Conference League draw LIVE! Aston Villa, Ajax and more learn last-16 opponents
Conference League draw LIVE!
West Ham, Liverpool and Brighton have learned their Europa League opponents, so now it is time for the Conference League draw and Aston Villa’s turn. Villa are the sole British representative and are considered among the favourites to win the whole thing as they sit fourth in the Premier League and have Unai Emery at the helm.
Also in the mix are Dutch giants Ajax - who are not seeded - plus Fiorentina, Lille, Fenerbahce, Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos after last night’s play-off action. The eight group stage winners from the Conference League group stage are seeded, and will face the knockout round play-off winners. No team from the same nation can face each other.
Villa will be hoping for a kind draw - will they get it? The action gets under way in Lyon from 12pm UK time. Follow the draw LIVE below with our dedicated match blog. Stick with us for all the build-up, action and reaction.
Europa League draw latest
Start time: 12pm GMT
How to watch: TNT Sports
Draw in full
12:21 , Alex Young
Sturm Graz vs Lille
Dinamo Zagreb vs PAOK
Union SG vs Fenerbahce
Molde vs Club Brugge
Ajax vs Aston Villa
Sevette vs Viktoria Plzen
Maccabi Haifa vs Fiorentina
Olympiacos vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
12:19 , Alex Young
Olympiacos vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
12:18 , Alex Young
Maccabi Haifa vs Fiorentina
12:18 , Alex Young
Sturm Graz vs Lille
12:16 , Alex Young
Dinamo Zagreb vs PAOK
12:16 , Alex Young
Union SG vs Fenerbahce
12:14 , Alex Young
Molde vs Club Brugge
12:14 , Alex Young
The tie we all wanted.
12:13 , Alex Young
Ajax vs Aston Villa
12:12 , Alex Young
Sevette vs Viktoria Plzen
12:11 , Alex Young
It’s draw time.
12:08 , Alex Young
Now it’s time to be told how the draw will work.
12:07 , Alex Young
Now to find out who will be Giorgio’s special guest... it’s Kostas Katsouranis!
The final this year is in Athens, after all.
12:05 , Alex Young
Here comes man of the hour UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti.
12:03 , Alex Young
Currently being treated to a lovely montage of Conference League action from the group stage.
12:01 , Alex Young
Right, we’re back in Nyon.
12:00 , Alex Young
Almost time.
Unseeded teams
11:51 , Alex Young
Ajax
Dinamo Zagreb
Maccabi Haifa
Molde
Olympiacos
Servette
Sturm Graz
Union SG
Seeded teams
11:49 , Alex Young
Aston Villa
Club Brugge
Fenerbahce
Fiorentina
LOSC Lille
Maccabi Tel-Aviv
PAOK
Viktoria Plzen
11:28 , Alex Young
Up next is the Conference League draw.
Draw in full
11:24 , Alex Young
Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague
Sporting vs Atalanta
Freiburg vs West Ham
Benfica vs Rangers
Roma vs Brighton
Marseille vs Villarreal
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool
11:20 , Alex Young
Qarabag vs Bayer Leverkusen
11:20 , Alex Young
AC Milan vs Slavia Prague
11:19 , Alex Young
Sporting vs Atalanta
11:18 , Alex Young
Freiburg vs West Ham
11:17 , Alex Young
Benfica vs Rangers
11:16 , Alex Young
Roma vs Brighton
11:14 , Alex Young
Marseille vs Villarreal
11:13 , Alex Young
Sparta Prague vs Liverpool
11:12 , Alex Young
Right then, it’s time to pick those balls.
11:10 , Alex Young
Just in case you were born yesterday, we are being told how the draw will work.
11:08 , Alex Young
As the final is in Dublin, obviously John O’Shea is on hand to help with today’s draw.
11:07 , Alex Young
Here comes man of the hour UEFA deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti.
11:00 , Alex Young
Moments away from go-time.
10:48 , Alex Young
It’s worth noting before the draw that each of the five British teams cannot be drawn against each other in this round.
Once we hit the quarter-finals, then all bets are off. But they will be separated by the seedings in the last-16 stage.
10:31 , Alex Young
Half an hour until balls are picked from bowls.
🌍 Where are you watching the #UELdraw from? pic.twitter.com/a6hEj0RkSg
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 23, 2024
10:15 , Alex Young
The Conference League draw will follow this, in which Aston Villa are involved. That will start around midday.
How they got here
09:55 , Alex Young
It was an eventful night last night. Here’s a quick recap of what happened.
Benfica beat Toulouse 2-1 on aggregate
Qarabag beat Braga 6-5 on aggregate
Freiburg beat Lens 3-2 on aggregate
AC Milan beat Rennes 5-3 on aggregate
Sporting beat Young Boys 4-2 on aggregate
Sparta Prague beat Galatasaray 6-4 on aggregate
Marseille beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 on aggregate
Roma beat Feyenoord 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw
09:43 , Alex Young
The quarter-finals will be on April 11 and 18, with the semi-finals then slated for May 2 and 9.
The Europa League final is scheduled to take place on May 22 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Dates
09:30 , Alex Young
March 7: Europa League first leg (A) March 7
March 14: Europa League second leg (H)
Unseeded teams
09:23 , Alex Young
...and here’s who they could face.
AC Milan
Benfica
Freiburg
Marseille
Qarabag
Roma
Sparta Prague
Sporting
Seeded teams
09:12 , Alex Young
Here’s who will play the second leg at home.
Atalanta
Brighton
Leverkusen
Liverpool
Rangers
Slavia Prague
Villarreal
West Ham
How can I watch the Europa League last-16 draw?
09:05 , Alex Young
TV channel: In the UK, the draw for the last 16 of the Europa League will be shown live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage starting at 11am GMT.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also watch the draw live online via the Discovery+ app or website.
Welcome
08:56 , Alex Young
Hello and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Europa League last-16 draw.
Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton are all involved and will soon learn who they must beat for a place in the quarter-finals.
The action in Nyon gets underway at 11am UK time, so stick with us.