Europa League Round of 16 Draw: Lyon Take on Celta Vigo, Aston Villa vs Lille

Lyon land Celta Vigo while Aston Villa get Lille in a tasty Europa League round of 16 draw

The UEFA Europa League round of 16 draw, conducted in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday afternoon, has delivered intriguing ties: top seeds Lyon will face Celta Vigo, while second seeds Aston Villa are set to take on Lille.

League phase winners Lyon have been drawn against Celta Vigo in the Europa League round of 16, with runners-up Aston Villa pitted against Lille...

Lyon will face Celta Vigo in the Europa League round of 16, while Aston Villa take on Lille. The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, setting up some exciting matchups. Lille needed extra time to beat Red Star Belgrade, and now they face Villa in a tough tie.

Genk, who needed extra time to see off Dinamo Zagreb in a thrilling 6-goal second leg, will now take on Freiburg in the next round. Meanwhile, Bologna and Roma will clash in an all-Italian tie.

FC Midtjylland, the third-seeds, have been drawn against Nottingham Forest in the Europa League round of 16. Midtjylland scraped past Fenerbahce with Callum Hudson-Odoi's goal helping them advance.

Real Betis will take on Panathinaikos, who beat Viktoria Plzen on penalties after being reduced to 10 men in extra time.

Ferencvaros will travel to the Iberian Peninsula to face Braga in the Europa League round of 16, after securing their place with a 2-0 aggregate win over Olympiacos.

The Europa League final is set to take place in Istanbul on May 20th.

Full Europa League round of 16 draw

The first legs of these ties will be played on March 12th, with the second legs taking place a week later. The first team denoted in the ties will play the first leg at home. Braga's home tie will be played on Wednesday, March 18th, due to a city clash with Porto.

• Ferencvaros vs Braga

• Panathinaikos vs Betis

• Genk vs Freiburg

• Celta Vigo vs Lyon

• Stuttgart vs Porto

• Nottingham Forest vs FC Midtjylland

• Bologna vs Roma

• Lille vs Aston Villa

UEFA will release the exact times and dates for each tie later on Thursday.

The round of 16 is set ✅#UEL pic.twitter.com/YdHzqBAygZ

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) February 27, 2026

Road to Istanbul: Europa League Bracket Set

Much like the earlier Champions League draw, the bracket is now set for the rest of the Europa League.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, the two remaining English teams in the Europa League, could face off in the semi-finals as they chase past glories. Meanwhile, Lyon seems to have the easier side of the bracket, potentially facing Freiburg, Braga, or Betis.

The draw has thrown up some exciting matchups, with Villa taking on Lille in the round of 16, while Forest faces Midtjylland. If they progress, Villa could meet Lyon or Celta Vigo in the quarter-finals, while Forest could face Stuttgart or Porto.