One of the surprise packages of the 2021/22 Champions League, Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, could face Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade for a place in the Europa League as a result of the 2022/23 playoffs draw.
Sheriff, who stunned eventual champions Real Madrid in the group stage of Europe's most prestigious club competition, are one of 20 clubs vying for the final 10 spots in the group stage.
Reaching the Europa League group stage is a big deal for many clubs, both in terms of revenue potential and international prestige. The winner of the Europa League not only claims a prestigious piece of silverware, but that club also clinches a berth in the following season's lucrative UEFA Champions League as well as a spot in the UEFA Super Cup.
The Europa League playoff draw was held before the conclusion of the Europa League third round qualifiers and Champions League third round qualifiers, so the European governing body (UEFA) will get creative with the draw procedure for the playoffs (see full details beneath the draw results).
Also involved in the Europa League playoff draw will be a selection of clubs who will drop into the competition after losing in the UEFA Champions League third-round of qualifying. Here's how the draw looks.
MORE: How the Europa League third qualifying round is playing out
Europa League playoff round draw, fixtures and schedule
| Match | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| SC Dnipro-1 (Ukraine) vs. AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) | 1-2 | 0-3 |
| KAA Gent (Belgium) vs. Omonia (Cyprus) | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| Austria Wien (Austria) vs. Fenerbahce (Turkey) | 0-2 | 1-4 |
| FC Zurich (Switzerland) vs. Heart of Midlothian (Scotland) | 2-1 | 1-0 |
| HJK Helsinki (Finland) vs. Silkeborg IF (Denmark) | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Malmo FF (Sweden) vs. Sivasspor (Turkey) | 3-1 | 2-0 |
| Ferencvaros (Hungary) vs. Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) | 4-0 | 0-1 |
| Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) vs. Olympiacos (Greece) | 1-1 | 1-1 (3-1) |
| FC Pyunik (Armenia) vs. Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) | 0-0 | 0-0 (2-3) |
| Ludogorets (Bulgaria) vs. Zalgiris (Lithuania) | 1-0 | 3-3 |
The 10 aggregate-goal playoff winners (in bold) advance to the Europa League group stage, where they will be joined by 22 other teams in the 32-team group stage:
- 12 teams that qualified via their domestic league or cup;
- 10 teams that drop down from the Champions League (six playoff round losers and four third-round qualifying losers)
The Europa League playoff round draw took place on August 2, 2022.
There were 10 tickets to the Europa League group stage on the line in the playoff round.
The Europa League playoff was handled differently from the UEFA Champions League playoffs which feature different paths for clubs that qualified in different ways. Instead, all teams were placed into a single draw to be matched up together.
Europa League playoff teams were placed into four pots: Pot 1 will have seven teams, Pot 2 had six teams, Pot 3 had five teams, and Pot 4 had two teams. Here's how the pots were drawn against one another:
Teams in the Europa League playoff round draw
Pot 1
All Pot 1 teams were locked into the Europa League playoff round, as they entered the competition at this stage via domestic league or cup qualification.
| Country | Team | How qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Austria Wien | 3rd - Austrian Bundesliga |
| Belgium | KAA Gent | Winners - Belgian Cup |
| Denmark | Silkeborg IF | 3rd - Danish SuperLiga |
| Cyprus | Omonia | Winners - Cypriot Cup |
| Scotland | Heart of Midlothian | 3rd - Scottish Premiership |
| Turkey | Sivasspor | Winners - Turkish Cup |
| Ukraine | Dnipro-1 | 3rd - Ukrainian Premier League* |
* The 2021/22 Ukrainian Premier League season was suspended in February due to the Russian invasion, and subsequently abandoned. The table at the time of suspension was locked in as the final table for the league season.
Pot 2
Pot 2 was made up of six matchups from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. Only the loser of these matchups will drop down into the Europa League playoffs.
It's worth noting that each club is the reigning league champion of its respective nation.
| Champions League Third Round qualifying loser from: |
|---|
| FC Pyunik (Armenia) vs. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) |
| Qarabag FK (Azerbaijan) vs. Ferencvaros (Hungary) |
| Ludogorets (Bulgaria) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) |
| Maccabi Haifa (Israel) vs. Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) |
| Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) vs. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Rep.) |
| Bodo/Glimt (Norway) vs. Zalgiris (Lithuania) |
Pot 3
Pot 3 consisted of five Europa League third-round qualifying matchups. Only the winner of these matchups will participate in the Europa League playoffs.
Each club is the reigning league champion of its respective nation and only dropped into the Europa League after losing in the early Champions League qualifying rounds.
| Europa League Third Round qualifying winner from: |
|---|
| Olympiacos (Greece) vs. Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) |
| Shamrock Rovers (Ireland) vs. Shkupi (N. Macedonia) |
| Linfield (N. Ireland) vs. FC Zurich (Switzerland) |
| Maribor (Slovenia) vs. HJK Helsinki (Finland) |
| Malmo FF (Sweden) vs. F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) |
Pot 4
Pot 4 was made up of the two remaining Europa League third round qualifying matchups with only the winner advancing to the Europa League playoffs.
These two matchups feature two teams that dropped down from the earlier rounds of Champions League qualifying (AEK Larnaca and Fenerbahce), and two teams (Slovacko and Partizan Belgrade) that qualified directly into the Europa League third round based on their domestic league or cup achievements.
| Europa League Third Round qualifying winner from: |
|---|
| AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) vs. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) |
| Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs. Slovacko (Czech Rep.) |
How to watch UEFA Europa League 2022/23
| Country | TV channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| UK | BT Sport 1/BT Sport Ultimate | BT Sport app, BT Sport YouTube |
| USA | CBS, CBSSN, Univision/TUDN | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX |
| Australia | 9Gem | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
Select matches from the Europa League preliminary rounds are available for broadcast, chosen by the broadcast partner for each market.
Per UEFA, other select matches are made available for streaming by the home team, often via their official YouTube page.
Europa League schedule 2022/23
Preliminary and qualifying rounds schedule
The Europa League features only two qualifying rounds prior to the 32-team group stage.
| Round | Draw | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third qualifying round | July 18, 2022 | Aug. 4, 2022 | Aug. 11, 2022 |
| Playoff round | Aug. 1, 2022 | Aug. 18, 2022 | Aug. 25, 2022 |
Group stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Europa League group stage will take place on Aug. 26, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
| Matchday | Dates |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 8, 2022 |
| 2 | Sept. 15, 2022 |
| 3 | Oct. 6, 2022 |
| 4 | Oct. 13, 2022 |
| 5 | Oct. 27, 2022 |
| 6 | Nov. 3, 2022 |
Knockout stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Europa League knockout round playoffs will take place on Aug. 7, 2022, and the draw for the Round of 16 will take place on Feb. 24, 2022. The draw for the rest of the 2022/23 Europa League knockout rounds will take place on March 17, 2023.
The 2023 Europa League final will take place in Budapest, Hungary on May 31, 2023.
| Round | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Knockout Playoffs | Feb. 16, 2023 | Feb. 23, 2023 |
| Round of 16 | Mar. 9, 2023 | Mar. 16, 2023 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 13, 2023 | Apr. 20, 2023 |
| Semifinals | May 11, 2023 | May 18, 2023 |
| Final | May 31, 2023 | |
