2024–25 UEFA Europa League knockout phase
Europe premier club football tournament
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The 2024–25 UEFA Europa League knockout phase began on 13 February with the knockout phase play-offs and ended on 21 May 2025 with the final at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, to decide the champions of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.[1] A total of 24 teams competed in the knockout phase, with 16 entering in the play-offs and 8 receiving a bye to the round of 16.[2]
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Qualified teams
The knockout phase involved the top 24 teams that qualified from the league phase. The top 8 teams received a bye to the round of 16, while teams finishing in positions 9 to 24 entered the knockout phase play-offs.
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Lazio |
| 2 |  Athletic Bilbao |
| 3 |  Manchester United |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 5 |  Eintracht Frankfurt |
| 6 |  Lyon |
| 7 |  Olympiacos |
| 8 |  Rangers |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 9 |  Bodø/Glimt |
| 10 |  Anderlecht |
| 11 |  FCSB |
| 12 |  Ajax |
| 13 | Real Sociedad |
| 14 |  Galatasaray |
| 15 | Roma |
| 16 |  Viktoria Plzeň |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 17 |  Ferencváros |
| 18 |  Porto |
| 19 | AZ |
| 20 |  Midtjylland |
| 21 | Union Saint-Gilloise |
| 22 | PAOK |
| 23 | Twente |
| 24 | Fenerbahçe |
Format
Each tie in the knockout phase, apart from the final, was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, then 30 minutes of extra time was played (the away goals rule was not applied). If the score was still level at the end of extra time, the winners were decided by a penalty shoot-out. In the final, which was played as a single match, if the score was level at the end of normal time, extra time would be played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if the score was still level.[2]
Draw procedure
In the knockout phase, there was no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams could also face opponents they played during the league phase.
The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:[2]
- In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 were seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 were unseeded. The draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
- In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 were seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs were unseeded. Again, the draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
- In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the exact match pairings were predetermined based on the tournament bracket. A draw was conducted only to determine which team played the first leg at home. The winner of semi-final 1 was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).
In the knockout phase, teams from the same or nearby cities were not scheduled to play at home on the same day or on consecutive days, due to logistics and crowd control.[2]: Art. 24.02 To avoid such scheduling conflict, several adjustments were made: For the knockout phase play-offs and the round of 16, if the two teams were drawn to play at home for the same leg, the home match of the team that had the lower league phase ranking was moved from Thursday from a regularly scheduled time to an earlier time slot, to a different day, and/or at an alternative venue without clashing any other competition. For the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the order of legs of the tie involving the team with the lowest priority was reversed from the original draw.[3][4]
Predetermined pairings
The bracket structure for the knockout phase was partially fixed in advance using seeding, with a symmetrical pattern on both sides.[2] Teams' positions in the bracket were determined by their final standings in the league phase, ensuring that higher-ranked teams face lower-ranked opponents in earlier rounds. As a result, certain sets of teams, such as the top two from the league phase, could not meet until the final.
The structure of each side of the bracket can be summarised as follows, with the exact pairings of the play-offs and round of 16 determined by a draw:[note 2]
- Knockout phase play-offs
- Pairing I: 9/10 vs 23/24
- Pairing II: 11/12 vs 21/22
- Pairing III: 13/14 vs 19/20
- Pairing IV: 15/16 vs 17/18
- Round of 16
- Pairing A: 1/2 vs Winner IV
- Pairing B: 3/4 vs Winner III
- Pairing C: 5/6 vs Winner II
- Pairing D: 7/8 vs Winner I
- Quarter-finals
- Pairing 1: Winner A vs Winner D
- Pairing 2: Winner B vs Winner C
- Semi-finals: Winner 1 vs Winner 2
Schedule
The schedule was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[1]
| Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knockout phase play-offs | 31 January 2025, 13:00 CET | 13 February 2025 | 20 February 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 21 February 2025, 13:00 CET | 6 March 2025 | 13 March 2025 |
| Quarter-finals | 10 April 2025 | 17 April 2025 | |
| Semi-finals | 1 May 2025 | 8 May 2025 | |
| Final | N/a | 21 May 2025 at San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao | |
Bracket
| Knockout phase play-offs | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | AZ | 4 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Galatasaray | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19 | AZ | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Ajax (a.e.t.) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | Ajax | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | Twente | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Bodø/Glimt | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Bodø/Glimt (a.e.t.) | 1 | 5 | 6 | 9 | Bodø/Glimt | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Olympiacos | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Bodø/Glimt (p) | 2 | 1 | 3 (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Ferencváros | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Lazio | 0 | 3 | 3 (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Viktoria Plzeň | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | Viktoria Plzeň | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 May – Bilbao | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Lazio | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Fenerbahçe | 3 | 2 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Manchester United | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Anderlecht | 0 | 2 | 2 | 24 | Fenerbahçe | 1 | 2 | 3 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Rangers (p) | 3 | 0 | 3 (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Porto | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Roma | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | Roma | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | PAOK | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Manchester United | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | FCSB | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 | FCSB | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Lyon | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Lyon | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Midtjylland | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Manchester United (a.e.t.) | 2 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Real Sociedad | 2 | 5 | 7 | 13 | Real Sociedad | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Manchester United | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Knockout phase play-offs
The draw for the knockout phase play-offs was held on 31 January 2025, 13:00 CET.[5][6]
Seeding
The draw was split into four seeded and four unseeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase. Teams were allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 9 to 16 were seeded (playing the second legs at home), while teams in positions 17 to 24 were unseeded. The draw began with the unseeded teams, allocating them all to a tie. Once completed, all the seeded teams were drawn into a tie as their opponents.[7]
| 9/10 vs 23/24 | 11/12 vs 21/22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
| 13/14 vs 19/20 | 15/16 vs 17/18 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Unseeded | Seeded | Unseeded |
Summary
The first legs were played on 13 February, and the second legs were played on 20 February 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferencváros | 1–3 | Viktoria Plzeň | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Twente | 4–6 | Bodø/Glimt | 2–1 | 2–5 (a.e.t.) |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 2–3 | Ajax | 0–2 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
| AZ | 6–3 | Galatasaray | 4–1 | 2–2 |
| Porto | 3–4 | Roma | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Fenerbahçe | 5–2 | Anderlecht | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| PAOK | 1–4 | FCSB | 1–2 | 0–2 |
| Midtjylland | 3–7 | Real Sociedad | 1–2 | 2–5 |
Matches
| Ferencváros | 1–0 | Viktoria Plzeň |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Viktoria Plzeň won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Twente | 2–1 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Bodø/Glimt won 6–4 on aggregate.
Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.
AZ won 6–3 on aggregate.
Roma won 4–3 on aggregate.
Fenerbahçe won 5–2 on aggregate.
FCSB won 4–1 on aggregate.
| Midtjylland | 1–2 | Real Sociedad |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Real Sociedad won 7–3 on aggregate.
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 21 February 2025, 13:00 CET.[24]
Seeding
As the bracket was fixed, the draw contained only four seeded pots, based on the predetermined pairings for the knockout phase, with the top-eight teams allocated based on their final position in the league phase. Teams in positions 1 to 8 were seeded (playing the second legs at home), while the bracket positions of the winners of the knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) were predetermined. The top-eight teams were drawn into the bracket against one of their two possible opponents.[25]
| 1/2 vs 15/16/17/18 | 3/4 vs 13/14/19/20 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Predetermined | Seeded | Predetermined |
| 5/6 vs 11/12/21/22 | 7/8 vs 9/10/23/24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeded | Predetermined | Seeded | Predetermined |
Summary
The first legs were played on 6 March, and the second legs were played on 13 March 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2–3 | Lazio | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Bodø/Glimt | 4–2 | Olympiacos | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Ajax | 2–6 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1–2 | 1–4 |
| AZ | 2–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Roma | 3–4 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–1 | 1–3 |
| Fenerbahçe | 3–3 (2–3 p) | Rangers | 1–3 | 2–0 (a.e.t.) |
| FCSB | 1–7 | Lyon | 1–3 | 0–4 |
| Real Sociedad | 2–5 | Manchester United | 1–1 | 1–4 |
Matches
Lazio won 3–2 on aggregate.
Bodø/Glimt won 4–2 on aggregate.
Eintracht Frankfurt won 6–2 on aggregate.
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–1 | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Tottenham Hotspur won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Roma | 2–1 | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Athletic Bilbao | 3–1 | Roma |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Athletic Bilbao won 4–3 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate; Rangers won 3–2 on penalties.
| Lyon | 4–0 | FCSB |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Lyon won 7–1 on aggregate.
| Real Sociedad | 1–1 | Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Manchester United won 5–2 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
The draw for the order of the quarter-final legs was held on 21 February 2025, 13:00 CET, after the round of 16 draw.[24]
Summary
The first legs were played on 10 April, and the second legs were played on 17 April 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodø/Glimt | 3–3 (3–2 p) | Lazio | 2–0 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Rangers | 0–2 | Athletic Bilbao | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Lyon | 6–7 | Manchester United | 2–2 | 4–5 (a.e.t.) |
Matches
| Bodø/Glimt | 2–0 | Lazio |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
3–3 on aggregate; Bodø/Glimt won 3–2 on penalties.
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Tottenham Hotspur won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Athletic Bilbao | 2–0 | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Athletic Bilbao won 2–0 on aggregate.
Manchester United won 7–6 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
The draw for the order of the semi-final legs was held on 21 February 2025, 13:00 CET, after the round of 16 and quarter-final draws.[24]
Summary
The first legs were played on 1 May, and the second legs were played on 8 May 2025.
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5–1 | Bodø/Glimt | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 1–7 | Manchester United | 0–3 | 1–4 |
Matches
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3–1 | Bodø/Glimt |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Tottenham Hotspur won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Manchester United | 4–1 | Athletic Bilbao |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Manchester United won 7–1 on aggregate.
Final
The final was played on 21 May 2025 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. The winner of semi-final 1 was designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.
Notes
- The draws determined the exact play-off and round of 16 pairings for each side of the bracket, which mirrored each other. For example, if the team in 9th was drawn against 23rd in the play-offs, the team in 10th would be drawn against 24th on the other side of the bracket.
- Union Saint-Gilloise played their home match at King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, instead of their regular stadium, Joseph Marien Stadium, Brussels, which did not meet UEFA requirements.