When are the Europa and Conference League draws and how do they work?

The Europa League and Conference League league phase draws will see British clubs - including Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace - discover their opponents.When is the draw?The Europa League league phase draw - involving Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace - takes place at 12pm UK time on Friday. The Conference League draw - which could involve Brighton, Hearts, Hibs, Motherwell, Rangers and Northern Irish team Larne - gets under way straight after. Got Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream PL games with no contract📺Who is in Europa League?Twelve teams qualify directly for the league phase of the Europa League, with one slot also reserved for UEFA Conference League title holders, Crystal Palace. Image: Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson lifts the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy last season A further 12 sides secure their places by qualifying through the play-off round. The 36-team line-up is completed by 11 losing teams transferring from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and play-offs.Qualified teams: AC Milan, AZ Alkmaar, Bayer Leverkusen, Bournemouth, Celta Vigo, Crystal Palace, Hoffenheim, Juventus, Marseille, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Rennes, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, Sunderland, Torreense, Union Saint-Gilloise Teams who could play Europa League if they lose in the Champions League play-off round: AEK Athens, Bodo/Glimt, Celje, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Fenerbahce, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, LASK, Levski Sofia, Lyon, NEC Breda, Sabah, Slovan Bratislava, Viking Stavanger. Teams who could play Europa League if they win in the Europa Lague play-off round: Aarhus, Anderlecht, Ararat-Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Ferencvaros, Iberia Tblisi, Jagiellonia, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Zalgiris, Lech Poznan, Lillestrom, Mjallby, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg, Sint-Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor, Union Craiova, Viktoria Plzen. 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Get instant access with no contract Watch FREE Premier League highlights Premier League fixtures Who is in Conference League?All 36 teams enter the league phase via qualifying, with none directly through.Teams who could play Conference League if they win in the Conference League play-off round: Ajax, Atalanta, Austria Vienna, Borac, Braga, Brann, Brighton, FC Copenhagen, Dinamo City, Drita, Freiburg, Gent, Getafe, Gornik Zabrze, Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Hajduk Split, Hearts, Hibernian, Hradec Kralove, Inter Escaldes, Inter Turku, Jablonec, Klaksvik, Kups Kuopio, Lincoln Red Imps, Larne, Lugano, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Midtjylland, Monaco, Motherwell, Nordsjaelland, Pafos, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Partizan, Qarabag, Rakow, Rangers, Riga, Rijeka, Shamrock Rovers, Sion, SK Rapid, St Gallen, Tromso, Twente, Vikingur Rekjavik.Teams who could play Conference League if they lose in the Europa League play-off round: Aarhus, Anderlecht, Ararat-Armenia, Benfica, Besiktas, Crvena Zvezda, CSKA Sofia, Egnatia, Ferencvaros, Iberia Tblisi, Jagiellonia, Kairat Almaty, Kauno Zalgiris, Lech Poznan, Lillestrom, Mjallby, OFI Crete, Omonia, Salzburg, Sint-Truidense, Thun, Trabzonspor, Union Craiova, Viktoria Plzen. Image: The Europa League and Conference League trophies How does the league phase work in the Europa League and Conference League?In the Europa League, every club is guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents, with four games home and four away.In the Conference League though, each side will face six different teams, with three games at home and three away.In both tournaments, the top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure a place in the last 16 of the competition.Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.How many teams can you face from any one nation?In the league phase, teams cannot face opponents from their own country and can face a maximum of two sides from the same country. Image: Aston Villa won the Europa League last season and now take part in the Champions League When are the league phase games?Europa LeagueMatchday 1: September 16/17Matchday 2: October 15Matchday 3: October 22Matchday 4: November 5Matchday 5: November 26Matchday 6: December 10Matchday 7: January 21, 2027Matchday 8: January 28, 2027Conference LeagueMatchday 1: October 15Matchday 2: October 22Matchday 3: November 5Matchday 4: November 26Matchday 5: December 10Matchday 6: December 17The key datesThe 2026/27 Europa League final will take place on May 26, 2027 at the Stadion Frankfurt in Germany, while the Conference League final is scheduled for June 2, 2025 at Besiktas Park in Istanbul.Europa LeagueKnockout round play-offs: February 18 & 25, 2027Round of 16: March 11 & 18, 2027Quarter-finals: April 8 & 15, 2027Semi-finals: April 29 & May 6, 2027Final: May 26, 2027 (Stadion Frankfurt, Germany)Conference LeagueKnockout round play-offs: February 18 & 25, 2027Round of 16: March 11 & 18, 2027Quarter-finals: April 8 & 15, 2027Semi-finals: April 29 & May 6, 2027Final: June 2, 2027 (Besiktas Park, Istanbul, Turkey)