Europa League: 11 teams fighting for last five knockout spots

By Canadian Press on January 29, 2026.

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Six direct places in the Europa League round of 16 are up for grabs and 11 teams remain in contention for the five last spots in the knockout stage in the final round of the opening phase on Thursday.

Only leader Lyon and second-placed Aston Villa have already qualified for the last 16. They are tied on points atop the standings with six wins and a loss.

Like in the Champions League, all 36 teams play in the last 18 games that kick off simultaneously, and the top eight finishers advance automatically after eight rounds.

The teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-leg playoff.

Lyon hosts PAOK while Villa meets Salzburg at home.

Third-placed Freiburg, which trails the leaders by a point, travels to 21st-placed Lille and a point would be enough for the Bundesliga team to advance.

Roma in sixth is away at Panathinaikos in 19th. Sixteenth-placed Nottingham Forest plays seventh-placed Ferencváros at City Ground.

Celtic sits in the 24th and last qualifying place and needs a win against Utrecht, which is 34th and already eliminated. Scottish rival Rangers in 31st is also out of knockout contention.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press

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