The introduction of a third UEFA club competition has helped bolster the quality of the Europa League and 36 teams will be vying for glory in Europe’s second-tier competition this season.

2024/25 represents a campaign of revolutionary change for UEFA, with the governing body introducing a Swiss model format that’s set to radically alter the first phase of all three competitions.

Much of the discourse has surrounded the Champions League, but the Europa League can’t be overlooked given the calibre of clubs competing in this season’s iteration.

The format change means the draw for the reformed group stage, now named the ‚league phase‘, will look completely different. Here’s everything you need to know about the league phase draw for the 2024/25 Europa League.

---

The league phase draw for the 2024/25 Europa League will be held the day after the Champions League draw on Friday 30 August.

The Europa League draw, held in the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, is scheduled to get underway at 13:00 CET (12:00 GMT) and will be streamed live on UEFA.com.

---

There are still plenty of teams who are yet to book their place in the 2024/25 Europa League. 12 teams will qualify via the play-offs, while 11 Champions League play-off losers will join the league phase.

There will be an impressive spread of teams from across Europe, with Turkey, Greece, Scotland and Belgium among the countries represented in the Europa League draw.

From Europe’s premier divisions, Tottenham and Manchester United (Premier League), Real Sociedad and Athletic Club (La Liga), Roma and Lazio (Serie A), Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim (Bundesliga) and Lyon and Nice (Ligue 1) are all involved in Thursday’s draw.

Conference League winners Olympiacos gained automatic entry, while 2004 Champions League winners Porto are currently the sole participant from Portugal. The man who oversaw Porto’s continental triumph, Jose Mourinho, leads Fenerbahce into the Europa League after they succumbed in the Champions League qualifiers.

---

---

The Europa League’s format change means the upcoming draw will be done differently. The 36 teams have been divided into four pots of nine based on their UEFA coefficients.

Instead of the clubs being drawn into groups, the draw will instead decide every participant’s eight league phase opponents. While teams will be pulled out of the hat manually, an AI software will randomly generate their opponents. Every side will play two teams from each pot. Clubs from the same member association cannot meet in the league phase and teams can only be drawn against a maximum of two clubs from the same country.

Tottenham, for example, can’t face Manchester United in the league phase and can only face a maximum of two La Liga teams.

---

---

READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE