When is the UEFA Europa League group stage draw? Date,…

When is the UEFA Europa League group stage draw? Date, how to watch and who’s involved

The UEFA Europa League group stage is on course to return next month following this week’s final round of qualifiers, with the draw now set to take place for the 32 qualified teams.

And those include Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United, who failed to secure Champions League football with a Premier League top four finish last season, as well as the likes of European big hitters Roma, who won the inaugural Europa Conference league last season.

Here is all you need to know about the draw for this season’s Europa League group stage, including when it is, how you can watch and who’s involved.

When is the Europa League group stage draw?

The draw for the 2022-23 Europa League group stage will take place at 12pm on Friday, August 26 in Istanbul, Turkey.

How to watch

The draw will be streamed live from 12pm on UEFA’s website as well as their YouTube channel.

Alternatively, the draw will also be televised on BT Sport 1, with coverage beginning at 12pm.

Eintracht Frankfurt are the current holders of the Europa League after beating Rangers in the 21-22 final (Getty Images)

Can one of Arsenal or Man Utd win the Europa League this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Who’s involved

Pot 1

Roma (ITA)

Manchester United (ENG)

Arsenal (ENG)

Lazio (ITA)

Braga (POR)

Red Star Belgrade (SER)

Dynamo Kyiv (UKR)

Olympiacos (GRE)

Pot 2

Feyenoord (NED)

Rennes (FRA)

PSV Eindhoven (NED)

Monaco (FRA)

Real Sociedad (ESP)

Qarabag (KAZ)

Malmo FF (SWE)

Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)

Pot 3

Sheriff Tiraspol (MOL)

Real Betis (ESP)

Midtjylland (DEN)

Bodo/Glimt (NOR)

Ferencvaros (HUN)

Union Berlin (GER)

SC Freiburg (GER)

Fenerbahce (TUR)

Pot 4

Nantes (FRA)

HJK Helsinki (FIN)

Sturm Graz (AUS)

AEK Larnaca (CYP)

Ormonia (CYP)

FC Zurich (SWI)

Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)

Trabzonspor (TUR)

How the draw works

Roma were automatically placed into Pot 1 as Europa Conference League holders (Getty Images)

The draw is made up of 32 teams, of which 12 are automatic qualifiers, 10 are play-off round winners from this week’s ties that took place on Thursday, August 25, and 10 are transferring from the Champions League play-offs or third qualifying round League path.

The 32 teams are split into four pots of eight teams based on their 2021 UEFA country coefficients, although the 2021-22 Europa Conference League winners are automatically assigned to Pot 1.

A team from each pot is then drawn into eight groups of four teams, although teams from the same nation cannot be placed together.

Format

The four teams in each of the eight groups will play each other twice, home and away, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages next year.

The third placed-teams will be transferred to the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth placed teams will be eliminated from European competition completely.

Because of the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in November, the Europa League group stage will therefore be crammed into an eight week period, beginning on September 8 and ending on November 3.