Tottenham Hotspur will be back in European competition next season, with Europa League football on the agenda. Here’s what teams are involved, and what the seedings for the tournament look like.
After a 3-0 win over Sheffield United on the final day of the Premier League season, Spurs secured a fifth-place finish in the table and guaranteed their place in the Europa League for the 2024/25 campaign.
Meanwhile, Manchester United qualify for the Europa League thanks to their FA Cup final win over Man City last weekend.
It will be Tottenham’s first time playing in the competition since the 2020/21 season, and the Europa League certainly presents Ange Postecoglou a great opportunity to bring some silverware to North London as promised.
The Europa League will have a new look this year, too, as the 36 teams will no longer be split into groups. Instead, one big league table will determine the teams progressing to the knockout stages, with each team playing eight games before the league standings are confirmed.
Who will join Spurs in the Europa League?
Here’s a look at the teams involved next season, and a summary of who Spurs could face. It’s important to note, each team will play two opponents from each pot as part of the seedings.
From Spain, we have Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad — the Europa League finally will actually be played at Bilbao’s San Mames stadium. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt will represent Germany in the competition, although the latter could qualify for the Champions League if Dortmund beat Real Madrid in the final of that competition this week.
Lazio and Roma qualify from Serie A, while Fiorentina could also make it if they beat Olympiacos in the Conference League final this evening. Lyon and Nice will feature from France, while AZ Alkmaar and Porto will represent the Netherlands and Portugal, respectively.
Big teams such as Ajax, Besiktas, Anderlecht, Hearts, Braga, Cercle Brugge, and Rapid Wien will all have to go through qualifying rounds before their place in the tournament is confirmed.
The Europa League draw is due to be announced on August 30, 2024.
What are the seedings?
As it stands, Tottenham Hotspur will be in the first pot, along with Manchester United, Roma, Porto, Lazio, Red Bull Salzburg, and Real Sociedad. Ajax will join them in the top pot as long as they make it through qualifying.
Pot two will feature teams like Lyon and Fenerbahce, and potentially Braga if they qualify. Teams to look out for in pot three include Galatasaray and Dynamo Kyiv. Pot four poses a threat with Athletic Bilbao in there along with Hoffenheim and Nice.