Europa League 2026/27 draw: results, pots and Ararat-Armenia’s opponents

The draw for the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League will take place on Friday, 28 August. The ceremony will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco and will begin at 13:00 Central European time (15:00 in Yerevan). A total of 36 clubs will take part in the draw, divided into four pots of nine teams each.

Europa League draw live stream

The draw will be historic for Armenian football. Ararat-Armenia will become the first club to represent Armenia in the main stage of the Europa League. The Yerevan club reached the league phase after defeating Romanian side Universitatea Craiova 2-1 on aggregate and was placed in Pot 4.

This page features the results of the 2026/27 Europa League draw. The article is updated as the ceremony unfolds.

Ararat-Armenia’s opponents in the 2026/27 Europa League

Following the draw, Ararat-Armenia will have eight opponents — two teams from each of the four pots. The Armenian club will play four matches at home and four away.

Ararat-Armenia's home opponents:
— AZ Alkmaar
— Sparta Prague
— Celje
— NEC Nijmegen

Ararat-Armenia's away opponents:
— Milan
— Salzburg
— Jagiellonia
— Torreense

2026/27 Europa League draw results

Each of the 36 teams will be assigned eight opponents — two from each pot. A team will face one club from each pot at home and the other away. As a result, every participant will play four home matches and four away matches.

How the Europa League draw works

The draw for the Europa League league phase is conducted entirely in a digital format using an automated system. Unlike the Champions League draw, where a club’s name is initially selected manually, in the Europa League both the selection of the team and the assignment of its opponents are carried out by software.

The system randomly selects a team from Pot 1 and then assigns it eight opponents — two from each pot — while immediately determining which matches it will play at home and which will be away.

The procedure is then repeated for the remaining teams in Pot 1, followed by the clubs in Pots 2, 3 and 4. The results are announced sequentially, beginning with Pot 1. The entire digital process is verified by an independent external auditor.

What restrictions apply to the draw

Clubs from the same national association cannot face each other in the league phase. In addition, a team can be drawn against no more than two opponents from the same foreign association.

UEFA has also introduced a rule concerning repeated matchups: the same pair of clubs should not play at the same team’s home ground for three consecutive seasons. The clubs may, however, meet again if the other team is the host.

When the 2026/27 Europa League matches will be played

A total of 144 matches will be played in the Europa League league phase — 18 fixtures in each of the eight matchdays.

Matchdays:

• Matchday 1: 16–17 September 2026
• Matchday 2: 15 October
• Matchday 3: 22 October
• Matchday 4: 5 November
• Matchday 5: 26 November
• Matchday 6: 10 December
• Matchday 7: 21 January 2027
• Matchday 8: 28 January 2027

UEFA will publish the full league-phase schedule, including the dates and kick-off times of individual matches, no later than Sunday, 30 August.