The draw for the 2026/27 edition of the Europa League will schedule the initial eight matches as teams from across Europe bid to succeed Aston Villa as champions.
Villa beat Freiburg in the 2025/26 final, with Sevilla’s seven triumphs making the Spanish side by far the most successful team in Europa League history.
Premier League side Bournemouth are making their European debut this season after finishing sixth in the top flight, while Crystal Palace qualified by winning the Conference League.
Sunderland join them, making their second-ever appearance in Europe a season after winning promotion to the Premier League.
When is the 2026 Europa League draw?
The draw will take place on Friday, August 28 – a day after the play-off ties come to a close to decide the last teams to qualify.
The draw will start at 12:00 BST / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT.
How to watch Europa League draw: TV channel, live online stream
The draw will be shown live and for free on UEFA.com, as well as on UEFA’s YouTube channel.
TNT Sports will also broadcast the draw on TNT Sports 1 and the HBO Max app.
2026/27 Europa League format
In a change from the group stage held until 2023/24, each team now plays eight matches in the league phase, all against different opponents.
Four of those matches will be at home and four away, with the opponents determined according to four seeding pots split by rankings.
Teams will play two opponents from each of those pots – one against a team from each pot at home and one away. The results decide the overall standings in one league.
The top eight sides in the table qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to reach the last 16.
Teams finishing 25th or lower are out of Europe for the season.
Europa League schedule, fixtures 2026/27
The league phase starts on September 16 and runs until the end of January.
| Matchday | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | September 16/17, 2026 |
| 2 | October 15, 2026 |
| 3 | October 22, 2026 |
| 4 | November 5, 2026 |
| 5 | November 26, 2026 |
| 6 | December 10, 2026 |
| 7 | January 21, 2027 |
| 8 | January 28, 2027 |
When is the Europa League knockout phase?
The knockout phase starts with the play-offs in February to reach the last 16.
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Play-offs | February 18 & 25, 2027 |
| Round of 16 | March 11 & 18, 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | April 8 & 15, 2027 |
| Semi-finals | April 29 & May 6, 2027 |
| Final | May 26, 2027 |
When are the Europa League draws?
The dates for the knockout phase draws were yet to be confirmed as of August 25, 2026.
Which English clubs are in the Europa League 2026/27?
Under former head coach Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth finished sixth in last season’s Premier League with the help of an 18-match unbeaten league run to end an exceptional campaign.
Championship play-off winners the previous season, Sunderland won their final two matches of a superb season – part of a run of eight points from their closing four league games – to secure seventh.
Palace enjoyed a remarkable year in cup competitions, winning the FA Cup to reach the Conference League and triumphing in that competition with a 1-0 win over Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the final.
When is the Europa League final?
The final will take place on May 26 2027 at Stadion Frankfurt.
