Europa League Play-Offs Draw: See who faces off in the knockout clashes
The draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League knockout play-off round has been completed, revealing the matchups for a place in the round of 16. The headline tie features English side Nottingham Forest facing Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
Both clubs, despite their stature, struggled during the league phase and failed to finish in the top eight. Now, only one will progress, as they meet in one of the eight two-legged play-off fixtures.
Nottingham Forest are not the only British team with a challenging draw. Celtic have been paired against one of Germany’s top sides, Stuttgart, ensuring a competitive clash.
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In the February fixtures, the higher-seeded teams will host the second leg. Exact dates and kickoff times will be confirmed later on Friday.
Knockout Play-Off Round Draw (Seedings in brackets):
Genk (9) vs Dinamo Zagreb (23)
Bologna (10) vs Brann (24)
Stuttgart (11) vs Celtic (21)
Ferencvaros (12) vs Ludogorets (22)
Nottingham Forest (13) vs Fenerbahce (19)
Viktoria Plzen (14) vs Panathinaikos (20)
Crvena Zvezda (15) vs Lille (18)
Celta Vigo (16) vs PAOK
Knockout Play-Off Schedule:
First legs: February 19
Second legs: February 26
The eight winners from these ties will advance to the round of 16, where they will be matched with the teams that finished first to eighth in the league phase:
Lyon (FRA)
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Aston Villa (ENG)
Midtjylland (DEN)
Betis (ESP)
FC Porto (POR)
Braga (POR)
Freiburg (GER)
AS Roma (ITA)
The draw for the round of 16 and the remaining tournament bracket will take place on Friday, February 27, following the conclusion of the knockout play-offs. The round of 16 will kick off on March 12.