Europa League Playoffs: A Guide to the Draw and How It Works

The UEFA Europa League is entering its crucial phase as the competition prepares for its first-ever playoff draw under the new format. Set to take place on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 13:00 CET in Nyon, Switzerland, this draw will determine the match-ups for the knockout phase play-offs.

The New Format

This season marks a significant change in the Europa League structure. The traditional group stage has been replaced by a single league phase featuring 36 teams. After eight matches against different opponents, the top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, while teams finishing 9th to 24th enter the playoff round.

Playoff Draw Procedure

The draw will pair teams that finished 9th to 16th (seeded) against those that finished 17th to 24th (unseeded). The pairings are predetermined based on final league positions:

– 9th/10th placed teams vs. 23rd/24th placed teams
– 11th/12th placed teams vs. 21st/22nd placed teams
– And so on…

How the Draw Works

Eight pots will be prepared, each containing balls with the names of seeded and unseeded teams. The draw begins with unseeded teams, assigning each team a predetermined position on the bracket. It starts with the 23rd/24th placed teams and ends with the 17th/18th placed teams.

After unseeded teams are drawn, the process continues with seeded teams, starting from the 15th/16th pairing. The first team drawn is placed on the silver side of the bracket, the second on the blue side. This procedure repeats until all matchups are set.

The 16 Playoff Teams

Following the conclusion of the league phase, the teams participating in the playoffs are:

Bodø/Glimt, Anderlecht, FCSB, Ajax, Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, Roma, Viktoria Plzeň, Ferencváros, Porto, AZ, Midtjylland, Union Saint-Gilloise, PAOK, Twente, and Fenerbahçe.

What’s at Stake

The eight winners of these playoff matches will join the top eight teams from the league phase in the round of 16. This new format adds an extra layer of excitement and competition to the Europa League, as teams fight for their place in the knockout stages.

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