The Europa League league phase has concluded, confirming the 24 teams that will advance to the knockout stage of the competition. After a tightly contested set of fixtures across Europe, the final standings determined which clubs earned direct qualification to the round of 16 and which sides must navigate the knockout phase playoffs. The results underline the depth of competition this season, with representation from major leagues alongside strong showings from emerging European sides. Clubs finishing inside the top eight secured an automatic place in the last 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will compete in two legged playoff ties for the remaining spots. Below is the full list of qualified teams, ranked by their final league phase positions.
Direct qualification to the round of 16 was secured by Olympique Lyonnais, who finished top of the table, followed by Aston Villa in second place. FC Midtjylland ended the phase in third, with Real Betis taking fourth. Portuguese sides FC Porto and SC Braga finished fifth and sixth respectively, while SC Freiburg claimed seventh. AS Roma completed the automatic qualifiers in eighth place after a tense final matchday.
The seeded teams entering the knockout phase playoffs are Genk, Bologna, VfB Stuttgart, Ferencvaros, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzen, Red Star Belgrade and Celta Vigo. The unseeded playoff teams are PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Celtic, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb and SK Brann. The knockout phase draw will determine the matchups as the Europa League moves into its decisive stages.
