The draw has been made for the league phase of the 2025/26 Europa League, which will use the same 36-team format as the Champions League.
Aston Villa, Roma, Real Betis and Porto are among the early favorites to lift the trophy in European club soccer’s second-tier competition.
2025/26 Europa League format
Like in the Champions League, each team will play eight games in the opening phase. At the end of those fixtures, the top eight sides will advance directly to the round of 16, the first stage of the knockout rounds. The teams ranked 9th to 24th will face a two-legged playoff to decide the remaining eight spots, a format similar to the traditional two-legged ties used in previous years.
Some of the standout matchups include Roma’s trips to both Rangers and Celtic, Aston Villa’s visit to Feyenoord and Real Betis welcoming Lyon.
Every league phase game in the 2025/26 Europa League
Pot 1 teams
Pot 2 teams
Pot 3 teams
Pot 4 teams
2025/26 Europa League schedule: every league phase game by date
All games kick off at 3:00 P.M. ET unless stated.
Matchday 1
Wednesday 24 September 2025
Midtjylland vs Sturm Graz (12:45 P.M. ET)
PAOK vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (12:45 P.M. ET)
Crvena Zvezda vs CelticG
NK Dinamo vs Fenerbahçe
Malmö vs Ludogorets
Nice vs Roma
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest
Braga vs Feyenoord
Freiburg vs Basel
Thursday 25 September 2025
Go Ahead Eagles vs FCSB (12:45 P.M. ET)
Lille vs Brann (12:45 P.M. ET)
Aston Villa vs Bologna
Young Boys vs Panathinaikos
Salzburg vs Porto
Utrecht vs Lyon
Ferencváros vs Viktoria Plzeň
Rangers vs Genk
Stuttgart vs Celta
Matchday 2
Thursday 2 October 2025
Roma vs Lille (12:45 P.M. ET)
Bologna vs Freiburg (12:45 P.M. ET)
Celtic vs Braga (12:45 P.M. ET)
Viktoria Plzeň vs Malmö (12:45 P.M. ET)
Fenerbahçe vs Nice (12:45 P.M. ET)
FCSB vs Young Boys (12:45 P.M. ET)
Panathinaikos vs Go Ahead Eagles (12:45 P.M. ET)
Ludogorets vs Real Betis (12:45 P.M. ET)
Brann vs Utrecht (12:45 P.M. ET)
Basel vs Stuttgart
Porto vs Crvena Zvezda
Feyenoord vs Aston Villa
Genk vs Ferencváros
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs GNK Dinamo
Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland
Lyon vs Salzburg
Celta vs PAOK
Sturm Graz vs Rangers
Matchday 3
Thursday 23 October 2025
Salzburg vs Ferencváros (12:45 P.M. ET)
Fenerbahçe vs Stuttgart (12:45 P.M. ET)
Feyenoord vs Panathinaikos (12:45 P.M. ET)
FCSB vs Bologna (12:45 P.M. ET)
Go Ahead Eagles vs Aston Villa (12:45 P.M. ET)
Genk vs Real Betis (12:45 P.M. ET)
Lyon vs Basel (12:45 P.M. ET)
Braga vs Crvena Zvezda (12:45 P.M. ET)
Brann vs Rangers (12:45 P.M. ET)
Roma vs Viktoria Plzeň
Young Boys vs Ludogorets
Celtic vs Sturm Graz
Lille vs PAOK
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Midtjylland
Malmö vs GNK Dinamo
Nottingham Forest vs Porto
Celta vs Nice
Freiburg vs Utrecht
Matchday 4
