The draw for the knockout rounds of the Europa League will be completed this week as teams including Aston Villa and possibly Nottingham Forest learn their potential route to May’s final in Istanbul.
Tonight’s midweek play-off matches will send eight teams though to the last 16 to join the clubs who finished in the top eight of the league phase, with the likes of Porto, Roma and Lyon joined by Premier League high-flyers Villa.
The outline of the draw has already been made, with teams grouped into small four-way pools of possible opponents based on their league placings.
The Villans, who finished second in the league phase, could face French side Lille or Greek minnows PAOK, while Forest will face either Danish side Midtjylland or La Liga club Real Betis if they successfully defend their 3-0 play-off lead against Fenerbahce.
When is the draw?
The Europa League last-16 draw will take place in Nyon at 12pm GMT (1pm local time) on Friday 27 February.
How to watch online
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website, YouTube channel and Europa League app.
Which teams have qualified for the last-16?
The top eight sides in this season’s Europa League league phase await in the knockout rounds. They are:
- Lyon
- Aston Villa
- FC Midtjylland
- Real Betis
- Porto
- Braga
- Freiburg
- AS Roma
Who has advanced via the play-offs?
The teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase went into the play-offs. The second legs are being played this week:
- Fenerbahce 0-3 Nottingham Forest
- Celtic 1-4 Stuttgart
- Brann 0-1 Bologna
- PAOK 1-2 Celta Vigo
- Dinamo Zagreb 1-3 Genk
- Ludogorets 2-1 Ferencvaros
- Panathinaikos 2-2 Viktoria Plzen
- Lille 0-1 Crvena Zvezda
The teams have been grouped into seeded couplets according to how they finished in the league phase, so, for example, Lyon (who finished top) or Villa (who finished second) will play the winners of either Lille vs Crvena Zvezda or PAOK vs Celta Vigo.
Teams from the same national league can play each other in the knockout rounds.
Here are the possible last-16 draw permutations:
Lyon and Aston Villa will be drawn against:
- Lille / Crvena Zvezda or PAOK / Celta Vigo
FC Midtjylland and Real Betis will be drawn against:
- Panathinaikos / Viktoria Plzen or Fenerbahce / Nottingham Forest
Porto and Braga will be drawn against:
- Ludogorets / Ferencvaros or Celtic / Stuttgart
Freiburg and AS Roma will be drawn against:
- Brann / Bologna or Dinamo Zagreb / Genk
What are the match dates?
The last-16 ties will take place in mid-March. Here are the remaining round dates:
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2026
Final: 19/20 May 2026 (Istanbul)