Europa League Play-off Draw: Matchups Confirmed and Surprise Clashes Revealed

Today, January 30, 2026, the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 play-off round draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland. The tournament is entering its decisive stage, and all eight pairings that will battle for a place in the Round of 16 are now known.

The play-off round will feature teams that finished from 9th to 24th in the final “league” standings. They will compete for 8 tickets to join the top 8 teams in the next stage of the knockout phase.

Here is the full list of play-off pairings:

Genk — Dinamo Zagreb
Bologna — Brann
Stuttgart — Celtic
Ferencváros — Ludogorets
Nottingham Forest — Fenerbahçe
Viktoria Plzeň — Panathinaikos
Crvena Zvezda — Lille
Celta Vigo — PAOK

The ties will be played over two legs: the first matches are scheduled for February 19, with the return legs on February 26. The winners will join the top eight teams from the group stage and continue their campaign in the Round of 16.

Particular attention is drawn to the clash between Nottingham Forest and Fenerbahçe: the English club, which confidently reached the play-offs, will face a Turkish side with a rich European history.

It is also worth noting that in the Crvena Zvezda — Lille tie, Armenia national team defender Nair Tiknizyan represents the Serbian side, while Lille rely heavily on renowned French striker Olivier Giroud, adding extra emotional and sporting intensity to the matchup.

The winner of this tie will face either Lyon or Aston Villa.