2025–26 Europa League Round of 16: Dates, Format, Teams

The battle for the Europa League crown is heating up.

The stage is set for the Europa League round of 16. | David Balogh/UEFA/Getty Images

Only 16 teams remain in the fight for the 2025–26 Europa League trophy and an automatic bid to the Champions League next season.

After an action-packed league phase, the top eight teams in Europe’s second-most prestigious club competition booked their places in the round of 16, avoiding the unpredictable knockout phase playoffs.

Those that finished ninth to 24th were not so lucky, and had to fight to keep their Europa League dreams alive. A whirlwind of matches unfolded on the final Thursday in February that had everything from goals to red cards to penalty shootouts as eight victors punched their tickets to the last 16, where the fun truly begins.

Here’s everything you need to know about the next round of the competition.

---

2025–26 Europa League Round of 16: Dates

The Europa League round of 16 is just around the corner. | Mattia Ozbot/UEFA/Getty Images

The Europa League round of 16 kicks off during the second week of March, in the days following the first legs of the Champions League round of 16. The second legs then unfold one week later, just a few days before the first international window of the year.

Here’s when the next round of the competition will take place:

• First Leg: Thursday, Mar. 12
• Second Leg: Thursday, Mar. 19

The full schedule will be revealed in the near future after the round of 16 draw unfolds on Friday, Feb. 27.

---

2025–26 Europa League Round of 16: Format

The fight for the European trophy is down to 16 teams. | Raddad Jebarah/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The burning question of whether clubs from the same national association can face each other in the round of 16 has a simple answer: yes. Teams can also match up with opponents they already faced in the league phase.

Much like the knockout phase playoffs, each tie in the round of 16 consists of two legs, where the higher-seeded team gets the advantage of playing the deciding leg at home. The side with the highest aggregate score come the end of the second leg will punch its ticket to the quarterfinals.

The old away goal no longer applies as a tiebreaker. If a tie is level after 180 minutes across both legs, then extra time and potentially a penalty shootout will determine the team moving on, and the team getting eliminated.

Yellow cards are another thing to keep an eye out for. Suspensions are still very much in play, so players who receive their third yellow card of the tournament will earn a one-game ban. If that booking comes in the second leg of the round of 16, the guilty party will miss the first leg of the quarterfinals—should his team advance.

---

2025–26 Europa League Round of 16: Teams

Aston Villa are one of the favorites to win the Europa League. | Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

With the knockout phase playoffs in the rearview, the last 16 in the fight for the Europa League crown are solidified. Along with the top eight teams that automatically qualified, eight more officially advanced on Thursday.

Take a look at the clubs set to take center stage in the next round of the competition:

• Lyon
• Aston Villa
• Midtjylland
• Real Betis
• FC Porto
• Braga
• Freiburg
• Roma
• Ferencváros
• Stuttgart
• Lille
• Panathinaikos
• Bologna
• Celta Vigo
• Nottingham Forest
• Genk

The teams will find out their matchups for the round of 16 once the draw unfolds on Friday, Feb. 27.

---