The draw for the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League groups took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Friday.
The event promised an exciting lineup of matches that football fans were eagerly anticipating.
The draw resulted in several captivating groups, with Group B being the most notable.
This group features some of the most renowned clubs in European football history, making it a major attraction.
Brighton and Hove Albion will be making their debut at this level under the astute leadership of Roberto De Zerbi.
Brighton will aim to make their mark in their first-ever European campaign,
They will face off against the likes of Ajax, Olympique de Marseille, and AEK Athens, all of whom have a rich history in European competitions, including five UEFA Champions League titles between them.
Other groups were equally exciting, with West Ham United, the current Europa Conference League titleholders, landing in an enticing Group A.
West Ham will have a stern test on their hands, with Olympiacos set to be their toughest opponent in Group A, which also includes Freiburg and Serbian outfit TSC Backa Topola.
The other groups are equally thrilling, with Group G featuring beaten UEL finalists from the previous season, Roma, along with Slavia Praha, Sheriff, and Servette, promising to be an entertaining affair.
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Group H is expected to be dominated by Bayer Leverkusen, who will be up against Qarabag, Molde, and Hacken. Group F has a mix of teams, including Villarreal, Rennes, Maccabi Haifa, and Panathinaikos.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will aim to make a comeback in the Europa League, facing Austria’s LASK, Belgian side Union SG, and Toulouse in what appears to be a relatively straightforward group.
It has been five years since the Reds played in this competition, finishing as runners-up to Sevilla in 2016, and they will be keen to go one better this time around.
The Europa League guarantees them a minimum of £3.1m in prize money, and they will be looking to make the most of this opportunity.
Rangers, who made it to the final in the 2021-22 campaign before losing on penalties, will be hoping to replicate their performance, as they take on Real Betis, Sparta Prague, and Cypriot club Aris Limassol.
Full Europa League 23-24 groups
- Group A: West Ham, Olympiacos, Freiburg and Backa Topola.
- Group B: Ajax, Marseille, Brighton and AEK Athens.
- Group C: Rangers, Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol.
- Group D: Atalanta, Sporting CP, Sturm Graz and Rakow Czestochowa.
- Group E: Liverpool, LASK, Union SG and Toulouse.
- Group F: Villarreal, Rennes, Maccabi Haifa and Panathinaikos.
- Group G: Roma, Slavia Praha, Sheriff and Servette.
- Group H: Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde and Hacken.
Full UEFA Conference League 23-24 groups
- Group A: Lille, Slovan Bratislava, Olimpija Ljubljana and Klaksvik.
- Group B: Gent, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Zorya Luhansk and Breidablik.
- Group C: Dinamo Zagreb, Viktoria Plzen, Astana and Ballkani.
- Group D: Club Brugge, Bodo/Glimt, Besiktas and Lugano.
- Group E: AZ, Aston Villa, Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski.
- Group F: Ferencvaros, Fiorentina, Genk and Cukaricki.
- Group G: Frankfurt, PAOK, HJK Helsinki and Aberdeen.
- Group H: Fenerbahce, Ludogorets, Spartak Trnava and Nordsjaelland.
