UEFA has concluded the draw for the Europa League playoff round for the 2025/26 season, producing a series of high-profile clashes, most notably a showdown between Spain’s Celta Vigo and Greek side PAOK.
The draw ceremony was held on Friday, the same day UEFA also conducted the playoff draw for the UEFA Champions League.
That draw paired record champions Real Madrid with Portugal’s Benfica in a repeat of a classic European encounter, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain were drawn against domestic rivals AS Monaco.
The Europa League playoff ties, which determine qualification for the round of 16, will be played over two legs on February 19 and 26, according to UEFA’s previously announced schedule.
In addition to the playoff fixtures, UEFA also outlined the potential paths for the knockout stages starting from the round of 16.
The teams that finished in the top eight of the league-phase standings, which concluded on Thursday evening, have qualified directly for the last 16.
Europa League Playoff Fixtures (2025–26)
• Ludogorets (Bulgaria) vs Ferencváros (Hungary)
• Panathinaikos (Greece) vs Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)
• Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) vs Genk (Belgium)
• PAOK (Greece) vs Celta Vigo (Spain)
• Celtic (Scotland) vs Stuttgart (Germany)
• Fenerbahçe (Türkiye) vs Nottingham Forest (England)
• Brann (Norway) vs Bologna (Italy)
• Lille (France) vs Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Potential Round of 16 Paths
• Winner of PAOK/Celta Vigo vs Lyon or Aston Villa
• Winner of Lille/Red Star vs Aston Villa or Lyon
• Winner of Panathinaikos/Plzeň vs Midtjylland or Real Betis
• Winner of Fenerbahçe/Nottingham Forest vs Real Betis or Midtjylland
• Winner of Ludogorets/Ferencváros vs Porto or Braga
• Winner of Celtic/Stuttgart vs Braga or Porto
• Winner of Dinamo Zagreb/Genk vs Freiburg or Roma
• Winner of Brann/Bologna vs Roma or Freiburg
UEFA had previously announced that the Europa League final for the 2025/26 season will be held on May 20 in Istanbul, Türkiye.
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