The Europa League may be Europe’s second most lucrative club competition behind the expensive UEFA Champions League, but the entertainment value and drama should skyrocket after the adjustments made to the event in 2021-22 to make it more exclusive and competitive.
The Europa League knockout stage field has been determined, and the draw will take place as soon as next week. The clubs that advanced from the Europa League group stage, as well as the teams that finished third in the Champions League group stage, will be drawn.
Barcelona and Sevilla will be among them, while Real Betis and Real Sociedad, both from La Liga, will follow the traditional route. We’ve compiled everything you need to know ahead of the draw, including this season’s new rules.
When will the draw take place?
The Europa League draw will take place on Monday, December 13 at 12 p.m. local time, following the conclusion of the Champions League draw. The draw will take place in Nyon, Switzerland, at UEFA’s headquarters. It will be streamed live on UEFA.com, with local television broadcasts varying by country.
About the Rules
For this season’s Europa League, there has been a modification in the rules. The Round of 32 has been replaced by a play-off round starting this season. As a result, the Europa League group stage winners have advanced directly to the round of 16, skipping the next round.
The eight teams who will be eliminated from the Champions League will be pitted against the eight teams that placed second in their Europa League groups in the next round. The teams in the Europa League will be seeded, and the second game will be played away from home. A team from the same country cannot be pitted against another team from the same country.
Teams Involved in the Draw
This season, the top eight finishers in each group will automatically advance to the round of 16 in March. To join the group winners in the round of 16, the eight clubs who finished second in their groups will face the eight teams that finished third in their Champions League groups in February.
Group winners: Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, West Ham, Spartak Moscow, Frankfurt, Galatasaray, Red Star Belgrade
Group runners up: Real Betis, Rangers, Real Sociedad, Napoli, Olympiacos, Lazio, Braga, Dinamo Zagreb
Champions League dropouts: RB Leipzig, Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Sheriff Tiraspol, Zenit Saint Petersburg, Barcelona, Villarreal, Sevilla
When will the knockout rounds be held?
Between February 17 and February 24, games between the runners-up and the Champions League drop-outs will be played. On February 25, the round of 16 draws will be conducted, and the games will take place between March 10 and March 17.
How to watch the Europa League Knockout Draw?
The draw will be streamed live on the Uefa website and the BT Sport website. More information may be released closer to the event.
Live Telecast in India
All of the Europa League matches will be shown live on the Sony Ten 2 channel. The league’s official broadcasting rights are held by the station.
The Europa League has partnered with Sony Ten for the seasons 2021-2024. The channel will broadcast all of the matches live. On the digital platform, you can also watch the matches being telecast. The Sony Liv App will be the digital portal where all of the matches will be streamed live.
Complete Knockout stage Fixtures of Europa League 2021-22
December 2021
13 December, 13:30 CET: Knockout round play-off draw
February 2022
17 February: Knockout round play-offs, first legs
24 February: Knockout round play-offs, second legs
25 February, 13:00 CET: Round of 16 draw
March 2022
10 March: Round of 16, first legs
17 March: Round of 16, second legs
18 March, 13:30 CET: Quarter-final & Semi-final draw
April 2022
7 April: Quarter-finals, first legs
14 April: Quarter-finals, second legs
28 April: Semi-finals, first legs
May 2022
5 May: Semi-finals, second legs
18 May: Final – Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville
