Aston Villa Europa League fixtures, schedule, squad 2025/26

After missing out on consecutive Champions League qualifications on goal difference, Aston Villa are in the Europa League for the first time since the competition was rebranded from the UEFA Cup in 2009.

The Villans have never been beyond the quarter-finals but reached the knockout stage in 2008/09, losing to CSKA Moscow in the last 32.

Having narrowly lost to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals, the Premier League side started the 2025/26 Europa League as favourites to lift the trophy.

Check out Aston Villa’s fixtures, results and squad for the 2025/26 Europa League and take a look at the schedule.

Aston Villa Europa League fixtures, results 2025/26

Here’s how Villa’s fixtures and results look. They will play Bologna in the quarter-finals (both legs 20:00 BST) and Nottingham Forest or Porto in a potential semi-final.

DateOpponentsStageResultApr 16, 2026Bologna (A)Quarter-final second legApr 9, 2026Bologna (H)Quarter-final first legMar 19, 2026Lille (H)Round of 16 second legW 2-0Mar 12, 2026Lille (A)Round of 16 first legW 1-0Jan 29, 2026Salzburg (H)League phaseW 3–2Jan 22, 2026Fenerbahce (A)League phaseW 3–0Dec 11, 2025Basel (A)League phaseW 2–1Nov 27, 2025Young Boys (H)League phaseW 2–1Nov 6, 2025Maccabi Tel Aviv (H)League phaseW 2–0Oct 23, 2025Go Ahead Eagles (A)League phaseL 1–2Oct 2, 2025Feyenoord (A)League phaseW 2–0Sep 25, 2025Bologna (H)League phaseW 1–0

You can see the full Europa League bracket here.

Aston Villa Europa League squad 2025/26

This was Villa’s List A Europa League squad registered from the round of 16 in February 2026.

PositionPlayersGoalkeepersEmiliano Martinez, Marco BizotDefendersMatty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Andres Garcia, Ian MaatsenMidfieldersJohn McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Jadon Sancho, Amadou Onana, Douglas Luiz, Harvey Elliott, Morgan RogersForwardsEmiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins, Tammy Abraham, Leon Bailey

List B submissions, comprised of players born after January 1, 2004 who have been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years since their 15th birthday, can also be made until midnight before each match.

The likes of Lamare Bogarde and James Wright are on that list.

Aston Villa Europa League schedule 2025/26

In a change from the previous group stage held until 2023/24, each team now plays eight matches in the league phase, all against different opponents.

The top eight sides in the table qualify automatically for the round of 16. The teams finishing in ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout phase play-off to reach the last 16.

Teams finishing 25th or lower were out of Europe for the season.

StageDatesRound of 16March 12 & 19Quarter-finalsApril 9 & 16Semi-finalsApril 30 and May 7FinalMay 20 2026

Which English clubs are in the Europa League 2025/26?

Villa qualified by finishing sixth in 2024/25, although they would have been in the Champions League had they not lost at Manchester United on the final day.

Nottingham Forest’s participation comes after they were promoted from the Conference League because of a UEFA ruling against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace, upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

When is the Europa League final?

The final will take place on May 20 2026 at the Besiktas Stadium home of 16-time Turkish champions Besiktas.

The stadium hosted a dramatic 2019 Super Cup final, Chelsea and Liverpool each scoring once during regular and extra time before the Reds won on penalties following the 2-2 draw.

How to watch Aston Villa in the Europa League: TV channel, stream

TNT Sports have the live broadcast rights to the Europa League in the UK.

TNT Sports costs £30.99 a month, including Eurosport and entertainment and available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles. From March 26, TNT Sports streaming will switch from Discovery Plus to HBO Max.