The Europa League might be considered Europe's second-tier continental competition, but there was a tie in this season's playoff round worthy of global attention.
Barcelona, who dropped out of the Champions League after finishing behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in their group, faced Manchester United in a two-legged tie in February.
The first leg ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw before United won 2-1 at home to go through.
Serie A giants Juventus progressed against Nantes, while Jose Mourinho's Roma got past Austria's RB Salzburg.
The winners of the playoff ties progressed to the Europa League Round of 16.
MORE: Complete schedule for UEFA Champions League Round of 16 fixtures
Europa League knockout playoffs draw, schedule
The winners from the playoff round will advance to the Round of 16 and will be matched up against a Europa League group winner. All eight Europa League group winners earned a bye straight to the Round of 16.
The two-leg playoff matchups will be played in February. The draw for the Round of 16 will take place on February 24, the day after the playoff round concludes.
Europa League knockout playoffs (1st Leg)
| Match result | Date | Time (BST / ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Barcelona 2-2 Manchester United | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| Juventus 1-1 Nantes | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Sporting CP 1-1 Midtjylland | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Stade Rennes | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| Ajax 0-0 Union Berlin | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 AS Monaco | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Sevilla 3-0 PSV Eindhoven | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| RB Salzburg 1-0 AS Roma | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
Europa League knockout playoffs (2nd Leg)
| Match | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Nantes 0-3 Juventus | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| Midtjylland 0-4 Sporting CP | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| Stade Rennes 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk (4-5 on pens) | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| Union Berlin 3-1 Ajax | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
| AS Monaco 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen (3-5 on pens) | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| PSV Eindhoven 2-0 Sevilla | Feb 16 | 17:45 / 12:45 |
| AS Roma 2-0 RB Salzburg | Feb 16 | 20:00 / 15:00 |
Teams qualifying from Europa League group stage
First-place finishers earned a bye to the Round of 16, while second-place finishers had to take part in the playoff round.
| Europa League Group | 1st Place (Group Winners) | 2nd Place (Group Runners-up) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Arsenal (ENG) | PSV (NED) |
| B | Fenerbahce (TUR) | Rennes (FRA) |
| C | Real Betis (SPA) | AS Roma (ITA) |
| D | Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) | Union Berlin (GER) |
| E | Real Sociedad (SPA) | Manchester United (ENG) |
| F | Feyenoord (NED) | Midtjylland (DEN) |
| G | SC Freiburg (GER) | Nantes (FRA) |
| H | Ferencvaros (HUN) | AS Monaco (FRA) |
UEFA Europa League live stream, TV in 2022/23
| Country | TV channel | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| UK | BT Sport 1/BT Sport Ultimate | BT Sport app, BT Sport YouTube |
| USA | CBS, CBSSN, Univision/TUDN | fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX, ViX+ |
| Australia | 9Gem | Stan Sport |
| Canada | — | DAZN |
Europa League schedule 2022/23
Knockout stage schedule
The draw for the 2022/23 Europa League knockout round playoffs took place on Nov. 7, 2022, and the draw for the Round of 16 will take place on Feb. 24, 2022.
The draw for the rest of the 2022/23 Europa League knockout rounds will take place on March 17, 2023.
The 2023 Europa League final will take place in Budapest, Hungary on May 31, 2023.
| Round | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Knockout Playoffs | Feb. 16, 2023 | Feb. 23, 2023 |
| Round of 16 | Mar. 9, 2023 | Mar. 16, 2023 |
| Quarterfinals | Apr. 13, 2023 | Apr. 20, 2023 |
| Semifinals | May 11, 2023 | May 18, 2023 |
| Final | May 31, 2023 | |