Monaco: Turkish side Besiktas will face Marseille, Leverkusen, and Crystal Palace in the UEFA Europa League as the draw for the main round was held in Monaco. Besiktas, the sole representative of Turkey in the competition, is set for an intense group stage.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Besiktas will host Olympique Marseille from France, Saint-Gilloise from Belgium, and Crystal Palace from England, while traveling to face Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim in Germany, Celtic in Scotland, and Omonia in Cyprus. The draw has produced several highly anticipated matches, including Bayer Leverkusen against Olympique Marseille and Lyon, and Salzburg against Besiktas.
Other notable fixtures include Benfica from Portugal facing AC Milan from Italy, Celtic, and AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands, while Juventus will play Real Sociedad, Rennes, AZ Alkmaar, Celta Vigo, NEC Nijmegen, and Ferencv¡ros. AC Milan will face Benfica, Olympiacos, Salzburg, Sunderland, and Bournemouth, while Olympique Lyonnais will play Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad, and Crystal Palace.
Marseille is set to compete against Olympiacos, Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Celta Vigo, and Besiktas, whereas Real Sociedad will take on Lyon, Juventus, Bournemouth, and Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace, the reigning Europa League champions, will face Real Sociedad, Lyon, Hoffenheim, and Besiktas.
AZ Alkmaar is scheduled to meet Juventus, Benfica, and Sunderland, while Olympiacos will play AC Milan, Marseille, and Hoffenheim. The competition, under its new format, features 36 teams playing eight matches each, with the top eight teams advancing directly to the Round of 16, and the teams ranked 9th through 24th competing in play-offs. The bottom 12 teams will be eliminated.
The 2026-2027 Europa League final is slated to take place at the Frankfurt Stadium in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 26th of next year. Meanwhile, in the Europa League, Turkish side Trabzonspor has been drawn against Freiburg, Red Star Belgrade, Hearts, KuPS, Jablonec, and CSKA Sofia, with the competition using a league format of 36 clubs divided into six pots based on UEFA coefficient ranking.