When is Europa League draw? Start time, FREE live stream, TV pots, format as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest enter hat.

Europa League 2025/26: Another intrigue before the draw

According to The Sun: This year promises to be full of surprises in the group stage of the Europa League 2025/26, and everything will start with an exciting draw.

Tottenham has ended its 17-year drought by winning the Europa League against its traditional Premier League rival, Manchester United.

AFPTottenham won last season's Europa League

Thus, the 'Spurs' received automatic qualification to the Champions League, opening the way for two more English teams to join the fray.

Aston Villa will be among the participants in the group stage, finishing the season in sixth place in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest replaced Crystal Palace, which dropped out of European competition.

Crystal Palace initially earned the right to play in the Europa League by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, but lost that spot due to UEFA's multi-club ownership rules.

Eagle Football Holdings, owned by John Textor, has stakes in both clubs, and UEFA rules prohibit clubs owned by the same individual from competing in the same European tournament.

Two English clubs hope to repeat the success of the 'Spurs' and bring the Europa League back to England.

Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers will also play in the Europa League next season after disappointing performances in the Champions League qualifiers.

But first - the group stage. SunSport has prepared important details ahead of the draw.

When will the Europa League draw take place?

• The draw for the group stage of the Europa League 2025/26 will take place on Friday, August 29.
• It is scheduled for 12:00 BST.
• The draw will take place at Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
• The Europa League draw will coincide with the Conference League draw, which will combine both events into one show.

How to watch the Europa League draw for FREE and will there be a live stream?

• The draw for the Europa League 2025/26 will be broadcast live on UEFA.com.
• TNT Sports 1 will also show the draw on regular television.
• The broadcaster will offer a FREE stream on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
• Alternatively, all confirmed matches will be available to watch on the live blog of SunSport.

What is the format of the Europa League?

The group stage will follow the same format as last year, when a new format was introduced.

36 participants will be divided into four pots based on their European rankings. All teams will be selected manually using physical balls, and then automated software will determine the eight opponents.

Each team will play against two clubs from each pot: one match at home, the other away.

Clubs from the same country cannot play against each other, and during the group stage, only two teams from the same country can compete.

The draw will begin with Pot 1, teams will be assigned opponents one by one until the fate of all participants is determined.

Teams and pots for the Europa League draw

The team composition and pots are not confirmed until the qualification matches are completed.

Europa League group stage dates

The first matches of the Europa League group stage will take place on September 24 and 25.

• Matchday 1: September 24-25, 2025
• Matchday 2: October 2, 2025
• Matchday 3: October 23, 2025
• Matchday 4: November 6, 2025
• Matchday 5: November 27, 2025
• Matchday 6: December 11, 2025
• Matchday 7: January 22, 2026
• Matchday 8: January 29, 2026

Soon, the draw will take place, determining the fates of the teams in the group stage of the Europa League. English clubs hope to repeat Tottenham's success and win the prestigious trophy. With each passing year, the competition becomes more exciting, and fans eagerly await new football battles.