Kick-off: January 30, 2026, at 14:00.

At the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the Europa League knockout playoff matches will take place. Following the completion of the league phase, sixteen teams have been determined that will continue the fight for a place in the Round of 16 through the playoff stage. While the top eight clubs of the tournament have secured direct qualification for the next round, the teams that finished from ninth to twenty-fourth are waiting to learn their opponents. The procedure will form eight pairings, which will contest two-legged ties for spots in the spring phase of the competition.

Watch the Europa League knockout playoff draw on 30.01.2026 online on MEGOGO.

The participants have been placed into pots according to their positions in the overall standings. The seeded teams are Genk, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ferencváros, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzeň, Crvena Zvezda, and Celta. The unseeded group includes PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahçe, Panathinaikos, Celtic, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb, and Brann. At this stage, there are no restrictions when forming the pairings: teams from the same national league may face each other, as well as opponents that already met during the league phase.

The draw process is based on opposite positions, meaning the highest-ranked seeded teams will be matched against clubs from the lower part of the unseeded list. The first legs of the playoff ties are scheduled for 19 February, with the return matches to be played a week later, on 26 February. The winners of these pairings will join Lyon, Aston Villa, Betis, and other league-phase leaders in the Round of 16. The official ceremony in Nyon will set the direction of the knockout stage and define the tournament path for clubs aiming to lift Europe’s second-most prestigious club trophy.

Watch the broadcast of the Europa League knockout playoff draw on 30.01.2026 online on MEGOGO.