Europa League knockout rounds: How Man United, Spurs find out their opponents

The draw for the knockout playoff round of the new-look UEFA Europa League has been made.

But how does this feed into the round-of-16 ties? When is the next draw? How does it all knit together?

And why were those league phase positions so important?

Here’s how it all works.

Which clubs were in Friday’s draw?

Only the 16 teams who finished in positions 9 to 24 had an interest.

The clubs who finished in the top eight, who went directly through to the round of 16, were not involved and kept the same four possible opponents.

Clubs finishing 25th to 36th had already been eliminated.

What was knockout playoff round draw?

The teams placed 9th to 16th are seeded and will play at home in the second leg, and are listed second.

FC Twente vs. Bodo/Glimt

Union St.-Gilloise vs. Ajax Amsterdam

AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray

Ferencvaros vs. Viktoria Plzen

FC Porto vs. AS Roma

FC Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad

PAOK Salonika vs. FCSB

Fenerbahce vs. Anderlecht

What dates are the knockout playoff round?

First legs: Feb. 13, 2025
Second legs: Feb. 20, 2025

So what about the top eight clubs?

After the knockout playoff round draw, the teams who finish inside the top eight will still have four possible opponents.

For instance, third (Manchester United) and fourth (Tottenham Hotspur) would still be able to play any of 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th (Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar and FC Midtjylland). This is because Man United and Tottenham could yet be drawn into either half, but only into the specific paths for those fixtures.

Once the knockout playoff round is complete, and two of those clubs have been knocked out, Man United and Tottenham would have two possible opponents remaining: the winners of the knockout playoff round ties.

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

What does the bracket look like?

The teams in the knockout playoff round are now set in their half of the bracket.

For instance:

FC Porto and AS Roma cannot play Ajax until the final as they are in opposite halves.

But FC Porto and AS Roma know that Fenerbahce and Anderlecht are in the same path of the bracket through to a potential quarterfinal tie.

When is the draw for the round of 16?

The round-of-16 draw takes place on Friday, Feb. 21, when Man United and Tottenham would simply be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket — which would automatically create a fixture against one of the winners of AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray and FC Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad.

The teams placed 1st to 8th are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.

First legs: March 6, 2025
Second legs: March 13, 2025

The knockout bracket is now set through to the final. There is no draw for the specific ties of the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Is there country protection?

No. Clubs from the same country can play each other from the knockout playoff round onward.

It was also possible for clubs to draw one of the eight teams they’d already faced — including the most recent opponents from Matchday 8.

Who gets home advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals?

There will be one more draw, straight after the round of 16 is set on Feb. 21, to determine the home teams in the second leg for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

This is not done on league phase seeding, so the final league placings do not give a team home advantage beyond the round of 16.

Can January signings play in the Champions League?

Yes, clubs are able to make three changes to their official Champions League squad.

So, if a club sign 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 new list must be submitted by Feb. 6.

The overall limit of 25 players remains. If a club want to add a new signing, they must remove someone else.

Why did it matter where a club finished in the table?

The league placings created the knockout bracket and the new “seeding” system means the highest-placed teams can’t face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.

For instance, if we look at the final table, Lazio and Athletic Club finished in first and second and can’t play each other until the final. The teams in third and fourth — Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — can’t play Lazio and Athletic Club until the semifinals.

All paired teams, such as Man United and Tottenham, cannot meet until the final and have the same possible round-of-16 opponents: Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar and FC Midtjylland.