Europa League draw: Who Celtic and Rangers can play, what channel it is on and start time
Full details ahead of Europa League main phase draw involving Celtic and Rangers
Celtic and Rangers will discover their Europa League opponents on Friday when the draw is made for the main phase.
Both Old Firm clubs dropped into the second tier of UEFA football after losing Champions League play-offs earlier in the week. Celtic were beaten by Kairat Almaty on Tuesday, while Rangers lost 24 hours later against Club Brugge.
While both sides were disappointed to crash out of Europe’s premier event, they still have continental football to look forward to until the end of January. We take a look at what awaits them:
When is the Europa League draw?
The Europa League draw takes place on Friday, August 29. It is due to commence at noon BST.
What channel is the Europa League draw on?
The Europa League draw will be screened live on TNT Sports.
Europa League live stream
The Europa League draw will be broadcast on the UEFA website.
How does the Europa League work?
There are 36 teams in the Europa League. They are split into four pots of eight and then each respective side will play two opponents from each pot, making it eight games in total. There will be four home games and four away games.
Can Celtic and Rangers play each other?
No. Country protection exists in the Europa League.
When are the Europa League main-phase match dates?
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.
What are the Europa League pots?
Pot 1: Roma (ITA), Porto (POR), Rangers (SCO), Feyenoord (NED), Lille (FRA), GNK Dinamo (CRO), Real Betis (ESP), Salzburg (AUT), Aston Villa (ENG).
Pot 2: Fenerbahçe (TUR), Braga (POR), Crvena Zvezda (SRB), Lyon (FRA), PAOK (GRE), Viktoria Plzeň (CZE), Ferencváros (HUN), Celtic (SCO), Maccabi Tel-Aviv (ISR).
Pot 3: Young Boys (SUI), Basel (SUI), Midtjylland (DEN), Freiburg (GER), Ludogorets (BUL), Nottingham Forest (ENG), Sturm Graz (AUT), FCSB (ROU), Nice (FRA).
Pot 4: Bologna (ITA), Celta (ESP), Stuttgart (GER), Panathinaikos (GRE), Malmö (SWE), Go Ahead Eagles (NED), Utrecht (NED), Genk (BEL), Brann (NOR).
When are the fixtures confirmed?
UEFA say the full match schedule will be confirmed by close of play on Sunday, August 31.
When is the Europa League final?
The final takes place on May 20 in Istanbul.
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