British clubs discovered their European opponents on Friday, with Aston Villa, Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Rangers all handed tough tests in the Europa League, while Aberdeen and Crystal Palace embark on Conference League campaigns. The league phase of both competitions begins next month, with Europa League fixtures starting on 24 September and the Conference League kicking off on 2 October.
Aston Villa face a demanding schedule in their Europa League group, with home ties against Red Bull Salzburg, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Young Boys and Bologna, alongside away trips to Feyenoord, Fenerbahce, Basel and Go Ahead Eagles. Celtic’s path includes glamour meetings with Roma and Feyenoord, as well as matches against Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Midtjylland, Utrecht and Bologna. Nottingham Forest, returning to European competition for the first time in over 30 years, will take on Porto, Real Betis, Ferencvaros, Braga, Midtjylland, Sturm Graz, Malmo and Utrecht. Rangers, meanwhile, will host Roma, Braga, Ludogorets and Genk, while travelling to Porto, Ferencvaros, Sturm Graz and Brann.
In the Conference League, Aberdeen were paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, Strasbourg and AEK Athens, alongside fixtures against Sparta Prague, AEK Larnaca and Noah. Crystal Palace, competing in Europe after lifting the FA Cup – the club’s first-ever major trophy – will meet AZ Alkmaar, Dynamo Kyiv, Strasbourg, KuPS Kuopio, AEK Larnaca and Shelbourne. Palace originally qualified for the Europa League but were moved into the Conference League after breaching multi-club ownership rules, with their place handed to Forest.
This season’s European campaigns also revive old rivalries. Nottingham Forest’s clash with Porto is a repeat of the 1979 European Cup final, where Trevor Francis famously scored the winner for Brian Clough’s side. Both Celtic and Rangers will also meet Roma, adding further intrigue to the Scottish clubs’ efforts to bounce back after missing out on Champions League qualification earlier this week.
The expanded 36-team league phase, introduced last season, means each Europa League club will face eight opponents – four at home and four away – while Conference League teams play six opponents, three home and three away. Teams from the same domestic league cannot meet until the knockout rounds. The Europa League final will take place at Besiktas Park in Istanbul, while the Conference League decider will be staged at the RB Arena in Leipzig.
