2024–25 UEFA Europa League knockout phase

The 2024–25 UEFA Europa League knockout phase will begin on 13 February with the knockout phase play-offs and end on 21 May 2025 with the final at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, to decide the champions of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.[1] A total of 24 teams will compete in the knockout phase, with 16 entering in the play-offs and 8 receiving a bye to the round of 16.[2]

Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Qualified teams

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The knockout phase involves the top 24 teams that qualify from the league phase. The top 8 teams receive a bye to the round of 16, while teams finishing in positions 9 to 24 enter the knockout phase play-offs.

The following teams have secured a place in the knockout phase:

Guaranteed to finish 1–16 (round TBD, guaranteed seeded)

Guaranteed to finish 1–24 (round TBD)

Format

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Each tie in the knockout phase, apart from the final, is played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scores more goals on aggregate over the two legs advances to the next round. If the aggregate score is level, then 30 minutes of extra time is played (the away goals rule is not applied). If the score is still level at the end of extra time, the winners are decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the final, which is played as a single match, if the score is level at the end of normal time, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score is still level.[2]

Draw procedure

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In the knockout phase, there is no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams can also face opponents they played during the league phase.

The mechanism of the draws for each round is as follows:[2]

  • In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 are seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 are unseeded. The draw is split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams host the second leg.
  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 are seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs are unseeded. Again, the draw is split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams host the second leg.
  • In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the exact match pairings are predetermined based on the tournament bracket. A draw is conducted only to determine which team plays the first leg at home. A draw is also held to determine which semi-final winner is designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).

In the knockout phase, teams from the same or nearby cities are not scheduled to play at home on the same day or on consecutive days, due to logistics and crowd control.[2]: Art. 24.02  To avoid such scheduling conflict, if the two teams are drawn to play at home for the same leg, the order of legs of the tie involving the team with the lower domestic ranking in the qualifying season is reversed from the original draw.[3]

Predetermined pairings

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The bracket structure for the knockout phase is partially fixed in advance using seeding, with a symmetrical pattern on both sides.[2] Teams' positions in the bracket are determined by the final standings in the league phase, ensuring higher-ranked teams face lower-ranked opponents in earlier rounds. Thus, the top two teams from the league phase cannot meet until the final.

The structure of each side of the bracket can be summarised as follows, with the exact pairings of the play-offs and round of 16 determined by a draw:[note 2]

  • Knockout phase play-offs
    • Pairing I: 9/10 vs 23/24
    • Pairing II: 11/12 vs 21/22
    • Pairing III: 13/14 vs 19/20
    • Pairing IV: 15/16 vs 17/18
  • Round of 16
    • Pairing A: 1/2 vs Winner IV
    • Pairing B: 3/4 vs Winner III
    • Pairing C: 5/6 vs Winner II
    • Pairing D: 7/8 vs Winner I
  • Quarter-finals
    • Pairing 1: Winner A vs Winner D
    • Pairing 2: Winner B vs Winner C
  • Semi-finals: Winner 1 vs Winner 2

Schedule

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The schedule is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[1]

Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Knockout phase play-offs 31 January 2025 13 February 2025 20 February 2025
Round of 16 21 February 2025 6 March 2025 13 March 2025
Quarter-finals 10 April 2025 17 April 2025
Semi-finals 1 May 2025 8 May 2025
Final 21 May 2025 at San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao

Bracket

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Knockout phase play-offsRound of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
17/18 
15/16    Winner PO1
1/2 
  Winner R16–1[†]
23/24 
  Winner R16–2[†]
9/10    Winner PO2
7/8 
  Winner QF1[†]
21/22 
  Winner QF2[†]
11/12    Winner PO3
5/6 
  Winner R16–3[†]
19/20 
  Winner R16–4[†]
13/14    Winner PO4
21 May – Bilbao
3/4 
  Winner SF[†]
20/19 
  Winner SF[†]
14/13    Winner PO5
4/3 
  Winner R16–5[†]
22/21 
  Winner R16–6[†]
12/11    Winner PO6
6/5 
  Winner QF3[†]
24/23 
  Winner QF4[†]
10/9    Winner PO7
8/7 
  Winner R16–7[†]
18/17 
  Winner R16–8[†]
16/15    Winner PO8
2/1 
  1. While the ties are predetermined, a draw will determine the order of the legs for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, as well as the administrative "home" team for the final.

Knockout phase play-offs

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The draw for the knockout phase play-offs will be held on 31 January 2025.

Seeding

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The draw will be split into four seeded and four unseeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase. Teams will be allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 9 to 16 will be seeded (playing the second legs at home), while teams in positions 17 to 24 will be unseeded. The draw will begin with the unseeded teams, allocating them all to a tie. Once completed, all the seeded teams will be drawn into a tie as their opponents.

