Europa League opens 2025-26 with standalone opening matchday

The Europa League opens its 2025-26 league phase on Wednesday and Thursday, September 24 and 25, with an altered schedule that gives the second-tier European competition the spotlight for its first matchday. Matches include OGC Nice hosting Roma on Wednesday and Aston Villa welcoming Bologna on Thursday, both kicking off at 8:00 p.m. United Kingdom time. Broadcasters such as TNT Sports in the U.K., Paramount Plus in the United States and DAZN in Canada will carry the action.

UEFA has pushed the opening matchday into a standalone window as part of the format introduced last season, officials said. Under that system, the Europa League, Champions League and Europa Conference League normally occupy separate nights during a gameweek, but for matchday one the Europa League will be the sole competition played across Wednesday and Thursday. UEFA’s revamped league phase features 36 teams, each facing eight different opponents rather than home-and-away ties, with the top teams advancing directly to the round of 16 and those finishing ninth through 24th entering a playoff round.

The opening fixture list is wide-ranging. Midtjylland meet Sturm Graz in a 6:45 p.m. CEST kickoff on Wednesday,...