All you need to know about the 26/27 Europa League: Dates, fixtures & more

To help you follow every step on the road to the final in May, we explain all you need to know about the upcoming 2026/27 Europa League season below, from the key dates to the draws, teams, and format of the competition.

How did the qualifying phase work?

17 teams qualified automatically for the league phase. The remaining 19 spots were decided in a variety of ways. 12 teams joined the league phase via the qualifying phase, which ended with the play-offs in late August, played over two legs, while seven clubs dropped down into the Europa League after losing the Champions League play-offs.

Dates for the Europa League qualifying rounds

First qualifying round: July 9th and 16th, 2026

Second qualifying round: July 23rd and 30th, 2026

Third qualifying round: August 6th and 13th, 2026

Play-offs: August 20th and 27th, 2026

Which teams qualified?

The following 36 teams qualified for the Europa League proper:

Anderlecht (BEL); Ararat-Armenia (ARM); AZ (NED); Benfica (POR); Besiktas (Turkey); Bournemouth (ENG); Celje (SLO); Celta Vigo (ESP); Celtic (SCO); Crystal Palace (ENG); Dinamo Zagreb (CRO); Ferencvaros (HUN); Hapoel Beer Sheva (ISR); Hoffenheim (GER); Jagiellonia (POL); Juventus (ITA); Bayer Leverkusen (GER); Lech Poznan (POL); Levski Sofia (BUL); Lillestrom (NOR); Lyon (FRA); Marseille (FRA); AC Milan (ITA); Nijmegen (NED); OFI Crete (GRE); Olympiacos (GRE); Omonia (CYP); Plzen (CZE); Real Sociedad (ESP); Rennes (FRA); Salzburg (AUT); Sparta Prague (CZE); Sturm Graz (AUT); Sunderland (ENG); Torreense (POR); Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

When are the various Europa League draws?

First qualifying round: June 16th, 2026

Second qualifying round: June 17th, 2026

Third qualifying round: July 20th, 2026

Play-offs: August 3rd, 2026

League phase: August 28th, 2026

Knockout round play-offs: January 29th, 2027

Round of 16 and final bracket: February 26th, 2027

How did the league phase draw work?

The draw for the main phase of the Europa League took place from 13:00 CET on Friday, August 28th, in Monaco. The ceremony was a combined event for the Europa and Conference League draws and was streamed on UEFA.com.

For the draw, the 36 teams that qualified for the tournament were placed into four pots, with one being the highest-ranked and four being the lowest. The pot placements were based on UEFA's club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending at the conclusion of 2025/26.

The draw determined each side's eight fixtures for the league phase, with every team drawing two teams from each of the four pots. However, they couldn't face a team from the same country as themselves.

See the results of the league phase draw here!

Which teams were in each pot?

Pot 1 : Bayer Leverkusen; Benfica ;Juventus; AC Milan; Lyon; AZ Alkmaar; Olympiakos; Real Sociedad; Marseille

Pot 2: Ferencvaros; Viktoria Plzen; Union Saint-Gilloise; Dinamo Zagreb; Red Bull Salzburg; Celtic; Sparta Prague; Rennes; Anderlecht

Pot 3 : Sturm Graz; Lech Poznan; Crystal Palace; Bournemouth; Sunderland; Celje; Jagiellonia Bialystok; Omonia; Celta Vigo

Pot 4 : TSG Hoffenheim; Besiktas; Torreense; Hapoel Be'er Sheva; NEC Nijmegen; OFI Crete; Lillestrom; Aarat-Armenia; Levski Sofia

The format of the Europa League

The teams who finish in the top eight of the league phase after the eight Matchdays qualify for the Europa League's Round of 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.

When are the league phase matchdays?

Matchday 1: September 16th-17th, 2026

Matchday 2:  October 15th, 2026

Matchday 3: October 22nd, 2026

Matchday 4: November 5th, 2026

Matchday 5: November 26th, 2026

Matchday 6: December 10th, 2026

Matchday 7: January 21st, 2027

Matchday 8: January 28th, 2027

When are the knockout rounds played?

Knockout play-offs: February 18th and 25th, 2027

Round of 16: March 11th and 18th, 2027

Quarter-finals: April 8th and 15th, 2027

Semi-finals: April 29th and May 6th, 2027

Final: May 26th, 2027

When and where is the Europa League final?

The final will be staged on Wednesday, May 26th, 2027, at Frankfurt's Waldstadion in Germany, currently known as Deutsche Bank Park for sponsorship purposes; it is a retractable-roof stadium and the home ground of Eintracht Frankfurt.