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The UEFA Europa League is reaching its business end, after a long qualification and group-stage process.
We've now reached the point of the competition where teams who finished third in their Champions League groups drop into the Europa League playoffs, potentially increasing the quality for the knockout rounds.
With the likes of Liverpool, Roma, Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton & Hove Albion, and West Ham having qualified from the group stage, the competition really is hotting up.
The Sporting News provides information on the Round of 16, how the draw works and the Europa League knockout-round playoffs that come before it.
MORE: Champions League Round of 16 draw details plus how to watch
When is the Europa League Round of 16 draw?
With 32 teams competing in the Europa League knockout stages and only the group winners getting an automatic passage to the Round of 16, that leaves eight places up for grabs.
Those eight places will be contested in the knockout-round playoffs, so that means the actual Round of 16 draw does not take place until Friday, February 23, 2024. The draw will be done at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 12 noon CET.
Here's how that draw time translates into some of the world's major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Fri, Feb. 23 | 6 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Fri, Feb. 23 | 6 a.m. ET |
| UK | Fri, Feb. 23 | 11 a.m. GMT |
| Australia | Fri, Feb. 23 | 10 p.m. AEST |
| India | Fri, Feb. 23 | 4:30 p.m. IST |
| Hong Kong | Fri, Feb. 23 | 7 p.m. HKT |
| Malaysia | Fri, Feb. 23 | 7 p.m. MYT |
| Singapore | Fri, Feb. 23 | 7 p.m. SGT |
| New Zealand | Sat, Feb. 24 | 12 a.m. NZST |
Europa League knockout round playoff draw details
The Europa League playoffs involve eight seeded teams (the eight group runners-up) taking on eight unseeded teams (the third-place group finishers from the Champions League). It works as a Round of 32, of sorts.
The draw for the Europa League knockout-round playoff took place on Monday, December 18, also at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, starting at 1 p.m. CET.
Just three unbeaten sides remain...#UEL pic.twitter.com/xHLAPJ673d
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 28, 2023
UEFA Europa League playoff round draw in full
Here's the draw in full.
| Playoff round fixtures |
| Feyenoord vs. Roma |
| AC Milan vs. Rennes |
| Lens vs. Freiburg |
| Young Boys vs. Sporting CP |
| Benfica vs. Toulouse |
| Braga vs. Qarabag |
| Galatasaray vs. Sparta Prague |
| Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Marseille |
Qualified teams for the Europa League Round of 16
The following teams have booked their places in the Round of 16 by confirming their place atop their group:
| Team | Date progressed | Group |
| West Ham | Dec. 14 | Group A |
| Brighton | Dec. 14 | Group B |
| Rangers | Dec. 14 | Group C |
| Atalanta | Nov. 9 | Group D |
| Liverpool | Nov. 30 | Group E |
| Villarreal | Dec. 14 | Group F |
| Slavia Prague | Dec. 14 | Group G |
| Bayer Leverkusen | Nov. 30 | Group H |
Teams qualified for the Europa League knockout round playoff
The following teams have confirmed a second-place finish in the group stage, meaning they will advance to the knockout-round playoffs. They will now face a team dropping down from the Champions League for the right to be part of the draw for the Round of 16.
| Team | Date progressed | Group |
| Freiburg | Dec. 14 | Group A |
| Marseille | Dec. 14 | Group B |
| Sparta Prague | Dec. 14 | Group C |
| Sporting CP | Nov. 30 | Group D |
| Toulouse | Dec. 14 | Group E |
| Rennes | Dec. 14 | Group F |
| Roma | Dec. 14 | Group G |
| Qarabag | Dec. 14 | Group H |
Meanwhile, the following teams will drop from the Champions League, set to contest the knockout-round playoffs against a second-place finisher from the Europa League:
| Team | Date confirmed | UCL Group |
| Galatasaray | Dec. 14 | Group A |
| Lens | Dec. 14 | Group B |
| Braga | Dec. 14 | Group C |
| Benfica | Dec. 14 | Group D |
| Feyenoord | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| AC Milan | Dec. 14 | Group F |
| BSC Young Boys | Nov. 28 | Group G |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | Dec. 14 | Group H |
