The draw for the 2026 Europa League knockout phase mapped out the pathway for each team to this year’s final.
Playoffs to determine the final eight teams in the Round of 16 were completed on Thursday, February 26, as Nottingham Forest eased their way through to the next stage to join fellow Premier League side Aston Villa.
Teams from all other four Big 5 European leagues are present, plus two from Portugal, with French side Lyon finishing at the summit of the league-phase standings to secure the top seed in the draw.
Below, The Sporting News details how the bracket will play out all the way to the final.
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Teams in UEFA Europa League knockouts
These are the 16 teams that qualified for the knockout phase of the 2026 UEFA Europa League.
Seeded teams are those who qualified for the Round of 16 directly via a top-eight finish in the league phase standings, while the unseeded teams are those who advanced through from the knockout-playoff round.
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Seeded teams
| Club | Nation |
| Lyon | France |
| Aston Villa | England |
| Midtjylland | Norway |
| Real Betis | Spain |
| Porto | Portugal |
| Braga | Portugal |
| Freiburg | Germany |
| AS Roma | Italy |
Unseeded teams
| Club | Nation |
| Genk | Belgium |
| Bologna | Italy |
| Stuttgart | Germany |
| Ferencvaros | Hungary |
| Nottingham Forest | England |
| Panathinaikos | Greece |
| Lille | France |
| Celta Vigo | Spain |
Europa League knockout phase bracket, results
Below is how the Europa League knockout schedule will look in 2025/26 following the draw in Switzerland.
The bracket is set from the Round of 16 onwards, meaning teams will know their possible opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals should they progress.
For the quarterfinals and semifinals, the teams listed first in each fixture will play the first legs of those ties at home, while playing away in the second leg.
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Round of 16
| Match | Fixture | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | Aggregate Score |
| M1 | Genk vs. Freiburg | 1-0 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M2 | Bologna vs. Roma | 1-1 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M3 | Stuttgart vs. Porto | 1-2 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M4 | Ferencvaros vs. Braga | 2-0 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M5 | Panathinaikos vs. Real Betis | 1-0 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M6 | Nottingham Forest vs. Midtjylland | 0-1 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M7 | Lille vs. Aston Villa | 0-1 | Mar. 19 | _ |
| M8 | Celta Vigo vs. Lyon | 1-1 | Mar. 19 | _ |
Quarterfinals
| Match No. | Fixture | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | Aggregate Score |
| QF1 | Winner M1 vs. Winner M8 | April 9 | April 16 | _ |
| QF2 | Winner M2 vs. Winner M7 | April 9 | April 16 | _ |
| QF3 | Winner M3 vs. Winner M6 | April 9 | April 16 | _ |
| QF4 | Winner M4 vs. Winner M5 | April 9 | April 16 | _ |
Semifinals
| Match No. | Fixture | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | Aggregate Socre |
| SF1 | Winner QF 4 vs. Winner QF 1 | April 30 | May 7 | _ |
| SF2 | Winner QF 3 vs. Winner QF 2 | April 30 | May 7 | _ |
Final
| Match | Score |
| Winner SF 1 vs. Winner SF 2 | May 20 |
Europa League 2025/26 round dates
Round of 16
- 1st legs: March 12
- 2nd legs: March 19
Quarterfinals
- 1st legs: April 9
- 2nd legs: April 16
Semifinals
- 1st legs: April 30
- 2nd legs: May 7