Europa League group stage draw: New structure, league phase and how it works
The Europa League has had a major revamp season and the draw process has been overhauled to reflect the new format, with Man Utd and Tottenham involved.
Atalanta, who will be playing in the Champions League this season, lift the Europa League trophy after beating Bayer Leverkusen (Image: Getty)
The Europa League is set to undergo a major revamp for the 2024/25 season, following in the footsteps of the Champions League.Manchester United, who clinched the FA Cup, and Tottenham, who secured fifth place in the Premier League last season, along with Scotland's Rangers, are eagerly awaiting the new-look draw scheduled for midday UK time on Friday.
Mirroring the Champions League, UEFA's second-tier competition will now feature 36 teams in a single league. Teams will face eight different opponents in their quest to reach the knockout phase, which will now include an additional play-off round before the round of 16.
The league action gets underway at the end of September and concludes in late-January. Before then, here's everything you need to know about the draw...
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Draw process
In the past, teams were hand-drawn based on their seeding status. However, UEFA has deemed this method unfeasible under the new format as it could take up to four hours.
In line with modern advancements, AI technology will be utilised to expedite the process. Clubs will still be seeded according to their coefficient, but matches will be randomly drawn by dedicated software instead of being hand-picked. To dispel any allegations of draw-rigging, UEFA assures that the automated system will be regularly monitored independently.
The Europa League has undergone a major revamp (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Teams will be divided into four pots. For instance, when a team from pot one is manually drawn, the software will select eight opponents, two from each pot. The software will also randomly determine which side plays at home and away. The format will see each team play one side from each pot at home and one away.
Clubs from the same country will be kept separate in the league phase, with each team playing a maximum of two opponents from one other nation. While United and Spurs, who will be in Pot 1, are unable to face each other in the league phase, they could potentially come up against Rangers.
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Knockout phase
Your position in the league will dictate your future in the competition. The aim for every team after their eight matches is to secure a spot in the top eight, which guarantees an automatic place in the round of 16.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16. Clubs from 25th to 36th will exit the competition.
What about the Conference League?
UEFA's recently-introduced third-tier competition will follow a similar format but with a slight difference. Teams will be seeded in six pots, with each team facing six opponents, one from each pot.