Thursday 6 November 2025
Salzburg vs Go Ahead Eagles (12:45 P.M. ET)
Basel vs FCSB (12:45 P.M. ET)
Midtjylland vs Celtic (12:45 P.M. ET)
Utrecht vs Porto (12:45 P.M. ET)
Crvena Zvezda vs Lille (12:45 P.M. ET)
GNK Dinamo vs Celta (12:45 P.M. ET)
Malmö vs Panathinaikos (12:45 P.M. ET)
Nice vs Freiburg (12:45 P.M. ET)
Sturm Graz vs Nottingham Forest (12:45 P.M. ET)
Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Bologna vs Brann
Viktoria Plzeň vs Fenerbahçe
Ferencváros vs Ludogorets
PAOK vs Young Boys
Rangers vs Roma
Real Betis vs Lyon
Braga vs Genk
Stuttgart vs Feyenoord
Matchday 5
Thursday 27 November 2025
Roma vs Midtjylland (12:45 P.M. ET)
Aston Villa vs Young Boys (12:45 P.M. ET)
Porto vs Nice (12:45 P.M. ET)
Viktoria Plzeň vs Freiburg (12:45 P.M. ET)
Fenerbahçe vs Ferencváros (12:45 P.M. ET)
Feyenoord vs Celtic (12:45 P.M. ET)
Lille vs GNK Dinamo (12:45 P.M. ET)
PAOK vs Brann (12:45 P.M. ET)
Ludogorets vs Celta (12:45 P.M. ET)
Bologna vs Salzburg
Crvena Zvezda vs FCSB
Go Ahead Eagles vs Stuttgart
Genk vs Basel
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Lyon
Nottingham Forest vs Malmö
Panathinaikos vs Sturm Graz
Rangers vs Braga
Real Betis vs Utrecht
Matchday 6
Thursday 11 December 2025
Young Boys vs Lille (12:45 P.M. ET)
Midtjylland vs Genk (12:45 P.M. ET)
Utrecht vs Nottingham Forest (12:45 P.M. ET)
Ferencváros vs Rangers (12:45 P.M. ET)
GNK Dinamo vs Real Betis (12:45 P.M. ET)
Nice vs Braga (12:45 P.M. ET)
Ludogorets vs PAOK (12:45 P.M. ET)
Sturm Graz vs Crvena Zvezda (12:45 P.M. ET)
Stuttgart vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (12:45 P.M. ET)
Celtic vs Roma
Porto vs Malmö
Basel vs Aston Villa
FCSB vs Feyenoord
Lyon vs Go Ahead Eagles
Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzeň
Celta vs Bologna
Freiburg vs Salzburg
Brann vs Fenerbahçe
Matchday 7
Thursday 22 January 2026
Bologna vs Celtic (12:45 P.M. ET)
Young Boys vs Lyon (12:45 P.M. ET)
Viktoria Plzeň vs Porto (12:45 P.M. ET)
Fenerbahçe vs Aston Villa (12:45 P.M. ET)
Feyenoord vs Sturm Graz (12:45 P.M. ET)
Malmö vs Crvena Zvezda (12:45 P.M. ET)
PAOK vs Real Betis (12:45 P.M. ET)
Freiburg vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv (12:45 P.M. ET)
Brann vs Midtjylland (12:45 P.M. ET)
Roma vs Stuttgart
Utrecht vs Genk
Salzburg vs Basel
Ferencváros vs Panathinaikos
GNK Dinamo vs FCSB
Nice vs Go Ahead Eagles
Rangers vs Ludogorets
Celta vs Lille
Braga vs Nottingham Forest
Matchday 8
Thursday 29 January 2026
Aston Villa vs Salzburg
Celtic vs Utrecht
Porto vs Rangers
Basel vs Viktoria Plzeň
Midtjylland vs GNK Dinamo
Crvena Zvezda vs Celta
FCSB vs Fenerbahçe
Go Ahead Eagles vs Braga
Genk vs Malmö
Lille vs Freiburg
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs Bologna
Nottingham Forest vs Ferencváros
Lyon vs PAOK
Panathinaikos vs Roma
Ludogorets vs Nice
Real Betis vs Feyenoord
Sturm Graz vs Brann
Stuttgart vs Young Boys