The new-look UEFA Europa League is about to reach the round-of-16 stage. But when does the draw take place, and when will the matches take place?
Here’s how it all works.
When is the draw for the round of 16?
The round-of-16 draw takes place on Feb. 21 at 7 a.m. ET / midday GMT.
Which clubs are in the round-of-16?
The clubs that finished in the top eight of the league phase went directly through to the round of 16.
Athletic Club
Eintracht Frankfurt
Lazio
Lyon
Manchester United
Olympiacos
Rangers
Tottenham Hotspur
They will be joined by the winners of the eight knockout playoff round ties, featuring the clubs placed ninth to 24th, with the second legs being played on Feb. 20.
FC Twente vs. Bodo/Glimt (first leg 2-1)
Union St.-Gilloise vs. Ajax Amsterdam (0-2)
AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray (4-1)
Ferencvaros vs. Viktoria Plzen (1-0)
FC Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad (1-2)
PAOK Salonika vs. FCSB (1-2)
Fenerbahce vs. Anderlecht (3-0)
Clubs finishing 25th to 36th were eliminated at the end of the league phase.
How does the round-of-16 draw work?
The knockout bracket is largely predetermined by a club’s final position in the league table. For instance, Man United and Spurs, who finished third and fourth, can only play 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th (Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or FC Midtjylland) in the round of 16.
Under this new format, the draw places teams into a position in the bracket to create a fixture, rather than the traditional method of drawing one team against another.
The teams taking part in the knockout playoff round were drawn into their position in the bracket last month.
The round-of-16 draw sees the top eight teams go into one of two possible positions, which automatically creates not only the fixture but also the full bracket through to the final.
The top eight are in pairs: 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 5th and 6th, 7th and 8th. The pairs will be drawn into opposite places, and can’t play each other until the final.
The draw starts with 7th and 8th, Lyon and Olympiacos, and works through the other three pairs in order: Eintracht Frankfurt and Lyon, Man United and Spurs, and then Lazio and Athletic Club.
For instance, by Thursday, Man United and Spurs will have two options left going into the draw: the winners of AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray and FC Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad.
The first team drawn out of Man United and Spurs will be placed into the first half of the bracket, and thus play AZ Alkmaar or Galatasaray. That automatically means the other club go into the second half against FC Midtjylland or Real Sociedad.
The knockout bracket has been set through to the final. There is no draw for the specific ties of the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The teams placed in the top eight are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.
So who could the top eight play?
Possible round of 16 ties:
Lazio or Athletic Club play one of the winners of:
Ferencvaros vs. Viktoria Plzen
FC Porto vs. AS Roma
Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur will play one of the winners of:
AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray
FC Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad
Eintracht Frankfurt or Lyon will play one of the winners of:
Union St.-Gilloise vs. Ajax Amsterdam
PAOK vs. FCSB
Olympiacos or Rangers will play one of the winners of:
FC Twente vs. Bodo/Glimt
Fenerbahce vs. Anderlecht
So there’s no country protection?
Correct. Clubs from the same country can play each other from the knockout playoff round onward. So Lazio could be drawn against Roma to create a Rome derby in the round of 16.
How did the bracket shape up?
The second half of the bracket, which features FC Porto, Roma, and Real Sociedad, look to be more difficult from the placement of the knockout playoff round teams.
It means clubs paired in the round of 16 draw probably want to be draw first and go into the left-hand side.
What are the round of 16 fixture dates?
First legs: March 6
Second legs: March 13
Each club playS once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.
What dates are the other rounds?
QUARTERFINALS
First legs: April 10
Second legs: April 17
SEMIFINALS
First legs: May 1
Second legs: May 8
FINAL
May 21, San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao
Who gets home advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals?
There will be a draw, straight after the round of 16 is set on Feb. 21, to determine who plays at home first in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
This is not done on league-phase seeding, so the final placings did not give a team home advantage beyond the round of 16.
Can January signings play in the Europa League?
Yes, clubs were able to make three changes to their official squad.
So, if a club signed four players in the January transfer window, they would not be able to register all of them from the knockout rounds of European competition.
The overall limit of 25 players remains. If a club wanted to add a new signing, they had to remove someone else.
