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Seeding in the Europa League 2025/2026

UEFA European Cup Football
by Bert Kassies

Last update:

If you have any information about data at this page being incorrect, incomplete, or out-of-date, please send a message to bert@kassiesa.net. Qualified clubs are assumed to obtain a UEFA license for European football unless they lost a final appeal at the national Appeals Body.

This page shows the list of seeded and unseeded clubs for draws in the qualifying rounds and the league stage of the Europa League 2025/2026. The UEFA Club Ranking of 2025 determines the seeding of the clubs in the tables below. See Qualification 2025/2026 for a list of qualified clubs, and Access List 2025/2026 for an overview of berths per country. More detailed information may also be found in the official EL regulations (pdf or online).

This seeding list is according to the format of the 2024-27 period. Clubs eliminated in the the Champions League are transferred to the Europa League, and clubs eliminated in the Europa League, are transferred to the Conference League. For details, see the new Access List 2025/2026 and 2024-27 qualifying scheme. The 3rd qualifying round is split into two sections: one for champions and one for non-champions.

Although the regulations no longer require the use of regional groups (as used before 2009), until now UEFA still uses some kind of regionalization in the first qualifying rounds. At first the clubs are divided into seeded and unseeded clubs, and then the seeded and unseeded clubs are split into regional groups. The general approach seems to use the North/Central/South scheme, but no specific rules are known.

EL-Q1: 1st Qualifying Round (18 clubs) 
Unknown (unseeded < 4.800, seeded > 22.500)
------------------------ --- ----------------
CW                       Pol   7.000 - 31.000
CW                       Den   6.796 - 44.875
CW                       Isr   6.325 - 37.500
CW                       Cyp   5.507 - 17.375
CW                       Swe  >5.425 -  7.000
CW                       Cro   5.405 - 56.000
CW                       Srb   5.100 - 22.000
CW                       Ukr   4.880 - 52.000
CW                       Hun   4.800 - 39.000
CW                       Rom   4.650 - 22.500
CW                       Rus   4.526 - 13.000
CW                       Svk   4.250 - 33.500
CW                       Slo   4.068 - 17.375
CW                       Bul   3.975 - 24.000
CW                       Azb   3.925 - 32.000
CW                       Mol   2.900 - 20.000
CW                       Kos   2.408 -  9.000


Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                .
.                                                FK Aktobe                Kaz   3.000

No groups are used for this draw. See last year's UEFA Europa League 1st qualifying round draw for more info.

The draw for the 2nd qualifying round is made before the results of the 1st qualifying rounds are known. Club-pairs of the 1st qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved.

EL-Q2: 2nd Qualifying Round (16 clubs) 
Unknown
------------------------ --- ----------------
N4                       Ned  13.430 - 71.000
N3                       Por  12.453 - 87.750
N3                       Bel  11.370 - 71.750
N3                       Tur   8.780 - 47.250
N3                       Cze   8.820 - 51.000
N3                       Sco   7.110 - 71.250
N3                       Sui   6.725 - 34.500

EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *
EL-Q1 *


Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

Before the draw the club(-pair)s of the 2nd round are divided into groups. See last year's UEFA Europa League 2nd qualifying round draw for more info. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

The draw for the 3rd qualifying round is made before the results of the 2nd qualifying rounds are known. Club-pairs of the 2nd qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved. Club-pairs from the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League are seeded by the lowest ranking of the clubs involved.

EL-Q3: 3rd Qualifying Round (14 clubs) 
Unknown
------------------------ --- ----------------
CW                       Aut   7.290 - 48.000
Fredrikstad FK           Nor  >7.937
CW                       Gre   7.862 - 42.250

CL-Q2nc @2
CL-Q2nc @2
CL-Q2nc @2

EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **
EL-Q2 **


Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

Before the draw the club(-pair)s of the 3rd round are divided into groups. See last year's UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round draw for more info. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

The draw for the 3rd qualifying round is made before the results of the 2nd qualifying rounds are known. Club-pairs are seeded by the lowest ranking of the clubs involved.

EL-Q3ch: 3rd Qualifying Round for Champions (12 clubs) 
Unknown
------------------------ --- ----------------
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2
CL-Q2 @2


Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

Before the draw the club(-pair)s of the 3rd round are divided into groups. See last year's UEFA Europa League 3rd qualifying round draw for more info. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

The draw for the play-off round is made before the results of the 3rd qualifying rounds are known. Club-pairs of the 3rd qualifying round are seeded by the highest ranking of the clubs involved. Club-pairs from the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League are seeded by the lowest ranking of the clubs involved.

