The upcoming draws for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Europa Conference League will take place on Friday, and they will determine the group‑stage opponents for several British clubs. Among the teams set to learn their fate are Celtic, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the Europa League, while Brighton and Hearts will discover their group partners in the Conference League. The Europa League group‑stage draw is slated for 12:00 pm UK time on Friday. It will feature the four English sides mentioned above, alongside a mix of clubs from across the continent.
The Conference League draw will follow immediately after, pairing Brighton with a selection of European opponents and giving Scottish Premiership side Hearts a chance to compete on the continental stage. A total of twelve clubs earn direct entry into the Europa League group phase. In addition, the holder of the UEFA Conference League title – Crystal Palace – occupies a reserved slot, bringing the number of automatically qualified sides to thirteen.
Another twelve places are filled by clubs that progress through the Europa League play‑off round, while the remaining spots are occupied by eleven teams that drop down after being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and play‑offs. This structure yields a 36‑team line‑up for the Europa League group stage.
The clubs that have already secured their places in the Europa League include AC Milan, AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, Bournemouth, Celta Vigo, Crystal Palace, Hoffenheim, Juventus, Marseille, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Rennes, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, Sunderland, Torreense and Union Saint‑Gilloise. Those that emerged victorious from the Europa League play‑off round are Anderlecht, Ararat‑Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Ferencváros, Jagiellonia, Lech Poznań, Lillestrøm, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg and Viktoria Plzeň.
Teams that fell short in the Champions League play‑off round but have been transferred to the Europa League include Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Hapoel Be’er‑Sheva, NEC Nijmegen, Levski Sofia, Celje and Lyon. All thirty‑six clubs will begin their Europa League campaigns in the group stage; none receive a direct berth into later rounds. The Conference League features a similarly diverse roster. Clubs that qualified by winning their play‑off round are Ajax, Atalanta, Borac, Braga, Brann, Brighton, FC Copenhagen, Freiburg, Gent, Getafe, Hajduk Split, Hearts, Inter Escaldes, Jablonec, KuPS, Lincoln Red Imps, Lugano, Midtjylland, AS Monaco, Nordsjælland, Pafos, Panathinaikos, Riga and Twente.
Those that entered the Conference League after losing in the Europa League play‑off round are Aarhus (AGF), Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Iberia Tbilisi, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Žalgiris, Mjällby, Sint‑Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor and Union Craiova. In the Europa League, each club is guaranteed a minimum of eight group‑stage matches, facing eight distinct opponents – four at home and four away.
By contrast, the Conference League schedule provides six games per team, with three fixtures on home soil and three away. For both competitions, the top eight teams in each group progress directly to the knockout phase. Teams finishing ninth through twenty‑fourth enter a two‑legged play‑off to vie for a spot in the round of 16, while those placed twenty‑fifth to thirty‑sixth are eliminated from European competition for the season.
During the group stage, clubs cannot be drawn against a team from the same national association, and they may face at most two clubs from the same country across the entire group phase. The match calendar for the Europa League runs as follows: Matchday 1 on 16/17 September, Matchday 2 on 15 October, Matchday 3 on 22 October, Matchday 4 on 5 November, Matchday 5 on 26 November, Matchday 6 on 10 December, followed by the winter break and the continuation with Matchday 7 on 21 January 2027 and Matchday 8 on 28 January 2027.
The Conference League follows a slightly different schedule: its first matchday is set for 15 October, then 22 October, 5 November, 26 November, 10 December and finally 17 December. After the group stages, the knockout round play‑offs are scheduled for 18 and 25 February 2027. The round of 16 will be contested on 11 and 18 March 2027, quarter‑finals on 8 and 15 April 2027, semi‑finals on 29 April and 6 May 2027, culminating in the finals.
The Europa League final for the 2026/27 season is slated for 26 May 2027 at the Stadion Frankfurt in Germany. The Conference League final will be held a week later, on 2 June 2027, at Beşiktaş Park in Istanbul, Turkey.
These marquee events will showcase the champions of each competition and conclude a season filled with thrilling European football. Fans can follow the action live via the Sky Sports app, or access highlights and fixtures through various streaming platforms.
Additionally, the UEFA website provides up‑to‑date information on match results, group standings and upcoming fixtures for both tournaments. For those looking to add a bit of excitement, UEFA is also running a "Super 6" competition, offering a chance to win £1 million with a free entry. The draws on Friday promise to set the stage for an exhilarating second half of the European football calendar, with clubs across the continent eager to make their mark on the continental stage.