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The teams advancing to the UEFA Europa League round of 16 have been finalized after the playoff stage wrapped up with eight second-leg matches, completing the knockout pathway in Europe’s second-tier club competition.
Following the conclusion of the two-legged playoff ties, Ferencvaros, Stuttgart, Panathinaikos, Lille, Nottingham Forest, Bologna, Celta Vigo and Genk secured their places in the last 16, joining eight clubs that had already qualified directly through the league phase.
The UEFA Europa League, widely regarded as Europe’s second-most prestigious club football tournament after the UEFA Champions League, moved into its decisive phase as playoff winners booked their spots alongside teams that finished in the top eight during the league stage.
Across the home-and-away format, often referred to as a “two-legged tie,” clubs competed over two matches, with aggregate scores determining who moved forward. The playoff round concluded with Ferencvaros overturning Ludogorets, Stuttgart holding off Celtic, and Panathinaikos progressing after a penalty shootout against Viktoria Plzen.
Elsewhere, Lille came from behind across the two matches to eliminate Red Star Belgrade, while Bologna advanced with back-to-back wins over Brann. Genk required extra time to edge past Dinamo Zagreb, and Celta Vigo moved through after defeating PAOK over two legs.
One of the most closely followed ties involved Fenerbahce and Nottingham Forest. The Turkish side won the return match 2-1 away from home, yet the English club advanced comfortably thanks to its 3-0 victory in the first leg.
As a result, Nottingham Forest progressed to the round of 16 on aggregate and will face either Denmark’s Midtjylland or Spain’s Real Betis in the next round, depending on the upcoming draw.
Eight clubs had already secured automatic qualification by finishing among the top teams in the league phase standings. Olympique Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg and Roma entered the round of 16 without needing to play the playoff round.
With the field now complete, attention turns to the draw scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time (1200 GMT). The round of 16 matches will be played over two legs on March 12 and March 19.
The aggregate outcomes from the playoff round were as follows:
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