europa league

2025-26 UEFA Europa League final standings and table updated after decisive final Matchday 8

The UEFA Europa League league phase has concluded, and the clubs now know who has qualified for the Round of 16 and who will head to the knockout phase play-offs.

Harvey Elliott of Aston Villa acknowledges the fans.
© Getty ImagesHarvey Elliott of Aston Villa acknowledges the fans.

The 2025-26 UEFA Europa League league phase has reached its conclusion. Following a high-stakes Matchday 8, the field is officially set for the next stage of the tournament, with eight teams punching their tickets directly to the Round of 16 while others prepare for the grueling knockout phase playoffs.

Olympique Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, FC Porto, Real Betis, Braga, Freiburg, and AS Roma are the elite eight that secured direct qualification. By finishing at the top of the table, these clubs successfully avoid the additional two-legged playoff round in February.

While the standings remained relatively stable for most of the evening, Ludogorets provided the night’s biggest surge. Starting the day on the outside looking in, the Bulgarian side fought their way into the knockout playoff zone with a crucial 1-0 home victory, keeping their European dreams alive.

FC Porto also made a statement, defeating Rangers 3-1 to solidify their place among the top eight. Meanwhile, AS Roma provided the most dramatic finish of the night; despite being reduced to 10 men, the Italians gritted out a vital draw against Panathinaikos to narrowly claim the eighth and final direct qualification spot.

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Thanks for joining us!

The 2025-26 Europa League final concluded today with Matchday 8, and you experienced every goal, twist, and dramatic moment here on Bolavip.

Thanks for staying with us throughout this thrilling day of soccer, and see you next time!

Final UEFA Europa League standings and qualifications

Direct round of 16 qualifiers (top 8):
Olympique Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Porto, Real Betis, Braga, Freiburg, Roma.

Knockout playoff round (16 teams):
Genk, Bologna, Stuttgart, Ferencvaros, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzen, Red Star Belgrade, Celta Vigo, PAOK, Lille, Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos, Celtic, Ludogorets, Dinamo Zagreb, Brann.

Eliminated:
Young Boys, FCSB, Go Ahead Eagles, RB Salzburg, Basel, Feyenoord, Rangers, Sturm Graz, Nice, Utrecht, Malmo and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

It's the end of Matchday 8!

The drama of the Europa League league phase has come to a breathtaking close! Following a chaotic Matchday 8 where 18 matches played out simultaneously, the final bracket is set.

The headline of the night belongs to AS Roma, who pulled off a miracle to secure a direct Round of 16 berth. Despite playing with a man down in the closing stages, the Italians held onto their result to finish in the top eight. Meanwhile, Ludogorets completed the ultimate bracket crash, surging into the knockout phase playoffs and officially ending the European campaign for Young Boys.

Final minutes: Chaos across Europe!

The whistles are starting to blow, and we have our first official result of this wild finale. VfB Stuttgart has defeated Young Boys 3-2 in a high-stakes thriller.

The consequences are immediate and devastating for the Swiss side: with this loss, Young Boys have been officially eliminated from the 2025-26 Europa League. Meanwhile, Stuttgart secures their place in the knockout phase playoffs and will wait to see if they can climb back into the top eight as other matches conclude.

Roma back in the top eight!

Jan Ziolkowski has found the crucial equalizer for AS Roma, leveling the match and completely shifting the landscape of the standings once again. With this goal, the Italians have reclaimed a provisional direct Round of 16 berth, leapfrogging Bologna, who now slide back into the knockout playoff zone.

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Ludogorets eyeing the upset!

Ludogorets are currently on track to pull off a major comeback in the standings with a 1-0 win over Nice. Having started the day on the outside looking in, the Bulgarian side has fought their way into a knockout phase playoff spot as the second half progresses.

Midtjylland on the verge of a top-eight finish!

Victor Bak Jensen has doubled the lead for the Danish side, making it 2-0 against Dinamo Zagreb. With this insurance goal, Midtjylland are firmly in the driver's seat to secure a direct Round of 16 berth.

Taborda puts Panathinaikos ahead!

Vicente Taborda has found the back of the net for the Greek side, and the goal has sent shockwaves through the standings. As it stands, AS Roma have dropped to 9th place, losing their direct Round of 16 berth and falling into the knockout playoff zone, while Bologna currently sit in 8th place.

Young Boys fight back!

Sandro Lauper and Armin Gigovic have found the net to bring Young Boys level at 2-2 against Stuttgart. This comeback has massive implications for the table: as it stands, Young Boys move into the knockout playoff zone, knocking Brann down into 25th place and the elimination zone.

Second half begins

The second half is underway across all 18 matches on this historic UEFA Europa League matchday with a lot of action. Gue-sung Cho scored the opener for Midtjylland against Dinamo Zagreb, while Moussa Kounfolo Yeo extended the lead for RB Salzburg over Aston Villa. Furthermore, Ricardo Orsolini scored the second goal to put Bologna 2-0 ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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Halftime across all 18 UEFA Europa League matches

The halftime whistles have blown across Europe, and the live standings have undergone a massive shift from where they stood at kickoff. Here is how the table looks as we head into the break:

Another red card!

Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK received a red card against Olympique Lyon.

Porto turn it around!

Francisco Moura has scored against Rangers and minutes later an own goal from Emmanuel Fernandez makes it 3-1, completing the comeback at the Estádio do Dragão. With this result, Porto climb into the top eight to secure a provisional direct Round of 16 berth, subsequently bumping VfB Stuttgart down into the knockout phase playoffs.

Surprise in England!

Karim Konate has found the back of the net to put RB Salzburg ahead against Aston Villa. As it stands, this goal secures Salzburg’s place in the knockout phase playoffs.

Porto score the equalizer against Rangers!

In Portugal, Rodrigo Mora finds the equalizer to put Porto back on track for direct Round of 16 qualification.

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More goals across the continent

Antony scores the opener for Real Betis against Feyenoord, while an own goal from Bence Otvos puts Nottingham Forest ahead of Ferencvaros.

In Romania, Ismail Yuksek scores to put Fenerbahce ahead of FCSB, while Giorgos Giakoumakis scores the opener for PAOK against Olympique Lyon in France.

First red card of the matchday!

Gianluca Mancini of Roma received a red card in the game against Panathinaikos.

Scotland are here!

Benjamin Nygren scored the opener for Celtic against Utrecht, while Djeidi Gassama did the same for Rangers against Porto.

Malmo and Stuttgart hit first

Malmo scored the first goal of this Matchday in their road game against Genk. Seconds later, Stuttgart scored against Young Boys and on the next play they doubled their lead  to make it 2-0 already!

The action is officially underway

The final UEFA Europa League matchday is officially underway across Europe with all 18 matches kicking off simultaneously. With direct qualification spots, playoff places, and elimination all on the line, every goal from this moment on could dramatically reshape the standings.

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Everything to play for: The Benfica lesson

While several teams appear destined for the Round of 16 or the knockout phase playoffs, nothing is set in stone. With 18 matches playing out simultaneously, a single goal anywhere in Europe could rewrite the entire table in an instant.

The clearest warning came during yesterday’s Champions League finale. Real Madrid entered Matchday 8 in third place, seemingly a lock for direct qualification, but they missed out on a direct Round of 16 berth after a stunning 4-2 loss to Benfica.

Conversely, Benfica needed a miracle just to stay alive. They found it in the final seconds when goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored a last-minute header, clinching a historic and miraculous qualification for his side. As the Europa League league phase finishes today, every club knows that until the final whistle blows, no lead is safe and no team is truly out.

The Top 8 battle

While Olympique Lyon and Aston Villa have already booked their ticket, SC Freiburg are the best-positioned side to secure a top-eight finish, as a draw today would guarantee them direct qualification for the Round of 16.

Midtjylland and Braga could also clinch their spots with a draw, while Roma, Ferencvaros, and Real Betis risk losing their coveted positions if they fail to win their games.

How the picture looks for every team

  • Round of 16 (2):
    Olympique Lyon and Aston Villa have already booked their tickets to the Round of 16 after winning their previous game.
  • Guaranteed at least a place in the knockout playoff round (17):
    SC Freiburg, Midtjylland, Braga, Roma, Ferencvaros, Real Betis, Porto, Genk, Red Star Belgrade, PAOK, VfB Stuttgart, Celta Vigo, Bologna, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzen, Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos have all secured a minimum of a playoff-round berth.
  • Still in contention for the knockout rounds or facing elimination (11):
    Dinamo Zagreb, Lille, Brann, Young Boys, Celtic, Ludogorets, Feyenord, Basel, RB Salzburg, FCSB, and Go Ahead Eagles enter the final matchday with their European futures still undecided.
  • Eliminated (6):
    Rangers, Sturm Graz, Nice, Utrecht, Malmo and Maccabi Tel Aviv are officially out of the competition.

How things looks at the moment

Every game of the league phase finale

  • Aston Villa (2) v RB Salzburg (28)
  • Basel (27) v Viktoria Plzen (17)
  • Celtic (24) v Utrecht (34)
  • FCSB (29) v Fenerbahce (18)
  • Genk (10) v Malmo (35)
  • Go Ahead Eagles (30) v Sporting Braga (5)
  • Lille (21) v Freiburg (3)
  • Ludogorets (25) v Nice (33)
  • Maccabi Tel Aviv (36) v Bologna (15)
  • Midtjylland (4) v Dinamo Zagreb (20)
  • Nottingham Forest (16) v Ferencvaros (7)
  • Lyon (1) v PAOK (12)
  • Panathinaikos (19) v Roma (6)
  • Porto (9) v Rangers (31)
  • Real Betis (8) v Feyenoord (26)
  • Red Star Belgrade (11) v Celta Vigo (14)
  • Sturm Graz (32) v Brann (22)
  • Stuttgart (13) v Young Boys (23)
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UEFA Europa League final phase

Welcome to our live blog of today’s UEFA Europa League action as the league phase reaches its decisive final Matchday 8. All 18 matches will be played simultaneously, with qualification spots and final standings on the line across Europe.

Stay with us for goal alerts, key updates, and real-time movements in the table as the race for the round of 16 intensifies!

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