With the group stage now done, the UEFA Europa League is well and truly heating up.
Before the knockout round proper can be finalised, two-leg playoffs have to be arranged to determine the exact makeup of the round of 16.
These playoffs give teams dropping down from the Champions League a second chance at European glory and means the competition boasts some particularly strong clubs in the knockout rounds.
So how does the playoffs draw work and which teams could face off? The Sporting News takes a look.
MORE: Man United win not enough to avoid Europa League playoffs
When is the Europa League knockout playoffs draw?
The 2022/23 Europa League playoffs draw will take place on Monday, November 7 at 1 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET / 12 p.m. GMT /11 p.m. AEDT).
The draw will be done at UEFA's headquarters in Switzerland.
Fans across the globe can watch the Europa League knockout playoff draw for free on UEFA.com, and it will be carried on television by many UEFA partners in each corresponding country.
Which teams are in the Europa League playoffs draw?
Clubs that finished second in their Europa League group and third in their Champions League group this season will be part of the playoffs draw.
Sides that finished top of their Europa League groups have been granted direct passage into the round of 16 and won't be part of the playoffs.
Teams that have been competing in the Europa League this season and will be in the playoff draw are: Manchester United, Midtjylland, Nantes, Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Rennes, Roma and Union Berlin.
While these are the eight clubs dropping down from the Champions League for the Europa League playoffs: Ajax, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, RB Salzburg, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting Lisbon.
Knockout round play-off teams ✅
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 3, 2022
ℹ️ #UELdraw
📅 Monday 7 November
⏲️ 13:00 CET#UEL pic.twitter.com/ObuAPFt9OD
Pots and seeds for the Europa League playoffs draw
Teams already in the Europa League and those coming from the Champions League are placed in two different pots for the playoffs.
The first pot of existing Europa League teams have been seeded as follows:
- Manchester United (ENG)
- Midtjylland (DEN)
- Monaco (FRA)
- Nantes (FRA)
- PSV Eindhoven (NED)
- Rennes (FRA)
- Roma (ITA)
- Union Berlin (GER)
The second pot will remain unseeded with sides from each pot drawn against each other for the playoffs. Those unseeded teams are:
- Ajax (NED)
- Barcelona (SPA)
- Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
- Juventus (ITA)
- RB Salzburg (GER)
- Sevilla (SPA)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)
- Sporting Lisbon (POR)
Europa League playoffs draw rules
The only notable rule to note for the draw is that teams from the same country cannot draw each other.
So that means the following hypothetical fixtures won't be allowed to stand if drawn out:
- PSV vs. Ajax
- Roma vs. Juventus
- Union Berlin vs. Bayer Leverkusen
This remains true in the Round of 16 draw as well, once the Europa League reaches that stage. After that, teams from the same country will be able to match up if the bracket dictates such a meeting.
How to watch the Europa League playoffs draw
UEFA will live stream the draw ceremony globally for free here.
Specific broadcasters from respective countries are also expected to provide live coverage of the draw on their channels.
Find the draw dates and times for specific regions below.
| Country | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| USA | Mon, Nov. 7 | 8:00 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Mon, Nov. 7 | 8:00 a.m. ET |
| UK | Mon, Nov. 7 | 12:00 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Mon, Nov. 7 | 11:00 p.m. AEDT |
| New Zealand | Tue, Nov. 8 | 1:00 a.m. NZDT |
| India | Mon, Nov. 7 | 6:00 p.m. IST |
| Malaysia | Mon, Nov. 7 | 8:00 p.m. MYT |
| Singapore | Mon, Nov. 7 | 8:00 p.m. SGT |
| Hong Kong | Mon, Nov. 7 | 8:00 p.m. HKT |
