Conference League 2024/25 draw: Chelsea discover league stage opponents

UEFA have conducted the draw for the first phase of the 2024/25 Conference League.

As is the case with the Champions League and Europa League, the Conference League has been reformatted to include a league stage and a knockout stage, with 36 qualifying teams competing against each other in one table.

The difference with the Conference League is each team will play only six league games, as opposed to the eight by Champions League and Europa League clubs.

Teams were put into six pots depending on their UEFA coefficient and were drawn against one club from each of those pots, with three fixtures at home and three away.

Here's your guide to the competing teams and who Chelsea will face.

Pots for Conference League league phase draw

• Pot One: Chelsea, Kobenhavn, Gent, Fiorentina, LASK, Real Betis.

• Pot Two: Istanbul Basaksehir, Molde, Legia Warsaw, Heidenheim, Djugardens, APOEL.

• Pot Three: Rapid Wien, Omonia, HJK Helsinki, Vitoria de Guimaraes, Astana, Olimpija Ljubljana.

• Pot Four: Cercle Brugge, Shamrock Rovers, The New Saints, Lugano, Heart of Midlothian, Mlada Boleslav.

• Pot Five: Petrocub Hincesti, St Gallen, Panathinaikos, TSC Topola, Borac Banja Luka, Jagiellonia Bialystok.

• Pot Six: Celje, Larne, Dinamo Minsk, Pafos, Vikingur Reykjavik, Noah.

Chelsea's Conference League draw

Chelsea have by far the best coefficient in the Conference League this season (96.000) and head into the tournament as heavy favourites.

They have avoided most of the other big names in the competition, though there are some lengthy away days in store for Enzo Maresca's side.

Their opponents from pot one are Gent, who won the Belgian Pro League's mini-league for European qualification at the end of the 2023/24 season. Chelsea will be at home for this encounter.

There is a tricky away tie for Chelsea in pot two, with a trip to Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim - competing in Europe for the first time in the club's history - on the cards.

Chelsea's farthest trip in the league stage sees them fly to Kazakhstan to take on European regulars Astana.

An interesting draw for the Blues came from pot four. Irish champions Shamrock Rovers will head to Stamford Bridge during the league stage.

Chelsea's opponents from pot five could hardly be tougher, with the Blues drawn away to Greek giants Panathinaikos.

The Blues' pot-six adversaries, Armenian minnows Noah, have the lowest coefficient in the competition with only 2.125.

When does the Conference League league phase begin?

UEFA will release the full Conference League schedule with fixtures on 31 August, though dates for the league phase have already been set in stone.

Provisionally, teams will not play more than two successive home or away games, while they will split one home and one away match for the last two fixtures.

The full Conference League draw for all 36 teams can be found here.

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