UEFA Europa League Draw

[NickHSpurs]

We are set to learn our opponents in the new-look UEFA Europa League when the draw takes place on Friday (12pm UK).

We're returning to the competition for the first time since 2020/21, with the tournament taking a different format to the one we last contested – the previous group stage, where teams were divided into groups of four, has now become a single 36-team league stage, where each club faces eight different teams once, four at home and four away. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while sides finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs, with the winners of all eight two-legged ties going through to the last 16.

For Friday’s semi-automated league stage draw, teams will be seeded in four pots based on their individual club coefficient. Each team will be drawn against two opponents from each pot, one of which will be at home and one away. We will be in pot one.

All 36 teams will be manually drawn using physical balls – each time a club is pulled out of the hat, automated computer software will randomly draw eight opponents from across the four pots. The software will also decide which matches will be at home and which ones away.

At this stage of the competition, teams cannot face opponents from their own country – meaning we can’t face Manchester United – and can only play a maximum of two sides from any other country.

With qualifying now complete, we now know the 36 participating teams in this year's competition. They've been split into the four pots as follows, giving you an idea of who we could face...

Pot one: Roma (ITA), Manchester United (ENG), Porto (POR), Ajax (NED), Rangers (SCO), Frankfurt (GER), Lazio (ITA), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Slavia Prague (CZE).

Pot two: Real Sociedad (ESP), AZ Alkmaar (NED), Braga (POR), Olympiacos (GRE), Lyon (FRA), PAOK (GRE), Fenerbahçe (TUR), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR), Ferencváros (HUN).

Pot three: Qarabağ (AZE), Galatasaray (TUR), Viktoria Plzeň (CZE), Bodø/Glimt (NOR), Union SG (BEL), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), Ludogorets (BUL), Midtjylland (DEN), Malmö (SWE).

Pot four: Athletic Club (ESP), Hoffenheim (GER), Nice (FRA), Anderlecht (BEL), Twente (NED), Beşiktaş (TUR), FCSB (ROU), RFS (LVA), Elfsborg (SWE).

Friday’s draw will start with pot one, with opponents assigned to each of the nine included teams one after the other, meaning we will learn our opponents quite early in the draw process. This will continue for the remaining pots in descending order.

Confirmed dates and kick-off times for each game will be confirmed after the draw, potentially over the weekend. Matches are due to take place on the following dates...

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

UEFA Europa League draw details – how the new format works, possible opponents | Tottenham Hotspur

We are set to learn our opponents in the new-look UEFA Europa League when the draw takes place on Friday (12pm UK).

www.tottenhamhotspur.com

 

[Romulus]

theres some pretty decent teams in pot 4, not as weak as I thought it would be

 

[SwedishSpurs]

Would be fun to draw against at least one of the Swedish teams even though I don't live particularily close to any Malmö or Borås (the town where Elfsborg is from) and therefore probably wouldn't be able to attend. Don't know when we played a Swedish team in the European competitions last time, if it has ever happened?

 

[easley91]

I haven't really paid attention to who is in the Europa League until looking at that, and it is pretty stacked. I do hope we take it seriously enough and aim to win it/go far.

 

[Tucker]

Europa league looks pretty competitive this season doesn't it.

 

[tommo84]

Would be fun to draw against at least one of the Swedish teams even though I don't live particularily close to any Malmö or Borås (the town where Elfsborg is from) and therefore probably wouldn't be able to attend. Don't know when we played a Swedish team in the European competitions last time, if it has ever happened?

I’m sure I recall playing Elfsborg under either Jol or Ramos in the 00s(?).

 

[SUIYHA]

At home before five of the eight matchdays, but away from home after five of the eight

Brentford (H)
Matchday 1: 25/26 September, 2024
Man Utd (A)
Matchday 2: 3 October, 2024
Brighton (A)
West Ham (H)
Matchday 3: 24 October, 2024
Crystal Palace (A)
Aston Villa (H)
Matchday 4: 7 November, 2024
Ipswich (H)
Man City (A)
Matchday 5: 28 November, 2024
Fulham (H)
Chelsea (H)
Matchday 6: 12 December, 2024
Southampton (A)
Everton (A)
Matchday 7: 23 January, 2025
Leicester (H)
Matchday 8: 30 January, 2025
Brentford (A)

Really could do with avoiding a difficult / long away trip in matchday two.

