When is the Europa League Round of 16 draw? Date, venue, format ...

The UEFA Europa League is reaching its business end, after a long qualification and group stage process.

It's almost at the point of the competition where teams who finished third in their Champions League groups drop into the Europa League – increasing the quality for the knockout rounds.

With the likes of Liverpool, Roma, Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham already well placed to qualify from the group stage, the competition really is hotting up.

The Sporting News provides information on the Round of 16, how the draw works and the Europa League knockout round playoffs that come before it.

MORE: Champions League Round of 16 draw details plus how to watch

When is the Europa League Round of 16 draw?

With 32 teams competing in the Europa League knockout stages and only the winners getting an automatic passage to the Round of 16, that leaves eight places up for grabs.

Those eight places will be contested in the knockout round playoffs, so that means the actual Round of 16 draw does not take place until Friday, February 23, 2024. The draw will be done at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland at 12 noon CET.

Here's how that draw time translates into some of the world's major territories:

  Date Kickoff time USA Fri, Feb. 23 6 a.m. ET Canada Fri, Feb. 23 6 a.m. ET UK Fri, Feb. 23 11 a.m. GMT Australia Fri, Feb. 23 10 p.m. AEST India Fri, Feb. 23 4:30 p.m. IST Hong Kong Fri, Feb. 23 7 p.m. HKT Malaysia Fri, Feb. 23 7 p.m. MYT Singapore Fri, Feb. 23 7 p.m. SGT New Zealand Sat, Feb. 24 12 a.m. NZSTEuropa League knockout round playoff draw details

The Europa League playoffs involve eight seeded teams (the eight group runners-up) taking on eight unseeded teams (the third-place group finishers from the Champions League). It works as a Round of 32, of sorts.

The draw for the Europa League knockout round playoff takes place on Monday, December 18, also at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, starting at 1 p.m. CET.

UEFA say they will release seedings and details about the procedure on their website on the morning of the draw.

Just three unbeaten sides remain...#UEL pic.twitter.com/xHLAPJ673d

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 28, 2023Qualified teams for the Europa League Round of 16

As of Tuesday, November 28, the following teams have booked their places in the Round of 16:

Team Date progressed Group Atalanta Nov. 9 Group D Bayer Leverkusen Nov. 9 Group H

As it stands the following teams are in third place in their Champions League and will contest the knockout round playoffs:

Galatasaray, Lens, Braga, RB Salzburg, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Red Star Belgrade, Shakhtar Donestk.