9/10 vs 23/24 11/12 vs 21/22
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
  • Team in position 9
  • Team in position 10
  • Team in position 23
  • Team in position 24
  • Team in position 11
  • Team in position 12
  • Team in position 21
  • Team in position 22
13/14 vs 19/20 15/16 vs 17/18
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
  • Team in position 13
  • Team in position 14
  • Team in position 19
  • Team in position 20
  • Team in position 15
  • Team in position 16
  • Team in position 17
  • Team in position 18

Summary

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The first legs will be played on 13 February, and the second legs will be played on 20 February 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Team in position 17 or 181Team in position 15 or 1613 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 23 or 242Team in position 9 or 1013 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 21 or 223Team in position 11 or 1213 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 19 or 204Team in position 13 or 1413 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 20 or 195Team in position 14 or 1313 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 22 or 216Team in position 12 or 1113 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 24 or 237Team in position 10 or 913 Feb20 Feb
Team in position 18 or 178Team in position 16 or 1513 Feb20 Feb

Matches

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Team in position 17 or 18  v  Team in position 15 or 16
Team in position 15 or 16  v  Team in position 17 or 18

Team in position 23 or 24  v  Team in position 9 or 10
Team in position 9 or 10  v  Team in position 23 or 24

Team in position 21 or 22  v  Team in position 11 or 12
Team in position 11 or 12  v  Team in position 21 or 22

Team in position 19 or 20  v  Team in position 13 or 14
Team in position 13 or 14  v  Team in position 19 or 20

Team in position 20 or 19  v  Team in position 14 or 13
Team in position 14 or 13  v  Team in position 20 or 19

Team in position 22 or 21  v  Team in position 12 or 11
Team in position 12 or 11  v  Team in position 22 or 21

Team in position 24 or 23  v  Team in position 10 or 9
Team in position 10 or 9  v  Team in position 24 or 23

Team in position 18 or 17  v  Team in position 16 or 15
Team in position 16 or 15  v  Team in position 18 or 17

Round of 16

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The draw for the round of 16 will be held on 21 February 2025.

Seeding

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The draw will be split into four seeded and four unseeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase. Teams will be allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 1 to 8 will be seeded (playing the second legs at home), while the winners of the knockout phase play-offs will be unseeded. The draw will begin with the unseeded teams, allocating them all to a tie. Once completed, all the seeded teams will be drawn into a tie as their opponents.

1/2 vs 15/16/17/18 3/4 vs 13/14/19/20
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
  • Team in position 1
  • Team in position 2
  • Winner PO1
  • Winner PO8
  • Team in position 3
  • Team in position 4
  • Winner PO4
  • Winner PO5
5/6 vs 11/12/21/22 7/8 vs 9/10/23/24
Seeded Unseeded Seeded Unseeded
  • Team in position 5
  • Team in position 6
  • Winner PO3
  • Winner PO6
  • Team in position 7
  • Team in position 8
  • Winner PO2
  • Winner PO7

Summary

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The first legs will be played on 6 March, and the second legs will be played on 13 March 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner PO11Team in position 1 or 26 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO22Team in position 7 or 86 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO33Team in position 5 or 66 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO44Team in position 3 or 46 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO55Team in position 4 or 36 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO66Team in position 6 or 56 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO77Team in position 8 or 76 Mar13 Mar
Winner PO88Team in position 2 or 16 Mar13 Mar

Matches

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Winner PO1  v  Team in position 1 or 2
Team in position 1 or 2  v  Winner PO1

Winner PO2  v  Team in position 7 or 8
Team in position 7 or 8  v  Winner PO2

Winner PO3  v  Team in position 5 or 6
Team in position 5 or 6  v  Winner PO3

Winner PO4  v  Team in position 3 or 4
Team in position 3 or 4  v  Winner PO4

Winner PO5  v  Team in position 4 or 3
Team in position 4 or 3  v  Winner PO5

Winner PO6  v  Team in position 6 or 5
Team in position 6 or 5  v  Winner PO6

Winner PO7  v  Team in position 8 or 7
Team in position 8 or 7  v  Winner PO7

Winner PO8  v  Team in position 2 or 1
Team in position 2 or 1  v  Winner PO8

Quarter-finals

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The draw for the order of the quarter-final legs will be held on 21 February 2025, after the round of 16 draw. The first legs will be played on 10 April, and the second legs will be played on 17 April 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner R16–11[a]Winner R16–210 Apr17 Apr
Winner R16–32[a]Winner R16–410 Apr17 Apr
Winner R16–53[a]Winner R16–610 Apr17 Apr
Winner R16–74[a]Winner R16–810 Apr17 Apr
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d While the ties are predetermined, the order of the legs will be determined by a draw.

Semi-finals

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The draw for the order of the semi-final legs will be held on 21 February 2025, after the round of 16 and quarter-final draws. The first legs will be played on 1 May, and the second legs will be played on 8 May 2025.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Winner QF11[a]Winner QF21 May8 May
Winner QF32[a]Winner QF41 May8 May
Notes:
  1. ^ a b While the ties are predetermined, the order of the legs will be determined by a draw.

Final

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The final will be played on 21 May 2025 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. A draw will be held on 21 February 2025 (after the round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws) to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.

TBD  v  TBD

Notes

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  1. ^ CET (UTC+1) for dates up to 29 March 2025 (knockout phase play-offs and round of 16), and CEST (UTC+2) for dates thereafter (quarter-finals, semi-finals and final).
  2. ^ The draws determine the exact play-off and round of 16 pairings for each side of the bracket, which will mirror each other. For example, if the team in 9th is drawn against 23rd in the play-offs, the team in 10th will be drawn against 24th on the other side of the bracket.

References

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  1. ^ a b "2024/25 Europa League all you need to know: Teams, format, dates, draws, final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Regulations of the UEFA Europa League (2024–27 Cycle): 2024/25 Season". Nyon: UEFA. 2 September 2024. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Europa League quarter-final and semi-final draws: all you need to know". UEFA. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
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