Matchdays
Unlike the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League matches will be played on Thursdays. The only exception to this will be Matchday 1, which will be played across Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 September. Kick-off times are 18:45 and 21:00 CEST.
Possible opponents
In addition to VfB, nine other teams have already qualified directly for the league phase: Freiburg (fifth place in the Bundesliga), Crystal Palace (English FA Cup winners), Real Betis Seville (sixth place in the Spanish league), Celta Vigo (seventh place in the Spanish league), Bologna (Italian Cup winners), Lille (fifth place in the French league), Olympique Lyonnais (sixth place in the French league), Go Ahead Eagles (Dutch KNVB Cup winners) and Porto (third place in the Portuguese league).
Key dates at a glance:
2025/26 Europa League draws
League phase: 29 August 2025
Knockout phase play-offs: 30 January 2026
Round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final: 27 February 2026
2025/26 Europa League league phase matches
Matchday 1: 24 & 25 September 2025
Matchday 2: 2 October 2025
Matchday 3: 23 October 2025
Matchday 4: 6 November 2025
Matchday 5: 27 November 2025
Matchday 6: 11 December 2025
Matchday 7: 22 January 2026
Matchday 8: 29 January 2026
2025/26 Europa League knockout phase
Knockout phase play-offs: 19 & 26 February 2026
Round of 16: 12 & 19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026
Final: 20 May 2026 (Istanbul)