The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League, Road to Bibao, knockout phase play-off draw held on Friday at the House of European Football, Nyon, Switzerland, after the play-off draw of the UEFA Champions League.
The draw for the UEFA Europa League knockout playoffs paired Porto with Roma as teams prepare to put it all on the line in pursuit of a place in the Round of 16.
Four-time Champions League winners Ajax, who also lifted this trophy back in 1991/92, travel to neighbouring Belgium to take on Union Saint-Gilloise in the first game of a two-legged tie. There will be a couple of visits from Istanbul to the Lowlands as Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce take on Anderlecht and Galatasaray face AZ Alkmaar.
FC Twente complete a trio of Dutch representatives and must try to get past Bodo/Glimt, while a trip to England is the prize for the winner of the tie between Midtylland and Real Sociedad as Manchester United or Tottenham lie in wait for them in the last 16.
Elsewhere, PAOK face Steaua Bucharest and Ferencvaros play Viktoria Plzen, who lost 3-1 to Athletic Bilbao in midweek at San Mames, the host venue of the 2025 Europa League final on May 21.
UEFA Europa League knockout-playoff draw result: Full list of matches
The following are all the matchups in the Champions League knockout playoff round:
- FC Twente vs. Bodo/Glimt
- Fenerbahce vs. Anderlecht
- Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Ajax
- PAOK vs. Steaua Bucharest
- AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray
- Midtylland vs. Real Sociedad
- Ferencvaros vs. Viktoria Plzen
- Porto vs. Roma
Read also: FULL DRAW: Man City to face Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off
When are the UEFA Europa League knockout-playoff matches?
The first legs of the playoffs will be held on February 13, with the return games a week later on February 20.
As with the Champions League, the draw to decide the Round of 16 ties, plus the bracket for the quarterfinals and semifinals, is held on February 21.
When will top-eight clubs learn last-16 opponent?
For the three British clubs through to the last 16, Friday’s draw didn’t teach us anything new. There are still four possibilities in the last 16 for all three of Manchester United, Rangers and Tottenham.
United and Tottenham will each face one of Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or Midtjylland on March 6 and 13.
Draw format – how it worked
Teams finishing between ninth and 16th in the league are seeded for the play-off round.
They will face an unseeded team that finished between 17th and 24th in the table – with the seeded team also having the benefit of playing the second leg at home.
Sides have been paired together in the draw, meaning the two sides who finished ninth and 10th have been drawn against either the 23rd or 24th-placed sides.
Teams who finished 11th and 12th have been drawn against either the 21st or 22nd-placed sides, and so on.
The eight winners from the play-offs will meet the teams who finished in the top eight from the initial league phase in the last 16, where the familiar theme of knockout rounds will run all the way to the final.
When are the other knockout stages?
- Last-16 games will be played on March 6, with the second legs occurring on March 13.
- The quarter-finals are on April 10, with the return legs on April 17.
- The semi-finals will take place on May 1, with second legs on May 8.
- The 2024/25 Europa League final will be played at the Estadio de San Mames in Bilbao, Spain, on May 21 2025.
