The draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League knockout play-off round has been confirmed, setting up the ties that will decide which teams advance to the round of 16. The standout fixture is a clash between English side Nottingham Forest and Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Both Forest and Fenerbahce struggled in the league phase, finishing outside the top eight in their groups. Now, only one of these historic clubs will progress to the next stage in what promises to be one of the most intriguing two-legged ties of the play-offs.

Forest manager Sean Dyche’s team isn’t the only British side to face a stern challenge, with Celtic drawn against one of Germany’s strongest teams, Stuttgart.

In all February fixtures, the higher-seeded team will host the second leg at home. Exact kick-off times and dates will be announced later on Friday.

Knockout Play-Off Round Draw (seedings in brackets):

• Genk (9) vs Dinamo Zagreb (23)
• Bologna (10) vs Brann (24)
• Stuttgart (11) vs Celtic (21)
• Ferencvaros (12) vs Ludogorets (22)
• Nottingham Forest (13) vs Fenerbahce (19)
• Viktoria Plzen (14) vs Panathinaikos (20)
• Crvena zvezda (15) vs Lille (18)
• Celta Vigo (16) vs PAOK

Schedule for the Knockout Play-Offs

• First legs: February 19th
• Second legs: February 26th

The eight winners will move on to the round of 16, where they will face the teams that finished first to eighth in the league phase. These top-ranked sides, in order, are: Lyon (FRA), Aston Villa (ENG), Midtjylland (DEN), Betis (ESP), FC Porto (POR), Braga (POR), Freiburg (GER), and AS Roma (ITA).

The draw for the round of 16, which will also reveal the remaining bracket, is scheduled for Friday, February 27th, after the knockout play-off second legs. The round of 16 will kick off on March 12th.