It's a really odd format to have a month break before playing the final two games

 

[aliyid]

Nice spread of teams in the pots.

Ideal scenario for me would be a mixture of local away trips & bigger name home games:

1. Rangers (A) / Ajax (H)
2. AZ Alkmaar (A) / Olympiacos (H)
3. Union SG (A) / Malmö (H)
4. Elfsborg (A) / Anderlecht (H)

 

[TheChosenOne]

Nice spread of teams in the pots.

Ideal scenario for me would be a mixture of local away trips & bigger name home games:

1. Rangers (A) / Ajax (H)
2. AZ Alkmaar (A) / Olympiacos (H)
3. Union SG (A) / Malmö (H)
4. Elfsborg (A) / Anderlecht (H)

I am not sure when Ibrox will be re-opened, they are playing at Hampden Park temporarily

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Avoiding away trips to the two furthest away destinations would be a result , think that must be Azerbaijan and Israel, even travelling on a luxury plane must effect you in the end if doing a lot of hours.

 

[tommo84]

Avoiding away trips to the two furthest away destinations would be a result , think that must be Azerbaijan and Israel, even travelling on a luxury plane must effect you in the end if doing a lot of hours.

Maccabi Tel Aviv are playing their Europa games in Hungary I believe.

 

[Saoirse]

theres some pretty decent teams in pot 4, not as weak as I thought it would be

Yeah, because of the way the coefficients work (good sides from the top leagues who don't always finish in the European spots score very poorly), Pot 4 is much stronger than Pot 3, and I'd argue almost comparable to Pot 2.

 

[sherbornespurs]

I’m really looking forward to watching us in the Europa League, as I have in all its previous guises over the decades since the early 1970’s.

As a cup tournament it’s highly competitive, with the latter stages usually producing some outstanding games between efficient, well-coached teams. Obviously I’d prefer it if we were in the CL, even if that competition has looked painfully predictable over the past few years, with the same old faces going through the motions every year!

I’m lucky (and old!) enough to have been to all three previous finals in the Europa (in all its various forms), home and away, and have some great memories of us lifting the trophy twice, travelling to many away ties in the process, from Athens to the San Siro and errr…Wolverhampton!. Rotterdam is best forgotten, for obvious reasons.

If we prioritise this competition, as we should, we have a better chance than many to actually win the competition. A trip to the San Mames in Bilbao next May would be a great return on the season!

 

[mil1lion]

Found the CL draw weird tbh. Playing multiple teams from one league. Barca doesn't have a single PL team. Seeing some PL teams face the same team as well. Maybe will take getting used too but not sure how its going to be better yet.

 

[tommo84]

Found the CL draw weird tbh. Playing multiple teams from one league. Barca doesn't have a single PL team. Seeing some PL teams face the same team as well. Maybe will take getting used too but not sure how its going to be better yet.

Yeah it’s all a bit odd - like isn’t it possible/probable that the AI has already determined the entire draw before a single ball is drawn? However, the variety in fixtures and the way it’s all mixed up should make it less predictable than the old group stage had become.

 

[Yid-ol]

I am not sure when Ibrox will be re-opened, they are playing at Hampden Park temporarily

Not confirmed, but they are hoping next month.

The below is from the BBC from 7 days ago

Rangers chairman John Bennett had targeted the home game against Hibernian on 28 September as "aspirational" for a return, but Clement was asked if it was possible the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Dundee could be at Ibrox a week earlier.

"Nothing can be confirmed until it is sure, but people are working really hard to make it as fast as possible," Clement replied.

 

[offside_ruel_fox]

What time does the actual draw take place?

 

[Frank Blank]

automated computer software will randomly draw eight opponents from across the four pots.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Romulus]

What time does the actual draw take place?

1pm uk time

 

[FinnYid]

Ex-players to possibly face:
Bergwijn / Ajax
Vertonghen / Anderlecht
Parrott / AZ
NDombele / Nice
Sanchez / Galatasaray
Gedson / Besiktas
Chiriches /FCSB

And Berciche / Bilbao was with youth team

Ex-youth Troost-Ekong was with PAOK, but moved to Saudi league.

Others?