The draw for the 2026/27 edition of the Europa League will schedule the initial eight matches as teams from across Europe bid to succeed Aston Villa as champions. Villa beat Freiburg in the 2025/26 final, with Sevillas seven triumphs making the Spanish side by far the most successful team in Europa League history.Premier League side Bournemouth are making their European debut this season after finishing sixth in the top flight, while Crystal Palace qualified by winning the Conference League.Sunderland join them, making their second-ever appearance in Europe a season after winning promotion to the Premier League.Table of ContentsWhen is the 2026 Europa League draw?How to watch Europa League draw: TV channel, live online stream2026/27 Europa League formatEuropa League schedule, fixtures 2026/27When is the Europa League knockout phase?When are the Europa League draws?Which English clubs are in the Europa League 2026/27?When is the Europa League final?When is the 2026 Europa League draw?The draw will take place on Friday, August 28 a day after the play-off ties come to a close to decide the last teams to qualify.The draw will start at 12:00 BST / 07:00 ET / 04:00 PT.How to watch Europa League draw: TV channel, live online streamThe draw will be shown live and for free on UEFA.com, as well as on UEFAs YouTube channel.TNT Sports will also broadcast the draw on TNT Sports 1and the HBO Max app.2026/27 Europa League formatIn a change from the group stage held until 2023/24, each team now plays eight matches in the league phase, all against different opponents.Four of those matches will be at home and four away, with the opponents determined according to four seeding pots split by rankings.Teams will play two opponents from each of those pots one against a team from each pot at home and one away. The results decide the overall standings in one league.The top eight sides in the table qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to reach the last 16.Teams finishing 25th or lower are out of Europe for the season.Europa League schedule, fixtures 2026/27The league phase starts on September 16 and runs until the end of January.MatchdayDate1September 16/17, 20262October 15, 20263October 22, 20264November 5, 20265November 26, 20266December 10, 20267January 21, 20278January 28, 2027When is the Europa League knockout phase?The knockout phase starts with the play-offs in February to reach the last 16.StageDatePlay-offsFebruary 18 & 25, 2027Round of 16March 11 & 18, 2027Quarter-finalsApril 8 & 15, 2027Semi-finalsApril 29 & May 6, 2027Final (Frankfurt)May 26, 2027When are the Europa League draws?The dates for the knockout phase draws was yet to be confirmed as of August 25, 2026.Which English clubs are in the Europa League 2026/27?Under former head coach Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth finished sixth in last seasons Premier League with the help of an 18-match unbeaten league run to end an exceptional campaign.Championship play-off winners the previous season, Sunderland won their final two matches of a superb season part of a run of eight points from their closing four league games to secure seventh.Palace enjoyed a remarkable year in cup competitions, winning the FA Cup to reach the Conference League and triumphing in that competition with a 1-0 win over Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the final.When is the Europa League final?The final will take place on May 26 2027 at Stadion Frankfurt. Topics A.C. Milan AC Sparta Prague AFC Bournemouth AZ Alkmaar Bayer 04 Leverkusen Bundesliga Crystal Palace F.C. Europa League Juventus FC LaLiga Ligue 1 Nottingham Forest F.C. Olympiacos F.C. Olympique de Marseille Premier League RC Celta de Vigo Real Sociedad Rennes Royale Union Saint-Gilloise SK Sturm Graz Sunderland A.F.C. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Tottenham sign Savinho from Man City for �75m Ben Miller 25th August, 2026 When does the transfer window close? Deadline day dates, times, latest news Ben Miller 25th August, 2026 When is the Champions League draw? Date, time, schedule, where to watch Ben Miller 25th August, 2026 Fulham 2-3 Chelsea: Report, result, goals as Blues make winning start under Alonso Cian Cheesbrough 24th August, 2026 Manchester City agree �35m deal for Brazilian winger Allan Elias Cian Cheesbrough 24th August, 2026 Man City expect Enzo Fernandez deal this week with Chelsea Ben Miller 24th August, 2026