EL-PO: Play-off Round (24 clubs) 
Unknown
------------------------ --- ----------------
CW                       Bel  11.370 - 71.750
CW                       Tur   8.780 - 47.250
CW                       Cze   8.820 - 51.000
CW                       Sco   7.110 - 71.250
CW                       Sui   6.725 - 34.500

EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3
EL-Q3 *3

EL-Q3ch @2
EL-Q3ch @2
EL-Q3ch @2
EL-Q3ch @2
EL-Q3ch @2
EL-Q3ch @2

CL-Q3 @3
CL-Q3 @3
CL-Q3 @3
CL-Q3 @3
CL-Q3 @3
CL-Q3 @3


Seeded clubs                   coef.             Unseeded clubs                 coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

Before the draw the 24 club-pairs of the play-off round are divided into 3 groups. See last year's UEFA Europa League play-off round draw for more info. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

The 2024-27 period has a new format for the league stage. All 36 clubs play 8 matches against different opponents in a single league. For the purpose of the draw the clubs are divided into 4 pots according to the club ranking. Each club will be drawn against two opponents from each of the 4 pots, playing one match at home and one match away against them. Clubs from the same country will not be drawn against each other in the league phase and each team plays at most against a maximum of two opponents from any other country (providing a deadlock in the draw can be avoided).

EL-LS: League Stage (36 clubs) 
Unknown
------------------------ --- ----------------
CW                       Eng >22.510 -137.750
N6                       Eng >22.510 >102.500
CW                       Ita >19.308 >111.750
N5                       Ita >19.308 -104.500
CW                       Esp >18.762 -143.500
N6                       Esp >18.762 - 93.500
CW                       Ger  17.266 -106.750
N5                       Ger  17.266 - 78.000
CW                       Fra >14.404 - 66.000
N5                       Fra >14.404 - 48.000
CW                       Ned  13.430 - 71.000
CW                       Por  12.453 - 87.750

EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4
EL-PO *4

CL-PO @4
CL-PO @4
CL-PO @4
CL-PO @4
CL-PO @4

CL-POnc @4
CL-POnc @4

CL-Q3nc @3
CL-Q3nc @3
CL-Q3nc @3
CL-Q3nc @3

CO-TH


Pot 1                          coef.             Pot 2                          coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

Pot 3                          coef.             Pot 4                          coef.
------------------------ --- ----------------    ------------------------ --- ----------------
.

The top 8 clubs of the league stage qualify directly for the round of 16, while the clubs at rank 9 to 24 go to the play-off round of the knockout stage. The clubs that finish at rank 25 to 36 are eliminated. In the knockout stage there is no country protection.

The draw for the knockout stage play-offs is made by pairs of clubs based on the ranking in the league stage. Clubs of each pair go to different sides of the schedule and can not meet again before the final. Clubs at rank 9 to 16 in the league stage are seeded in the knockout stage play-offs and play the second leg at home.

EL-KO: Knockout stage play-offs (16 clubs) 
      EL league stage 17-24                 EL league stage 9-16
      ------------------------ ---          ------------------------ ---
17/18                              vs 16/15
23/24                              vs  9/10
21/22                              vs 12/11
19/20                              vs 14/13
20/19                              vs 13/14
22/21                              vs 11/12
24/23                              vs 10/9
18/17                              vs 15/16

The draw for the round of 16 is also made by pairs of clubs based on the ranking in the league stage and the result of the knockout stage play-offs. Clubs of each pair go to different sides of the schedule and can not meet again before the final (see the knockout stage schedule below). Clubs at rank 1 to 8 in the league stage are seeded in the round of 16 and play the second leg at home.

Europa League knockout stage
Final
Semi Final 1
Quarter Final 1
EL-KO (17/18 - 15/16)
EL-LS (1/2)
EL-KO (23/24 - 9/10)
EL-LS (8/7)
Quarter Final 2
EL-KO (21/22 - 11/12)
EL-LS (5/6)
EL-KO (19/20 - 13/14)
EL-LS (4/3)
Semi Final 2
Quarter Final 3
EL-KO (20/19 - 14/13)
EL-LS (3/4)
EL-KO (22/21 - 12/11)
EL-LS (6/5)
Quarter Final 4
EL-KO (24/23 - 10/9)
EL-LS (7/8)
EL-KO (18/17 - 16/15)
EL-LS (2/1)

KEY:

*=club started in 1st qualifying round
**=club started in 2nd qualifying round
*3=club started in 3rd qualifying round
*4=club started in play-off round
CL=Champions League
EL=Europa League
CO=Conference League
LS=League Stage
KO=Knockout stage play-offs
PO=Qualifying Play-off Round
Qx=Qualifying Round

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