Europa League draw as it happened! Brighton Liverpool, and West Ham drawn in the Europa League
John O'Shea is here in Monaco for the draw
With the final in Dublin next May, UEFA have wheeled out an Irish legend in the form of Big John!
UEFA competitions are changing, once and for all!
From 2024/25, the Europa League will have 36 teams competing in a group phase, just like the Champions League. Here to explain, here’s FFT’s Adam Clery…
Here are the pots for the Europa League…
Pot 1
�������������� West Ham United �������������� Liverpool ���� Roma ���� Ajax ���� Villarreal ���� Bayer Leverkusen ���� Atalanta
�������������� Rangers
Pot 2
���� Sporting CP ���� Slavia Prague ���� Rennes ���� Olympiacos ���� Real Betis ���� LASK ���� Marseille
���� Qarabag
Pot 3
���� Molde �������������� Brighton & Hove Albion ���� Sheriff Tiraspol ���� Union Saint-Gilloise ���� Freiburg ���� Sparta Prague ���� Maccabi Haifa
���� Sturm Graz
Pot 4
���� Toulouse ���� AEK Athens ���� TSC ���� Servette ���� Panathinaikos ���� Rakow Czestochowa ���� Aris Limassol
���� BK Hacken
And the Europa Conference League pots, for you.
Pot 1
���� Eintracht Frankfurt���� Dinamo Zagreb���� Club Brugge���� AZ���� Gent���� Fenerbahce���� Lille
���� Ferencvaros
Pot 2
���� PAOK���� Slovan Bratislava���� Maccabi Tel Aviv���� Viktoria Plzen�������������� Aston Villa���� Ludogorets Razgrad���� Fiorentina
���� Bodo/Glimt
Pot 3
���� Genk���� Zorya Luhansk���� Astana���� Besiktas���� HJK���� Legia Warsaw���� Spartak Trnava
���� Olimpija Ljubljana
Pot 4
���� Zrinjski Mostar���� KI�������������� Aberdeen���� Cukaricki���� Lugano���� Breidablik���� Nordsjaelland
���� Ballkani
Owing to the format change of UEFA competitions from a group stage to a Swiss-style league format (see earlier, we got Adam to explain it), this is potentially the last time that we’ll ever see a Europa League winner defend their title.
Sevilla won three Europas in a row under Unai ‘Mr Europa’ Emery (more on him later, we’re sure) – and the Andalusian outfit could well sweep another title, should they drop into the competition from finishing third in their group. But in the immortal words of Keane, this is the last time.
Next time around, the Europa League winners will qualify for the Champions League as normal – but the Swiss-style league format won’t allow clubs to drop from the UCL to the UEL. Sorry, Sevilla!
As an aside, Jose Antonio Reyes (pictured above) would have been 40 today. Rest in peace, Jose: fitting, too, that Arsenal drew Sevilla in the Champions League yesterday.
2023/24 Europa League outright winner - Latest odds via BettingSites.co.uk
Liverpool - 7/2Brighton, Roma - 12/1Villarreal - 14/1Atalanta - 16/1West Ham, Marseille, Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting Lisbon, Real Betis - 20/1Ajax, Rennes - 25/1SC Freiburg - 28/1
Rangers, Toulouse - 50/1
Liverpool go into this competition as the outright favourites – and for good reason, too.
According to Transfermarkt, the Reds have a squad market value of €801.30 million. That’s some €300m more than the next on the list, Bayer Leverkusen. The real Super League was the Premier League, etc. etc., blah, blah, blah.
Roma are rising from their ruins
The grumpy Timelord himself is back in the competition and eyeing No.6: that’s right, Jose Mourinho and Roma are returning to the scene of the crime.
The Italian giants were beaten in last year’s final on penalties but have come back leaner, meaner and now kitted out by Adidas – alright for some. Mourinho won this competition back in 2017 with Manchester United and none of us would put it past him to mastermind yet another daring height in Europe.
We all know how these competitions work by now, right?
For the Europa and Europa Conference Leagues, there will just be eight groups of four teams each drawn today (the competition used to be much bigger). The winner of the Europa League will get a bye to the last 16 of the competition, while the runner-up will be drawn in a two-legged playoff tie against any of the eight teams who finish third in their Champions League group. The winners are then drawn against group winners of the Europa League.
That’s weird, because if you win your group, you can face a team from the group you just played in. Last time, we saw the Union derby as Saint-Gilloise topped their four-team group ahead of Berlin, only for Union Berlin to beat Ajax in their playoff and… have to play USG again in the next round. Tiresome, huh?
The same format is true of the Conference: third-placed Europa League group teams drop into the Conference League for a playoff.
