Europa League Round of 16: when is the draw? Key dates and how to watch on UK TV as Liverpool await fate

The final group stage fixtures of the Europa League competition take place later today, Thursday 22 February, but for three Premier League clubs, they have already sealed their fate.

Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham have all secured passage to the last 16 of the tournament and will soon find out who they will need to beat to reach the last eight. The Irons, who won the Europa Conference League, topped their group, winning five of their six fixtures. Similarly, Brighton topped Group B, knocking out Ajax and AEK Athens while Liverpool finished first, knocking out Union Saint-Gilloise and LASK from the competition.

Ahead of the final fixtures, here is all you need to know about when the draw for the last 16 will take place...

When is the Europa League draw?

The 2023/24 UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw will be held on Friday 23 February at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, at 11am UK time.

The draw takes place shortly after the knockout round playoffs which take place tonight with the likes of AC Milan, Roma, Marseille and 2009 winners Shakhtar Donetsk all fighting to progress

How to watch the Europa League draw

The Europa League round of 16 draw will be available for fans to watch live on the UEFA website. 

How does the Europa League draw work?

The draw features 16 teams. The eight group stage winners from the Europa League group stage are seeded, and will face the knockout round play-off winners, who will be confirmed on 22 February.

The knockout round play-offs features a combination of the Europa League group stage runners-up and the team’s who finished third in their Europa League group such as AC Milan, Galatasaray, Benfica & more.

Countries from the same league are unable to face each other at this stage, meaning we will not see West Ham take on Liverpool or Brighton. One team could, however, face Rangers from the Scottish Premiership.

When is the Europa League round of 16?

The first legs of the Europa League are scheduled for 7 March, with the second legs a week later on 14 March. Ties take place over two legs, with the group winners at home in the second legs.

Ties level after 180 minutes will go to extra time irrespective of the number of goals each team has scored at home and away. If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, the tie goes to a penalty shoot-out.

The grand final of the Europa League takes place on Wednesday 22 May and will be played at the Dublin Arena with kick-off set for 9pm.

Who is in round of 16?

These are the seeded teams:

• Atalanta (Italy)
• Brighton (England)
• Leverkusen (Germany)
• Liverpool (England)
• Rangers (Scotland)
• Slavia Praha (Czech Republic)
• Villarreal (Spain)
• West Ham (England)

Unseeded teams:

• Freiburg (Germany) or Lens (France)
• Rennes (France) or AC Milan (Italy)
• Toulouse (France) or Benfica (Portugal)
• Qarabag (Azerbaijan) or Braga (Portugal)
• Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) or Galatasaray (Turkey)
• Sporting (Portugal) or Young Boys (Switzerland).