The League Phase of the 2025-26 Europa League concluded this Thursday and defined the positions that will allow the teams to advance to the next stage of the European continental tournament.
The draw for the Europa League Playoffs will be tomorrow, at 7 in the morning in Nyon, Switzerland, where Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahce) and Julián Araujo (Celtic) will meet their rivals for the next direct elimination phase.
In this instance, the format places the teams from ninth to 24th place in Round-trip matches with the aim of advancing to the Eighth.
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Álvarez and Araujo await a rival who will define the fate of their clubs in this phase, scheduled to begin on February 19 with the First Leg and the Return on February 26.
Fenerbahce: draw that is enough to advance
Fenerbahce, with Edson Álvarez As a recurring player in the Turkish squad, he managed to secure his place in the playoff after finishing the group stage in a position that places him among the non-seeded teams.
In their last match, the team drew 1-1 with Steaua Bucharest (FCSB) on the final day of the League Phase and thus secured their place in the next round.
Although the Mexican was not a starter in that match, Edson Álvarez recently had minutes again in the Europa League, entering the field in the 72nd minute in a previous match against Aston Villa.
Celtic: comprehensive victory with Araujo in the squad
For its part, Celtic Julian Araujo sealed their passage to the Playoffs with a solid 4-2 victory over Utrecht on the final day.
Under the direction of Martin O’Neill, the Scots showed greater offensive force to reinforce their place among the 24 teams that will compete in the new section of the tournament.
Araujo, still without playing minutes in the Europa League this season, is on Celtic’s list for this decisive stage in which they will seek to advance to the round of 16.
Main results of the day
The final day of the League Phase offered other results that changed positions and defined classifications:
Nottingham Forest comfortably advanced to the playoff after a 4-0 victory against Ferencvaros.
Real Betis secured one of the eight best places and advanced directly to the Round of 16.
Aston Villa came back and moved to the top of the table with a 3-2 win over Salzburg.
Olympique Lyonnais closed as leader of the group stage after beating PAOK 4-2.
Teams like Brann and Midtjylland also secured their ticket to the next round.
