UEFA is ushering in a new era of continental competition in 2024-25, with radical changes being implemented across its flagship club tournaments.
The Europa League, like the Champions League and Europa Conference League, will see a whole new format this year.
So, with the qualifying phase complete, GOAL brings you all you need to know about the Europa League draw, including how to watch, seeding pots and more.
When is the Europa League draw?
| Date: | August 30, 2024 |
| Time: | 12pm BST / 7am ET |
| Venue: | Grimaldi Forum, Monaco |
The draw for the league phase of the 2024-25 Europa League will take place on Friday, August 30, 2024, with the ceremony starting at 12 pm BST (7 am ET).
How to watch the Europa League draw: Stream & TV channels
You can watch the draw live on the TNT Sports official YouTube channel (try here if video doesn't play) from 12 pm BST.
The draw can also be streamed live online for free on UEFA's official website, uefa.com, and it will also be broadcast on several of UEFA's broadcasting partner networks.
In the United States, Europa League games will be available to watch and stream live on Paramount, with Paramount+ being the go-to channel.
In the United Kingdom, Europa League matches are broadcast live on the TNT Sports network.
Remember, you will also be able to follow all the news and reactions to the draw on GOAL.
Europa League draw seeding pots
You can see the full confirmed seeding pots below.
| Pot One | Pot Two | Pot Three | Pot Four |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roma | Real Sociedad | Qarabag | Athletic Club |
| Manchester United | AZ | Galatasaray | Hoffenheim |
| Porto | Braga | Viktoria Plzen | Nice |
| Ajax | Olympiacos | Bodo/Glimt | Anderlecht |
| Rangers | Lyon | Union SG | Twente |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | PAOK | Dynamo Kyiv | Besiktas |
| Lazio | Fenerbahce | Ludogorets | Steaua Bucharest |
| Tottenham | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Midtjylland | RFS |
| Slavia Prague | Ferencvaros | Malmo | Elfsborg |
As you can see, the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham, Rangers, Ajax and Roma are in Pot One. Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce are in Pot Two, along with Real Sociedad, Lyon and Olympiacos among others. Galatasaray and Dynamo Kyiv are some of the bigger names in Pot Three, while Pot Four features the likes of Athletic Club and Steaua Bucharest.
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GettyHow does the Europa League draw work? Format explained.
The league phase features 36 teams and each team will play eight other teams, with four games at home and four away.
The top eight teams advance directly to the last 16. The teams which finish ninth to 16th are seeded in the knockout phase play-off round. Teams which finish 17th to 24th are unseeded in the knockout phase play-off round. Teams which finish 25th to 36th are eliminated.
NOTE: Teams from the same national association cannot be drawn against each other and a team can face a maximum of two teams from any one association.
As you can see, there are four pots of nine clubs. The draw is conducted partially manually with the assistance of digital technology and begins when a ball is manually drawn from Pot One. The computer then selects eight opponents for this team - two from each seeding pot. This is repeated for the remaining teams in Pot One.
The same process is replicated for Pot Two teams, drawing teams from Pots Two, Three and Four. It is then done for Pot Three teams, focusing on teams from Pots Three and Four. Finally, Pot Four teams are paired with the remaining teams from Pot Four.
When does the League phase of the Europa League start?
| Matchday | Fixture date(s) |
|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | September 25-26 |
| Matchday 2 | October 3 |
| Matchday 3 | October 24 |
| Matchday 4 | November 7 |
| Matchday 5 | November 28 |
| Matchday 6 | December 12 |
| Matchday 7 | January 23 |
| Matchday 8 | January 30 |
The League phase of the 2024-25 Europa League will begin on September 15, 2024 and there will be a total of eight matchdays, concluding on January 30, 2025.