The draw for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League 2024/2025 will take place on the 29th of August 2024. UEFA like to turn these draws into long drawn out ceremonies. The scheduled start time is currently unknown.
Following the disappointing 23/24 UEFA Champions League group stage exit last season, Erik Ten Hag and his side will be looking to push on in Europe this season and win some silverware. This season’s new and improved format of the competition should make it a very winnable trophy for the Red Devils. Especially considering how United qualified for the competition, failing to gain a place in the Premier League places but beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final and sending Chelsea to the UEFA Conference League and stopping Newcastle getting any European football.
Manchester United have not won this competition since 2017 when a Red Devil’s side with Jose Mourinho at the helm beat Ajax 2-0 in the final played in Stockholm.
How does the draw work?
2024/2025 seasons UEFA Europa League will be completely different to previous seasons with the competition transforming from a 4 team group stage format into a 36-team league stage. Each team plays against eight different opponents (four at home and four away). The top 8 teams advance directly to the round of 16. Teams finishing from 9th to 24th will compete in the knockout round play-offs, with the winners moving on to the last 16. From that point, it is a straightforward knockout competition.
Who is in the Europa League draw
So far the following sides have qualified for the league stage of the competition with many qualifying rounds still to come to make up the full 36 league format. Teams will be seeded before the draw takes place and Manchester United are expected to be in pot one.
England: Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Spain: Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad
Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt, TSG Hoffenheim
Italy: Roma, Lazio
France: Nice, Lyon
Netherlands: AZ Alkmaar
Greece: Olympiacos
Play-off Round
In the play-off round, several teams from across Europe are set to compete for the glamorous spot in the league stage. Belgium’s Anderlecht, who finished 3rd in their domestic league, could be facing off against the likes of Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian, also 3rd in their league. Austria’s LASK, Serbia’s TSC, and Turkey’s Beşiktaş. Additionally, some teams are coming into this stage after competing in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
Third Qualifying Round
Third qualifying round features teams progressing from the second qualifying round and some domestic champions. This round is crucial for teams like Switzerland’s Servette, Ukraine’s Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih, and Czech Republic’s Viktoria Plzeň, as they look to advance further in European competitions. Each team will aim to secure a win and move closer to the play-off round.
Second Qualifying Round
Second qualifying round introduces clubs such as Ajax from the Netherlands, who finished 5th in their league, and Portugal’s Braga, which ended their season in 4th place. Other participants include Cercle Brugge from Belgium, Kilmarnock from Scotland, and Rapid Wien from Austria. Turkey’s Trabzonspor, Norway’s Molde, Denmark’s Silkeborg, and Croatia’s Rijeka, who finished 2nd in their league, also join this stage.
First Qualifying Round
In the first qualifying round, teams like Cyprus’ Pafos, Sweden’s Elfsborg, and Poland’s Wisła Kraków, begin their journey. Hungary’s Paks, Romania’s Corvinul Hunedoara, and Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv are among the other teams competing. This round also features Slovakia’s Ružomberok, Azerbaijan’s Zira, Kazakhstan’s Tobol, and Slovenia’s Maribor. Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol and Kosovo’s Llapi also look to make their mark early in the competition.
When are the Europa League matchdays
Matchday 1: 25–26 September 2024
Matchday 2: 3 October 2024
Matchday 3: 24 October 2024
Matchday 4: 7 November 2024
Matchday 5: 28 November 2024
Matchday 6: 12 December 2024
Matchday 7: 23 January 2025
Matchday 8: 30 January 2025
Knockout round play-offs: 13 & 20 February 2025
Round of 16: 6 & 13 March 2025
Quarter-finals: 10 & 17 April 2025
Semi-finals: 1 & 8 May 2025
Final: 21 May 2025
Where is the final being played?
The UEFA Europa League Final will take place in Estadio de San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on 21 May 2025. The stadium which cost €211 million to build, opened in September 2013 is home to Athletic Club Bilbao and holds 53,331 fans. Realistically each club that reaches the final can expect a ticket allocation of around 12,000 to 15,000 tickets each.
This years winners will get to lift the heaviest piece of UEFA silverware weighing over 15 kilograms and a place in the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League group stages.
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