The 2026–27 UEFA Europa League league phase began on 16 September 2026 and will end on 28 January 2027. A total of 36 teams are competing in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League.

Ararat-Armenia, Bournemouth, Celje, Crystal Palace, Jagiellonia Białystok, Lillestrøm, NEC, OFI, Sunderland and Torreense are making their debut appearances since the introduction of the group stage (although NEC had previously appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage). Ararat-Armenia, Bournemouth, Lillestrøm, OFI, Sunderland and Torreense are making their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase, with Bournemouth and Torreense qualifying for European football for the first time in their history. Ararat-Armenia became the first team from Armenia to play in the Europa League group stage or league phase.

A total of 22 national associations are being represented in the league phase.

Format Each team will play eight matches, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table (known as the Swiss system). Teams were separated into four pots based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients, and each team will play two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away. The top eight teams in the standings will receive a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th will be eliminated from European competition.

Tiebreakers Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria will be applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:

While the league phase is in progress, teams are ranked according to criteria 1–5 only, and if still tied, will be given equal ranking and sorted alphabetically. Criteria 6–10 will only be used after the final matches take place.

Goal difference; Goals scored; Away goals scored; Wins; Away wins; Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents; Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents; Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents; Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card or expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point); UEFA club coefficient.

Teams and seeding The 36 teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each, with teams allocated to pots based on their 2026 UEFA club coefficients. The participants include: 13 teams which entered at this stage 12 winners of the play-off round 7 losers of the Champions League play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 2 from the League Path) 4 losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (League Path)

Key to coloursTeams ranked 1 to 8 advance to the round of 16 as a seeded teamTeams ranked 9 to 16 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as a seeded teamTeams ranked 17 to 24 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as an unseeded team

+Pot 1TeamNotes Bayer Leverkusen 105.000 Benfica 90.000 Juventus 72.250 Milan 66.000 Lyon 65.750 AZ 62.875 Olympiacos 62.250 Real Sociedad 57.000 Marseille 54.000+Pot 2TeamNotes Ferencváros 51.250 Viktoria Plzeň 50.500 Union Saint-Gilloise 48.000 Dinamo Zagreb 46.500 Red Bull Salzburg 45.000 Celtic 44.000 Sparta Prague 38.250 Rennes 35.000 Anderlecht 30.750+Pot 3TeamNotes Sturm Graz 28.000 Lech Poznań 27.250 Crystal Palace 23.903 Bournemouth 23.903 Sunderland 23.903 Celje 23.000 Jagiellonia Białystok 22.000 Omonia 21.250 Celta Vigo 19.409+Pot 4TeamNotes TSG Hoffenheim 18.580 Beşiktaş 15.500 Torreense 14.633 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 14.000 NEC 13.585 OFI 9.682 Lillestrøm 8.247 Levski Sofia 7.000 Ararat-Armenia 7.000

Notes

Draw The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 28 August 2026, 13:00 CEST, along with the draw for the Conference League league phase. The automated draw software instantly conducted the full digital draw at random, determining the home and away matches for all clubs. Each team faced two opponents from each of the four pots, one of which they faced at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. In addition, any individual fixture between two teams that had already been drawn in the last two seasons, could not be repeated for the third time with the same home team. The draw results were then be revealed pot-by-pot, starting with Pot 1, with the intention of "maintaining suspense and clarity for viewers".

