Who can Arsenal face in the Europa League group stage draw?

ARSENAL will find out their Europa League opponents this week.

Mikel Arteta‘s Gunners return to European competition after a year off last season.

In Arsenal’s last European campaign, they reached the semi-final of the Europa League in 2020/21.

In that season they went on to lose in the semi-finals to eventual winner Villarreal.

Villarreal defeated Manchester United on penalties that year in the Gdansk final.

This year’s Europa League begins on September 8, but first up we’ve got the big draw.

Who can Arsenal get in the Europa League draw?

Arsenal are seeded in Pot 1 alongside Roma, Manchester United, Lazio, Braga, Red Star Belgrade and Dynamo Kiev so cannot be drawn against any of those teams.

Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other, so United are out of the question in two different ways at this stage.

Taking out teams in Pot 1, these are the teams Arsenal could face in the group stage draw:

• Nantes (FRA)
• Monaco (FRA)
• Rennes (FRA)
• Real Sociedad (ESP)
• Real Betis (ESP)
• Union Berlin (GER)
• Freiburg (GER)
• Feyenoord (NED)
• PSV Eindhoven (NED)
• Sturm Graz (AUT)
• Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL)
• FC Midtjylland (DEN)
• Qarabag (AZE)
• Trabzonspor (TUR)
• Bodø/Glimt (NOR)

Plus any of these teams to join from their play-off round, with ties taking place tonight:

• Hearts (SCO) or FC Zurich (SWI)
• Shamrock Rovers (IRE) or Ferencvaros (HUN)
• AEK Larnaca (CYP) or SC Dnipro-1 (UKR)
• Zalgiris Vilnius (LTU) or Ludogorets (BUL)
• Silkeborg (DEN) or HJK Helsinki (FIN)
• FC Sheriff (MOL) or Pyunik (ARM)
• Fenerbahce (TUR) or Austria Vienna (AUS)
• Omonia Nicosia (CYP) or Gent (BEL)
• Sivasspor (TUR) or Malmo (SWE)
• Olympiacos (GRE) or Apollon Limassol (CYP)

When is the Europa League draw?

• The group stage draw for club footballs second-tier European competition is set to take place on Friday, August 26.
• It is scheduled to get underway at 12pm UK time – 1pm local time.
• Istanbul, Turkey will be where the draw is being hosted which is where Liverpool famously beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final

How can I watch the Europa League draw?

• The Europa League group stage draw will be shown LIVE on BT Sport 1 in the UK.
• Subscription members of BT Sport can also stream all the action via the BT Sport app or BT Sport website.
• UEFA will be streaming the entire action from their official website too.
• And BT Sport’s YouTube channel will be showing it FREE.