Similar to the Champions League (CL), there is another European Tournament that is not as prestigious as the CL, but is still a major football tournament – The UEFA Europa League. is that time of the year, boys and girls. Similar to the Champions League, the dates for the group stages (and the knockout stages after that as well) have already been released, the groups themselves haven’t been decided – which will be rectified in the coming days. While the event is not as big as The UEFA Champions League Draw (which gets millions of viewers), the Europa League too and again, Sony has made it easier for Indians to watch the group stage selection live, by streaming it on their OTT platform. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament:
Who are in the tournament?
For now, 16 out of 48 possible participating teams have been determined. The process of selecting these teams is more complicated than choosing the Champions League participants and is a meticulous process on its own. While these 16 teams have had major achievements in the last season, the rest 32 will depend on many other factors varying from the country’s current FIFA ranking, standing in the previous season’s league table, which European league they are a part of, etc. These remaining 32 teams will be determined by 27th August 2021, by 3:30 am at the very latest (which is when the qualifying stages of the tournament will end). The qualified 16 teams are as follows:-
Belgium: Genk
Czech Republic: Sparta Prague
Denmark: Midtjylland
Spain: Real Sociedad, Real Betis
England: Leicester City, West Ham
France: Lyon, Marseille
Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen
Italy: Napoli, Lazio
Portugal: Braga
Russia: Lokomotiv Moskow, Spartak Moskow
When and where is the Europa League Draw Happening?
The Europa League group-stage draw will take place on Friday, August 27th 2021, in Istanbul, Turkey. The draw will commence at 3:30 pm IST.
How can I Stream The Europa League Draw?
The tournament draw can be streamed in India through SonyLIV and UEFA.COM.