Spurs in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League – new format explained, draw dates, key information
Wed 28 August 2024, 14:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
This season, we'll be competing in the Europa League and a new format of the competition awaits us.
For the first time since the 2020/21 campaign, we're back in the tournament which we first won in its first edition back in 1972 when it was called the UEFA Cup. We also won the competition 40 years ago this year with a penalty shootout victory over Anderlecht at White Hart Lane in May, 1984.
This season in the competition, the previous group stage, where teams were divided into groups of four, will become a single 36-team league stage.
Each club faces eight different teams once, four at home and four away. The top eight advance directly to the round of 16, while sides finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs, with the winners of all eight two-legged ties going through to the last 16.
From the last 16 onwards, the tournament then takes a straight knockout format, with two-legged ties through until a single-leg final on 21 May, 2025, at the Estadio de San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain.
For certain clubs to try to qualify for the initial league stage, there will be three qualifying rounds and then a play-off round in July and August.
However, by virtue of our fifth-place finish in the Premier League, we have qualified directly for the league stage.
The draw for the league stage will take place this week on Friday 30 August, 2024, with match rounds pencilled in as follows...
Matchday 1: 25/26 September, 2024
Matchday 2: 3 October, 2024
Matchday 3: 24 October, 2024
Matchday 4: 7 November, 2024
Matchday 5: 28 November, 2024
Matchday 6: 12 December, 2024
Matchday 7: 23 January, 2025
Matchday 8: 30 January, 2025
The draw for the knockout round play-offs, for the clubs finishing ninth to 24th, will take place on 31 January, 2025, with the two legs of those ties set to be played on 13 and 20 February, 2025.
The draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on 21 February, 2025, with match dates pencilled in as follows...
Round of 16: 6 and 13 March, 2025
Quarter-finals: 10 and 17 April, 2025
Semi-finals: 1 and 8 May, 2025
Final: 21 May, 2025
Dates are subject to change.
The 2024/25 UEFA Europa League winners, gain a place in the league stage of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, if they have not qualified via their domestic league.