+ League phase opponents by club Club Pot 1 opponents Pot 2 opponents Pot 3 opponents Pot 4 opponents Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Bayer Leverkusen Marseille Lyon Dinamo Zagreb Celje Lech Poznań Beşiktaş OFI Benfica AZ Milan Celtic Viktoria Plzeň Lech Poznań Omonia OFI NEC Juventus Real Sociedad AZ Rennes Ferencváros Omonia Celta Vigo NEC Milan Benfica Olympiacos Ferencváros Red Bull Salzburg Sunderland Bournemouth Ararat-Armenia Levski Sofia Lyon Real Sociedad Anderlecht Crystal Palace Lillestrøm TSG Hoffenheim AZ Juventus Benfica Dinamo Zagreb Sparta Prague Sturm Graz Sunderland Ararat-Armenia Olympiacos Milan Marseille Sparta Prague Rennes Celje TSG Hoffenheim Torreense Real Sociedad Lyon Juventus Viktoria Plzeň Bournemouth Crystal Palace Torreense Lillestrøm Marseille Olympiacos Anderlecht Celtic Celta Vigo Sturm Graz Levski Sofia Beşiktaş Ferencváros Juventus Milan Viktoria Plzeň Celtic Celje Lech Poznań Torreense TSG Hoffenheim Viktoria Plzeň Benfica Real Sociedad Union Saint-Gilloise Ferencváros Jagiellonia Białystok Bournemouth Levski Sofia Lillestrøm Union Saint-Gilloise Real Sociedad Lyon Celtic Viktoria Plzeň Lech Poznań Celta Vigo Hapoel Be'er Sheva Beşiktaş Dinamo Zagreb Bayer Leverkusen AZ Anderlecht Rennes Sturm Graz Sunderland NEC Hapoel Be'er Sheva Red Bull Salzburg Milan Bayer Leverkusen Sparta Prague Anderlecht Crystal Palace Celje Ararat-Armenia Levski Sofia Celtic Marseille Benfica Ferencváros Union Saint-Gilloise Celta Vigo Omonia Beşiktaş Torreense Sparta Prague AZ Olympiacos Rennes Red Bull Salzburg Bournemouth Crystal Palace Lillestrøm Ararat-Armenia Rennes Olympiacos Juventus Dinamo Zagreb Sparta Prague Omonia Sturm Graz OFI NEC Anderlecht Lyon Marseille Red Bull Salzburg Dinamo Zagreb Sunderland Jagiellonia Białystok TSG Hoffenheim OFI Sturm Graz Marseille AZ Rennes Dinamo Zagreb Celje Bournemouth OFI TSG Hoffenheim Lech Poznań Bayer Leverkusen Benfica Ferencváros Union Saint-Gilloise Sunderland Crystal Palace Torreense OFI Crystal Palace Real Sociedad Lyon Sparta Prague Red Bull Salzburg Lech Poznań Jagiellonia Białystok TSG Hoffenheim Beşiktaş Bournemouth Milan Real Sociedad Viktoria Plzeň Sparta Prague Sturm Graz Celta Vigo Hapoel Be'er Sheva Lillestrøm Sunderland AZ Milan Dinamo Zagreb Anderlecht Jagiellonia Białystok Lech Poznań Levski Sofia Torreense Celje Olympiacos Bayer Leverkusen Red Bull Salzburg Ferencváros Omonia Sturm Graz NEC Ararat-Armenia Jagiellonia Białystok Lyon Olympiacos Anderlecht Viktoria Plzeň Crystal Palace Sunderland Ararat-Armenia Levski Sofia Omonia Benfica Juventus Celtic Rennes Celta Vigo Celje Beşiktaş NEC Celta Vigo Juventus Marseille Union Saint-Gilloise Celtic Bournemouth Omonia Lillestrøm Hapoel Be'er Sheva TSG Hoffenheim Lyon Olympiacos Ferencváros Anderlecht Sturm Graz Crystal Palace Beşiktaş OFI Beşiktaş Marseille Bayer Leverkusen Union Saint-Gilloise Celtic Crystal Palace Omonia Hapoel Be'er Sheva TSG Hoffenheim Torreense Olympiacos Real Sociedad Celtic Ferencváros Sunderland Lech Poznań Ararat-Armenia Lillestrøm Hapoel Be'er Sheva Juventus AZ Dinamo Zagreb Union Saint-Gilloise Celta Vigo Bournemouth OFI Beşiktaş NEC Benfica Juventus Rennes Dinamo Zagreb Omonia Celje Levski Sofia Ararat-Armenia OFI Bayer Leverkusen Benfica Anderlecht Rennes Lech Poznań Sturm Graz TSG Hoffenheim Hapoel Be'er Sheva Lillestrøm Real Sociedad Lyon Viktoria Plzeň Sparta Prague Bournemouth Celta Vigo Torreense Levski Sofia Levski Sofia Milan Marseille Red Bull Salzburg Viktoria Plzeň Jagiellonia Białystok Sunderland Lillestrøm NEC Ararat-Armenia AZ Milan Sparta Prague Red Bull Salzburg Celje Jagiellonia Białystok NEC Torreense

League phase table The top eight ranked teams receive a bye directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked from 9th to 24th contest the knockout phase play-offs, with teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw, while those ranked from 17th to 24th are not. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions.

Results summary

By matchday

By team

Matches The fixture list was announced on 29 August 2026, the day after the draw.

Times are CET or CEST, as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).

Matchday 1

Matchday 2

Matchday 3

Matchday 4

Matchday 5

Matchday 6

Matchday 7

Matchday 8

Notes

References

External links