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The league phase of the UEFA Europa League finishes on Thursday, January 30, and it will then be time for the draw for the play-off rounds.
Manchester United and Tottenham are currently in the top eight places that secure qualification directly for the last 16, while Rangers are in a play-off spot.
Ahead of a blockbuster final matchday – which will see 18 matches played at the same time live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – we run through all you need to know about the Europa League play-off draw, including when it takes place, how to watch and stream in the UK, and how it works…
When is the Europa League play-off draw?
The draw for the play-off round for the UEFA Europa League will take place on Friday, January 31 at midday UK time. It will be held in Nyon, Switzerland.
The two-legged play-off round ties are on February 13 and February 20.
How to watch the Europa League draw
The Europa League draw will be live in the UK on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+.
It will also be streamed live on TNT Sports’ YouTube channel.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
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Who is in the Europa League play-offs?
The final Europa League standings have not been confirmed yet, with Lazio the only side guaranteed a top-eight finish.
Manchester United and Tottenham both look in a strong position to progress straight to the last 16.
A victory for United against FCSB will guarantee them a spot in the top eight, while Spurs host IF Elfsborg and will also qualify for the last 16 with a win.
Rangers have an outside chance of reaching the top eight on goal difference, but a lot of results would have to go their way. They are guaranteed at least a play-off place.
Rangers play Union Saint-Gilloise in their last league phase game.
How does the Europa League draw work?
The teams that finish the Europa League league phase between ninth and 16th are seeded for the play-off draw and will face a team placed between 17th to 24th. The seeded team will play the return leg at home.
Unlike a traditional UEFA knockout draw – where any seed can meet any unseeded team – the Europa League now adopts a bracket format from the play-off stage onwards. There is still a draw, but potential opponents are reduced to two options.
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For example, teams finishing ninth and 10th can only be drawn against teams finishing 23rd and 24th; teams finishing 11th and 12th can only be drawn against teams finishing 21st and 22nd; and so on.
The top eight sides will not find out their opponents until the last 16 draw on February 21, but the new bracket format means they will know their four possible opponents after the last round of league phase matches.
Can teams from the same country face each other?
Teams can face another team from the same national association from the knockout phase play-offs onwards. They can also face teams they played during the league phase.
When is the Conference League draw?
They will face either Gent, Real Betis, Copenhagen or Heidenheim.
The draw for the last 16 will be made on February 21.
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