Ajax, Twente, AZ and NEC await European league-phase draws

Four Dutch clubs will discover their league-phase opponents on Friday, with AZ and NEC involved in the Europa League draw before Ajax and FC Twente enter the Conference League draw. The programme begins at 13:00, while the Conference League draw is scheduled for 14:00 in Monaco.

AZ secured direct entry to the Europa League by beating NEC 5-1 in the KNVB Cup final. NEC reached Champions League qualifying after finishing third in the Eredivisie, overcoming Olympiakos before losing 6-1 on aggregate to Bodø/Glimt in the play-offs. AZ are in Pot 1 alongside clubs including Juventus, Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen, while NEC have been placed in Pot 4.

Each Europa League participant will play eight matches, facing two opponents from every pot. The top eight in the final table advance directly to the last 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th enter an intermediate play-off round.

In the Conference League, Ajax occupy Pot 1 and Twente are in Pot 3. Ajax progressed through three qualifying rounds, completing their route with a 9-5 aggregate victory over FC Sion. Twente dropped out of Europa League qualifying against Ferencváros but recovered in the third-tier competition, overturning a home defeat to Qarabag by winning the return 4-1 after extra time. Both Dutch sides will face one club from each of the six pots, split between three home and three away fixtures. They cannot be drawn against each other during the league phase, which begins on 15 October.