Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Europa League games underway as teams honor PAOK fans who died in crash

Europa League games underway as teams honor PAOK fans who died in crash | iNFOnews.ca
FCSB fans display a banner in memory of the seven Greek PAOK fans killed in a car crash in Romania ahead of the Europa League soccer match between FCSB and Fenerbahce in Bucharest, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Six direct places in the Europa League round of 16 are up for grabs and 11 teams remain in contention for the five last spots in the knockout stage in the final round of the opening phase on Thursday.

Only leader Lyon and second-place Aston Villa have already qualified for the last 16. They are tied on points atop the standings with six wins and a loss.

Like in the Champions League, all 36 teams play in the last 18 games that kick off simultaneously, and the top eight finishers advance automatically after eight rounds.

The teams placed from nine to 24 enter a two-leg playoff.

Lyon hosts PAOK while Villa meets Salzburg at home.

Third-place Freiburg, which trails the leaders by one point, travels to 21st-place Lille and one point would be enough for the Bundesliga team to advance.

Roma in sixth is away at Panathinaikos in 19th. Sixteenth-place Nottingham Forest plays seventh-place Ferencváros at City Ground.

Celtic sits in the 24th and last qualifying place and faces Utrecht, which is 34th and already eliminated. Scottish rival Rangers in 31st is also out of knockout contention.

PAOK fans honored

The seven PAOK fans who died in a minibus crash in Romania this week on their way to attend a game between Lyon and their club were honored at stadiums in France and Greece.

Lyon expressed its “sincere condolences” to PAOK and supporters’ associations for rival Greek clubs Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, Aris, and others issued messages of unity and condolences.

A moment of silence was observed at Groupama Stadium in Lyon — and in Athens where Panathinaikos played Roma.

Also, players at the Lille game against Freiburg joined in a round of applause for the victims, UEFA said.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Europa League games underway as teams honor PAOK fans who died in crash | iNFOnews.ca
Lyon fans cheer their team ahead of the Europa League soccer match between Lyon and PAOK in Lyon, France, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Europa League games underway as teams honor PAOK fans who died in crash | iNFOnews.ca
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, centre left, Pau Torres, second left, and Ollie Watkins, centre, practice during a training session in Tamworth, England, Wednesday Jan. 28, 2026, one day ahead of their Europa League soccer match against Salzburg. (David Davies/PA via AP)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles