All you need to know about the 26/27 Europa League: Draws, dates & more

[p]To help you follow every step on the road to the final in May, we explain all you need to know about the upcoming 2026/27 Europa League season in what follows, from the key dates to the draws, teams, and much more.[/p][h2]Qualifying phase: How does it work?[/h2][p]17 teams have already directly qualified for the league phase. The remaining 19 spots are decided in a variety of ways.[/p][p]12 teams will join the league phase via the qualifying phase, which ends with the play-offs in late August played over two legs, while seven clubs will also drop down into the Europa League after losing the Champions League play-offs.[/p][h2]Dates for the Europa League qualifying rounds[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round: [/b]July 9th and 16th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round: [/b]July 23rd and 30th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]August 6th and 13th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs: [/b]August 20th and 27th, 2026[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/europe/europa-league/"]Follow the Europa League qualifiers with Flashscore![/a][/h2][embed guid="1dd0b0cf-b81f-448d-bace-79a961bca782" url="https://x.com/EuropaLeague/status/2084548616291533159" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Which teams have already qualified?[/h2][p]The following 17 teams have already qualified for the Europa League proper:[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/az-alkmaar/2RxOow1i/"]AZ[/a] (NED); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a] (ENG); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celta-vigo/8pvUZFhf/"]Celta Vigo[/a] (ESP); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a] (ENG); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hoffenheim/hQAtP9Sl/"]Hoffenheim[/a] (GER); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/juventus/C06aJvIB/"]Juventus[/a] (ITA); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayer-leverkusen/4jcj2zMd/"]Bayer Leverkusen[/a] (GER); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/marseille/SblU3Hee/"]Marseille[/a] (FRA); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-milan/8Sa8HInO/"]AC Milan[/a] (ITA); Olympiacos (GRE); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-sociedad/jNvak2f3/"]Real Sociedad[/a] (ESP); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rennes/d2nnj1IE/"]Rennes[/a] (FRA); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sparta-prague/6qA358jH/"]Sparta Prague[/a] (CZE); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sturm-graz/zsktjfsD/"]Sturm Graz[/a] (AUT); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sunderland/WSzc94ws/"]Sunderland[/a] (ENG); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/torreense/8jQErKhN/"]Torreense[/a] (POR); [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/royale-union-sg/407h8Ird/"]Union Saint-Gilloise[/a] (BEL).[/p][h2]When are the league phase matchdays?[/h2][p][b]Matchday 1: [/b]September 16th-17th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 2: [/b]October 15th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 3: [/b]October 22nd, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 4: [/b]November 5th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 5: [/b]November 26th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 6:[/b] December 10th, 2026[/p][p][b]Matchday 7: [/b]January 21st, 2027[/p][p][b]Matchday 8: [/b]January 28th, 2027[/p][h2]When are the knockout rounds played?[/h2][p][b]Knockout play-offs: [/b]February 18th and 25th, 2027[/p][p][b]Round of 16: [/b]March 11th and 18th, 2027[/p][p][b]Quarter-finals: [/b]April 8th and 15th, 2027[/p][p][b]Semi-finals: [/b]April 29th and May 6th, 2027[/p][p][b]Final: [/b]May 26th, 2027[/p][image alt="Interior view of Frankfurt's Waldstadion, the venue for the 2026/27 Europa League final" id="6e522065-a00a-4d85-9ee4-29c23f15dd26" credit-line="KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP" guid="4449ba23-066a-4a6b-a013-fd48269141c8" original-width="6000" original-height="4000" /][h2]When are the various Europa League draws?[/h2][p][b]First qualifying round: [/b]June 16th, 2026[/p][p][b]Second qualifying round: [/b]June 17th, 2026[/p][p][b]Third qualifying round: [/b]July 20th, 2026[/p][p][b]Play-offs: [/b]August 3rd, 2026[/p][p][b]League phase: [/b]August 28th, 2026[/p][p][b]Knockout round play-offs: [/b]January 29th, 2027[/p][p][b]Round of 16 and final bracket: [/b]February 26th, 2027[/p][h2]When and where is the Europa League final?[/h2][p]The final will be staged on Wednesday, May 26th, 2027, at Frankfurt's Waldstadion in Germany, currently known as Deutsche Bank Park for sponsorship purposes; it is a retractable-roof stadium and the home ground of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/eintracht-frankfurt/8vndvXTk/"]Eintracht Frankfurt[/a].[/p]