So… where are Juventus today? They got a points deduction and finished seventh. Surely they should be here…
Well, sorry to disappoint. The Italian powers that be took away 10 points from the Old Lady due to a violation of financial regulations, leaving them with 62 points. They would have finished comfortably in the Champions League.
Yet because they broke UEFA’s own rules, too, the expulsion from competitions is a separate punishment, allowing Fiorentina – eighth in Serie A – to compete in their place.
Spare a thought for Prishtina while the Europa Conference League draw takes place today.
Who? You heard. Prishtina. They compete in the Football Superleague of Kosovo and would have qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round as the winners of the 2022/23 Kosovar Cup but for the paperwork.
You see, The Clods (no, that’s genuinely their nickname, we’re not making that – or any this – up) failed to obtain a UEFA license to compete in this competition. Their place was taken by national rivals and league runners-up Drita, who originally entered the first qualifying round. Drita’s place in the first qualifying round was given to the fourth-placed team, Dukagjini.
It’s all a moot point, anyway. Drita were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Viktoria Plzen.
Brighton have qualified for their first-ever European campaign – and they go into the competition as one of the favourites.
Roberto De Zerbi has transformed this side into one of the best teams in the Premier League, with incredible press resistance in the buildup, a renewed eye for goal up front and the seemingly shapeshifting ability to absorb the hits of selling their midfield axis of last term without conceding ground in the table.
Are Brighton too light to compete on four fronts? Or will they shock a few in the Europa?
FFT’s Chris Flanagan has made a shocking prediction about the Europa League this season.
Find out what our esteemed Senior Staff Writer thinks, along with some other bonkers ideas about Luton finishing higher up the table than you realised and Harry Kane actually being the most cursed striker ever…
Conference champs West Ham United are in the Europa League once more – and looking to be the first to complete a unique achievement.
Plenty have won this competition to qualify for the bigger one but since the advent of the Conference League, no one’s gone from the third-tier competition to the second to the top. Roma won the inaugural Europa Conference League and came oh so close, as they were foiled in the final last June. Can West Ham go one better?
Former European champions in the Europa League this season:
Liverpool (six UCL, three UEL)Ajax (four UCL, one UEL)Marseille (one UCL)Roma (one UECL)Villarreal (one UEL)
Bayer Leverkusen (one UEL)
Qualifying for the Conference League always throws up some mad scenarios – and Neman Grodno of Belarus are perhaps the pick of the bunch, actually.
Shakhtyor Soligorsk and Energetik-BGU Minsk finished first and second in the Belarusian Premier League respectively – but both were found guilty of match-fixing by the Football Federation of Belarus and denied a place in UEFA competition. Third were BATE Borisov, who got the Champions League qualification place, fourth were Dinamo Minsk who got a Conference qualifying place – but there was one more Europa Conference League berth to be given out to a club for their league finish.
Fifth-placed Isloch Minsk Raion were involved in the scandal so banned, too. The sixth- and seventh-placed teams, Minsk and Gomel, didn’t even bother applying to be a part of it.
As eighth-placed Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino already qualified for the second qualifying round as domestic cup winners, the next in line were Neman Grodno, granted a UEFA license after finishing ninth in the league. Hilariously, there are only 16 teams in the division. They finished closer to the bottom than the top.
Ivan Vorsovich’s side put in a respectable performance, however, making it all the way to the third round of qualifying, where they were knocked out by Celje. You did Belarus proud, lads.
TNT Sports' coverage is just about to begin…
Our hosts are Alex Scott and Matt Smith.
The TV presenter, not the former Doctor Who.
Excitingly for Liverpool fans, the final this time around is in Dublin.
A short hop across the Irish Sea to watch their team lift another European trophy? Don’t mind if they do.
This is the first major UEFA competition final that the Republic of Ireland has ever held.
Jesus Navas has been named the Europa League Player of the Season
Florian Wirtz is Young Player of the Season
Stephane Mbia is out to do the draw today.
Presenters Matt Smith and Alex Scott now welcome out John O'Shea
The wait is nearly over… here comes The velvet-voiced Deputy General Secretary of UEFA, Giorgio Marchetti.
Marchetti has returned to the floor fresh from yesterday’s Champions League draws, too. Giorgio has been Director of Competitions at UEFA, responsible for all youth and professional club and national competitions in the past.
