Europa League last-16 draw: Date, start time, how to follow, Man Utd, Spurs and Rangers to discover opponents

Manchester United, Tottenham and Rangers will soon discover their Europa League last-16 opponents following the conclusion of the knockout play-offs.

When is the Europa League last-16 draw?

The Europa League last-16 draw takes place on Friday February 21 from 12pm – follow the draw live on Sky Sports digital platforms.

The teams who finished in the top eight of the competition’s new league phase table automatically qualified for the last 16. They are Lazio, Athletic Bilbao, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lyon, Olympiakos and Rangers.

They will be joined by the eight winners of the knockout play-offs following Thursday’s second legs.

From the knockout play-offs onwards each team has a set pathway in the tournament, with potential opponents in the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals pre-defined by pairings which are determined by teams’ final league positions.

There will also be a draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals to decide which team will host the first leg and which team will host the return leg.

Who will Man Utd, Spurs and Rangers face in Europa League last-16?

Manchester United (Ranked No 3)

Round of 16: vs Real Sociedad (13th), Galatasaray (14th), AZ Alkmaar (19th), Midtjylland (20th).

Tottenham (Ranked No 4)

Round of 16: vs Real Sociedad (13th), Galatasaray (14th), AZ Alkmaar (19th), Midtjylland (20th).

Rangers (Ranked No 8)

Round of 16: vs Bodo/Glimt (9th), Anderlecht (10th), Twente (23rd) or Fenerbahce (24th).

First legs

Feb 13: Midtjylland 1-2 Real Sociedad
Feb 13: Fenerbahce 3-0 Anderlecht
Feb 13: Ferencvaros 1-0 Viktoria Plzen
Feb 13: Union Saint-Gilloise 0-2 Ajax
Feb 13: AZ Alkmaar 4-1 Galatasaray
Feb 13: Porto 1-1 Roma
Feb 13: Twente 2-1 Bodo/Glimt
Feb 13: PAOK Salonika 1-2 FCSB

Second legs

Feb 20: Bodo/Glmit vs Twente (agg 1-2)
Feb 20: FCSB vs PAOK Salonika (agg 2-1)
Feb 20: Galatasaray vs AZ Alkmaar (agg 1-4)
Feb 20: Roma vs Porto (agg 1-1)
Feb 20: Ajax vs Union Saint-Gilloise (agg 2-0)
Feb 20: Anderlecht vs Fenerbahce (agg 0-3)
Feb 20: Viktoria Plzen vs Ferencvaros (agg 0-1)
Feb 20: Real Sociedad vs Midtjylland (agg 2-1)

How does the Europa League last-16 draw work?

The top eight clubs are paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs: 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 5th and 6th, 7th and 8th.

The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winner of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.

Four bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of each pair of seeded teams placed in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league rankings.

The draw allocates the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7th and 8th and finishing with the teams 1st and 2nd.

One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the bracket. The other seeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket.

When are the Europa League knockout rounds?

• Last-16 games will be played on March 6, with the second legs taking place on March 13.
• The quarter-finals are on April 10, with the return legs on April 17.
• The semi-finals will take place on May 1, with second legs on May 8.
• The final will be played at the Estadio de San Mames in Bilbao, Spain, on May 21.