Following the Champions League draw in Nyon, the remaining three sides from La Liga in European action have found out their European draws. Spain still have Celta Vigo and Real Betis in the Europa League, and Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League, with the latter two among the favourites for their competitions.
Betis secured a bye through to the Round of 16 in the Europa League, while Celta were forced to go through the play-off round. The Galician side beat Greek opponents PAOK 3-1 over two legs though, comfortably progressing after a first leg win in Thessaloniki. Rayo also had a bye through to the Round of 16 in the Conference League.
Europa League draw
A return to Spain is on the cards for Rafael Benitez, as his Panathinaikos team will take on Real Betis in the Round of 16, with the first leg in Athens. Manuel Pellegrini now knows that beating Panathinaikos means a meeting with Braga or Ferencvaros in the quarter-finals, and one of KRC Genk, Freiburg, Olympique Lyon or Celta Vigo in the semi-finals.
The road to Istanbul 🗺️#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/5Gr8WLIMEj
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 27, 2026
Celta will host Lyon in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, with Genk or Freiburg awaiting in the quarter-finals. The French side, who have a fit and firing Endrick Felipe on loan from Real Madrid, are the favourites for their tie, but Os Celeste would have been underdogs against either Lyon or Aston Villa.
Conference League draw
Rayo Vallecano finished 5th in the table for the Conference League, level on points with five other teams after four victories out of six in league phase. They were to face one of Samsunpor or a rematch with Lech Poznan, who they beat 3-2 in Vallecas in the league phase, but have been drawn against the Turkish side.
ℹ️ El @Samsunspor será nuestro rival en los octavos de final de la UEFA Conference League.
12 de marzo – Samsun Yeni 19 Mayıs Stadium
19 de marzo – Estadio de Vallecas#UECL #EuroRayo pic.twitter.com/vSmCM4xC1i— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) February 27, 2026
Samsunspor finished 12th in the league phase, and beat Shkendija 5-0 on aggregate in the play-off round. They currently lie 7th in the Turkish Superlig.
