The draw for the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League will be completed this week as teams including Crystal Palace learn their potential route to May’s final in Leipzig.
Tonight’s midweek play-off matches will send eight teams though to the last 16 to join the clubs who finished in the top eight of the league phase, with the likes of Strasbourg, Sparta Praha and Shakhtar Donetsk joined by sole Premier League representatives Palace.
The outline of the draw has already been made, with teams grouped into small four-way pools of possible opponents based on their league placings.
The Eagles, who finished 10th in the league phase, would face either German side Mainz or Cypriot club AEK Larnaca in the last-16.
When is the draw?
The Conference League last-16 draw will take place in Nyon at 1pm GMT (2pm local time) on Friday 27 February.
How to watch online
The draw will be streamed live on Uefa’s website, YouTube channel and Conference League app.
Which teams have qualified for the last-16?
The top eight sides in this season’s Conference League league phase await in the knockout rounds. They are:
- Strasbourg
- Rakow Czestochowa
- AEK Athens
- Sparta Praha
- Rayo Vallecano
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Mainz
- AEK Larnaca
Who has advanced via the play-offs?
The teams who finished between ninth and 24th in the league phase went into the play-offs. Here are the results following the second leg which were played yesterday:
- Zrinksji Mostar 1-3 Crystal Palace
- Sigma Olomouc 3-2 Lausanne
- FC Drita 4-6 NK Celje
- Jagiellonia Bialystok 4-5 Fiorentina
- KF Shkendija 0-4 Samsunspor
- Omonoia 1-4 Rijeka
- Noah 1-4 AZ Alkmaar
- KuPS 0-3 Lech Poznan
The teams have been grouped into seeded couplets according to how they finished in the league phase, so, for example, Strasbourg (who finished top) or Rakow Czestochowa (who finished second) will play Rijeka or Fiorentina.
Teams from the same national league can play each other in the knockout rounds.
Here are the possible last-16 draw permutations:
Strasbourg and Rakow Czestochowa will be drawn against:
AEK Athens and Sparta Praha will be drawn against:
Rayo Vallecano and Shakhtar Donetsk will be drawn against:
- Samsunspor or Lech Poznan
Mainz and AEK Larnaca will be drawn against:
- Crystal Palace or Sigma Olomouc
What are the match dates?
The last-16 ties will take place in mid-March. Here are the remaining round dates:
Round of 16: 11/12 & 18/19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 8/9 & 15/16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 29/30 April & 6/7 May 2026
Final: 26/27 May 2026 (Leipzig)
