UEFA Conference League round of 16 draw: Crystal Palace set for AEK Larnaca rematch, Strasbourg face Rijeka
by , UEFA.com · UEFA.comThe draw for the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals has been made, with the remaining teams discovering their path to the final in Leipzig.
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Conference League round of 16 draw
Lech Poznań vs Shakhtar
AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta Praha
Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
Fiorentina vs Raków
Samsunspor vs Rayo Vallecano
Celje vs AEK Athens
Sigma Olomouc vs Mainz
Rijeka vs Strasbourg
Conference League quarter-final draw
Lech Poznań/Shakhtar vs AZ Alkmaar/Sparta Praha
Crystal Palace/AEK Larnaca vs Fiorentina/Raków
Samsunspor/Rayo Vallecano vs Celje/AEK Athens
Sigma Olomouc/Mainz vs Rijeka/Strasbourg
Conference League semi-final draw
Lech Poznań/Shakhtar/AZ Alkmaar/Sparta Praha vs Crystal Palace/AEK Larnaca/Fiorentina/Raków
Samsunspor/Rayo Vallecano/Celje/AEK Athens vs Sigma Olomouc/Mainz/Rijeka/Strasbourg
What are the Conference League knockout phase dates?
Round of 16: 12 & 19 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 9 & 16 April 2026
Semi-finals: 30 April & 7 May 2026
Final: 27 May 2026 (Leipzig)
How did the round of 16 draw work?
The clubs were paired based on their positions at the end of the league phase to form four seeded pairs (clubs in positions 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8).
The clubs in each seeded pair were drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winners of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position was determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.
Four bowls were prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of each pair of seeded teams placed in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league rankings.
The draw allocated the side of the bracket for all the seeded teams, starting with the teams ranked 7/8 and finishing with the teams 1/2.
One ball was taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 7 and 8) and opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl was placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket. The other seeded team of the pairing was then drawn and displayed before being allocated to the corresponding reserved spot on the green side of the bracket. The same procedure was carried out with the remaining seeded teams.
How were the Conference League quarter-final, semi-final and final ties determined?
As the teams were positioned in the bracket by the draw of the knockout phase play-off and round of 16, the ties and the order of the matches had already been determined by the position of the teams at the draws of the previous rounds.
The teams qualifying from the round of 16 follow the path of the bracket until the final and, as in the previous rounds, the team in the bottom row of each match pairing will play the second leg of the relevant tie at home.
The winner of semi-final on the silver side of the bracket is designated as the nominal home team for the final.
Could teams from the same country face each other in the Conference League round of 16?
Yes, clubs could face opposition from the same national association, and teams they previously came up against in the league phase.
Where is the final?