikos | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO6: Nott’m Forest or Viktoria Plzen vs. Ferenbahce or Panathinaikos | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO7: Red Star or Celta Vigo vs. PAOK or Lille | ||
| Thu, Feb. 26 | KO8: Red Star or Celta Vigo vs. PAOK or Lille |
Round of 16 — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M1: Winner KO8 vs. Lyon/Aston Villa | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M2: Winner KO7 vs. Lyon/Aston Villa | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M3: Winner KO6 vs. Midtjylland/Real Betis | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M4: Winner KO5 vs. Midtjylland/Real Betis | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M5: Winner KO4 vs. Porto/Braga | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M6: Winner KO3 vs. Porto/Braga | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M7: Winner KO2 vs. Freiburg/Roma | ||
| Thu, Mar. 12 | M8: Winner KO1 vs. Freiburg/Roma |
Round of 16 — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M1: Lyon/Aston Villa vs. Winner KO8 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M2: Lyon/Aston Villa vs. Winner KO7 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M3: Midtjylland/Real Betis vs. Winner KO6 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M4: Midtjylland/Real Betis vs. Winner KO5 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M5: Porto/Braga vs. Winner KO4 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M6: Porto/Braga vs. Winner KO3 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M7: Freiburg/Roma vs. Winner KO2 | ||
| Thu, Mar. 19 | M8: Freiburg/Roma vs. Winner KO1 |
Quarterfinals — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Apr. 9 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 9 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 9 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 9 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Quarterfinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Quarterfinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF1: Winner, M1 vs. Winner, M8 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF2: Winner, M2 vs. Winner, M7 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF3: Winner, M3 vs. Winner, M6 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 16 | QF4: Winner, M4 vs. Winner, M5 |
Semifinals — 1st leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, Apr. 30 | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF4 | ||
| Thu, Apr. 30 | SF2: Winner, QF2 vs. Winner, QF3 |
Semifinals — 2nd leg
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Thu, May 7 | SF1: Winner, QF1 vs. Winner, QF4 | ||
| Thu, May 7 | SF2: Winner, QF2 vs. Winner, QF3 |
Champions League final
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
| Wed, May 20 | 3 p.m. | SF1: Winner, SF1 vs. Winner, SF2 | Besiktas Stadium (Istanbul, Turkey) |