Loving the tie, John
Those pots one more time…
Pot 1
�������������� West Ham United �������������� Liverpool ���� Roma ���� Ajax ���� Villarreal ���� Bayer Leverkusen ���� Atalanta
�������������� Rangers
Pot 2
���� Sporting CP ���� Slavia Prague ���� Rennes ���� Olympiacos ���� Real Betis ���� LASK ���� Marseille
���� Qarabag
Pot 3
���� Molde �������������� Brighton & Hove Albion ���� Sheriff Tiraspol ���� Union Saint-Gilloise ���� Freiburg ���� Sparta Prague ���� Maccabi Haifa
���� Sturm Graz
Pot 4
���� Toulouse ���� AEK Athens ���� TSC ���� Servette ���� Panathinaikos ���� Rakow Czestochowa ���� Aris Limassol
���� BK Hacken
Group A
�������������� West Ham United
Group B
���� Ajax
Group C
�������������� Rangers
Group D
�������������� Liverpool
Group E
���� Villarreal
Group D
���� Atalanta
Group G
���� Roma
Group H
���� Bayer Leverkusen
Group A
�������������� West Ham United
���� Olympiacos
Group B
���� Ajax
���� Marseille
Group C
�������������� Rangers
���� Real Betis
Group D
���� Atalanta
���� Sporting CP
Group E
�������������� Liverpool
���� LASK
Group F
���� Villarreal
���� Rennes
Group G
���� Roma
���� Slavia Prague
Group H
���� Bayer Leverkusen
���� Qarabag
Now for Pot 3.
We're speeding through this.
Group A
�������������� West Ham United
���� Olympiacos
���� Freiburg
Group B
���� Ajax
���� Marseille
�������������� Brighton & Hove Albion
What a group!
Group C
�������������� Rangers
���� Real Betis
���� Sparta Prague
Group E
�������������� Liverpool
���� LASK
���� Union Saint-Gilloise
Group F
���� Villarreal
���� Rennes
���� Maccabi Haifa
Group D
���� Atalanta
���� Sporting CP
���� Sturm Graz
Group G
���� Roma
���� Slavia Prague
���� Sheriff Tiraspol
Group H
���� Bayer Leverkusen
���� Qarabag
���� Molde
Pot 3 is done. Now for Pot 4…
Group A
�������������� West Ham United
���� Olympiacos
���� Freiburg
���� TSC
Group B
���� Ajax
���� Marseille
�������������� Brighton & Hove Albion
���� AEK Athens
Group C
�������������� Rangers
���� Real Betis
���� Sparta Prague
���� Aris Limassol
Group D
���� Atalanta
���� Sporting CP
���� Sturm Graz
���� Rakow Czestochowa
Group E
�������������� Liverpool
���� LASK
���� Union Saint-Gilloise
���� Toulouse
Group F
���� Villarreal
���� Rennes
���� Maccabi Haifa
���� Panathinaikos
Group G
���� Roma
���� Slavia Prague
���� Sheriff Tiraspol
���� Servette
That's the draw done!
Group A
�������������� West Ham United ���� Olympiacos ���� Freiburg
���� TSC
Group B
���� Ajax ���� Marseille �������������� Brighton & Hove Albion
���� AEK Athens
Group C
�������������� Rangers ���� Real Betis ���� Sparta Prague
���� Aris Limassol
Group D
���� Atalanta ���� Sporting CP ���� Sturm Graz
���� Rakow Czestochowa
Group E
�������������� Liverpool���� LASK ���� Union Saint-Gilloise
���� Toulouse
Group F
���� Villarreal ���� Rennes ���� Maccabi Haifa
���� Panathinaikos
Group G
���� Roma ���� Slavia Prague ���� Sheriff Tiraspol
���� Servette
Group H
���� Bayer Leverkusen ���� Qarabag���� Molde
���� BK Hacken
Happy with that Brighton fans? Some big European trips on the horizon for the Seagulls
Roberto De Zerbi takes his side to Amsterdam for a clash against Ajax, Athens to play AEK and Marseille, where they'll play a former Champions League winner.
It's a baptism of fire for Brighton's first-ever Europa campaign.
Some of the most anticipated fixtures of this season's Europa group stage:
Ajax vs Marseille, as two former Champions League winners face off
Rangers vs Real Betis, as the Gers return to Seville
Atalanta vs Sporting, as two dark horses lock horns
Roma vs Sheriff, as Jose Mourinho takes on a team of giant-killers from recent seasons
And now, we turn our attention to the Europa Conference League.
2023/24 Europa Conference League outright odds via LuckyBlock.com
Aston Villa - 6/1Eintracht Frankfurt - 7/1Fiorentina - 9/1Fenerbahce - 10/1Lille - 11/1Besiktas - 13/1Club Brugge - 16/1Bodo/Glimt - 20/1Gent, AZ Alkmaar, Ferencvárosi - 28/1Genk - 34/1PAOK, Nordsjælland, Viktoria Plzen, Dinamo Zagreb - 50/1
