Europa League draw confirmed as Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa learn road to the final
The Europa League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw has been completed,
Following the Champions League draw, UEFA completed the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final on Friday afternoon at their headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
With the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Lyon and Roma still in the competition, there was significant interest in the draw, with thousands of fans tuning in across multiple platforms.
Due to the seeding and pairing system in place for the draw, all 16 teams remaining in the competition knew before the draw that they would be facing one of two potential clubs in the round of 16.
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But following the draw, each club now knows exactly who they will be playing next and what their potential road to the Europa League final will look like.
After finishing second in the league phase, Aston Villa were one of the eight seeded teams that secured their spot in the round of 16 without having to compete in the play-offs.
Because of this, the club knew going into the draw that they would face either Celta/Lille depending on if they were drawn on the silver or the orange side of the draw.
Meanwhile Nottingham Forest, who beat Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in their play-off tie, already knew that they would be on the orange side of the draw, with either Real Betis or Danish club Midtjylland their round of 16 opponents.
Now, the draw has been completed, Forest, meanwhile, have discovered that it is FC Midtjylland that they will play in a rematch of their group stage match in October, which the Danish side won 3-2.
Meanwhile, Roma face Bologna in an all-Italian tie on the orange side of the bracket.
Aston Villa were drawn agaisnt Lille, meaning that top seed Lyon, who finished atop the table in the league phase, will play Celta Viga, ensuring that they cannot face Villa unless the two sides make it to the Europa League final.
Unai Emery's side remain one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season, but will face a tough road if they are to do so, with a quarter-final against Italian opponents in either Bologna or Roma to follow their game with Lille.
Should they make it to a semi-final, Villa could then face fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest or one of Stuttgart, Porto or FC Midtjylland.
2025/26 Europa League last 16 draw in full
Genk vs SC Freiburg
Roma vs Bologna
Ferencvaros vs Braga
Stuttgart vs Porto
Panathinaikos vs Real Betis
Nottingham Forest vs FC Midtjylland
Celta Vigo vs Lyon
Lille vs Aston Villa
2025/26 Europa League quarter-final draw in full
Ferencvaros/Braga v Panathinaikos/ Real Betis
Genk/SC Freiburg v Celta Vigo/Lyon
Stuttgart/Porto v Nottingham Forest/FC Midtjylland
Bologna/Roma v Lille/Aston Villa
2025/26 Europa League semi-final draw in full
Ferencvaros/Braga/ Panathinaikos/ Real Betis v Genk/SC Freiburg/Celta Vigo/Lyon
Stuttgart/Porto/Nottingham Forest/FC Midtjylland v Bologna/Roma/Lille/Aston Villa
When do the Europa League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals take place?
The dates for the remainder of the knockout phase are as follows:
Round of 16: 12 & 19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026
Final: 20 May 2026 (Istanbul)
Topics: Europa League, Football, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, UEFA
Ben McCrum