When is the Europa Conference League play-off draw? Chelsea ready to learn opponents

Chelsea will discover your Europa Conference League play-off opponents on Monday when the draw is made in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Blues have had a difficult start to pre-season, with a defeat to Manchester City on Saturday. And there is an initial test in the 2024/25 campaign, with the start of qualification for the Europa Conference League.

Manchester United’s victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May guaranteed Erik ten Hag’s side a place in the Europa Leaguethe Blues dropped to the Europa Conference League.

And the first match in the competition begins later this month, handing new manager Enzo Maresca, recruited from Leicester to replace Mauricio Pochettino, with an early challenge.

Chelsea will be in the main path of the play-off round and will be one of the seeds, which means a draw against one of the non-seed teams over two legs. UEFA will release the full rankings, groupings and draw procedure on Monday morning.

When is the draw and how can I watch?

The draw for the Europa Conference League play-off round will be on Monday 5th August at 1pm BST.

Fans can follow the Europa Conference League play-off round draw live on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+, or follow Independent Sport’s live blog.

When are the play-off games?

Chelsea will play the two-legged tie on the 22nd and 29th of August.

The first leg will take place four days after the Premier League opener against Manchester City on August 18, while the second leg will take place four days after a league trip to Wolves on August 25, providing an intense start to the season for Maresca and his team.

The first round will be on October 3rd, with Chelsea hoping to reach the final of this year’s competition, at the Stadion Wrocław, in Poland, on May 28th, 2025.

What is the format of the Europa Conference League?

Teams that qualify from the play-off stage will play in the group stage as a single league stage with 36 teams. Each team will face six different teams, three at home and three away. The top eight placed will go directly to the round of 16; while teams finishing ninth to 24th will play another series of play-offs, with the winners completing the round of 16. From then on, it will be a straight knockout tournament.

Who could Chelsea face in the Europa Conference League play-offs?

A winner of the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League

• Botev Plovdid (BUL) or Zrinjski Mostar (BOS)

• Maribor (SVN) or Vojvodina (SRB)

• Ruzomberok (SVK) or Hajduk Split (CRO)

• Osijek (CRO) or Zira (AZE)

• Spartak Trnava (SVK) or Wisla Krakow (POL)

• Ararat-Armenia (ARM) or Puskas Akadenua (HUN)

• Kilmarnock (SCO) or Tromso (NOR)

• St Mirren (SCO) or Brann (NOR)

• St Gallen (SUI) or Slask Wroclaw (POL)

• Auda (LAT) or Drita (KOS)

• Hacken (SWE) or Paide Linnameeskond (EST)

• CSKA 1948 (BUL) or Paphos (CYP)

• Paks (HUN) or Mornar (MNE)

• Atlético de São Patricio (IRE) or Sabah (AZE)

A loser in the third qualifying round of the Europa League

• Braga (POR) or Servette (SUI)

• Partizan Belgrade (SRB) or Lugano (SUI)

• Panathinaikos (GRE) or Ajax (NED)

• Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (UKR) or Viktoria Plzen (CZE)

• Rijeka (CRO) or Elfsborg (SWE)

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