French clubs Lyon, Marseille and Rennes discovered their UEFA Europa League phase opponents during Friday's official tournament draw held in Monaco.
The draw delivered contrasting fates for the French representatives in the expanded European competition, headlined by Lyon receiving a demanding list of opponents while Marseille face daunting trips to Glasgow and Istanbul.
Lyon entered the Europa League following their elimination from the Champions League qualification rounds. Led on the pitch by midfielder Corentin Tolisso, the team must now navigate an eight-match fixture list in the revised league phase format.
At their home ground, the Groupama Stadium, Lyon will host German side Bayer Leverkusen, Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise, Premier League team Crystal Palace, and Norwegian side Lillestrom. Their four away fixtures will take them to Spanish club Real Sociedad, Belgian team Anderlecht, German side Hoffenheim, and Polish club Jagiellonia.
Lyon face demanding European schedule
The UEFA Europa League is the secondary club competition in European football, organized annually by European football's governing body UEFA. Under the updated format introduced for the tournament, traditional group stages have been replaced by a single 36-team standings table where each club plays eight different opponents.
Lyon, a historic power in French football based in the city of Lyon, previously won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the 2000s and reached the Champions League semi-finals twice, making their return to European group competition a vital target for the club.
Marseille also received an intriguing set of fixtures across their eight league phase encounters. At the Stade Velodrome, Marseille will host Greek team Olympiakos, Belgian side Anderlecht, Spanish club Celta Vigo, and Bulgarian team Levski Sofia.
Their away schedule features trips to face Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, Scottish champions Celtic at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Austrian team Sturm Graz, and Turkish side Besiktas at their stadium in Istanbul.
Marseille handed tough away trips and transfer updates
Following the conclusion of the draw ceremony, Marseille president Stéphane Richard addressed media inquiries regarding ongoing transfer business. Asked about target player Paixao, Richard described him as an excellent player before noting that the transfer window had not yet closed and stating that Marseille needed to reduce their total wage bill.
Marseille, located on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, remain the only French club to have won the UEFA Champions League, lifting the trophy in 1993. The club maintains one of the largest fan bases in French sport, with matches at the 67,000-seat Stade Velodrome known for their intense atmosphere.
Stade Rennes, managed by head coach Franck Haise, received a relatively favorable path through the league phase, though their schedule includes a high-profile fixture against Italian giants Juventus in Turin. In addition to their trip to Italy, Rennes will travel to face Czech team Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz in Austria, and Dutch side N.E.C. Nijmegen.
Rennes draw Juventus alongside squad clarification
For their home matches in Brittany, Rennes will welcome Olympiakos, Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, Cypriot club Omonia, and Greek team OFI Crete. The Breton club avoided several higher-rated top seeds in the draw pots.
Rennes executive Arnaud Pouille provided squad news shortly after the draw, speaking directly to television broadcaster Canal. Pouille confirmed that player Esteban Le Paul would remain at Rennes for the current season, delivering reassurance to supporters following transfer speculation.
Rennes, based in the city of Rennes in northwestern France, have established themselves as regular European competitors over the past decade. Manager Franck Haise joined the club after achieving notable domestic success with Lens, known for developing organized defensive structures and fast counter-attacking play.
Monaco discover Conference League opponents
AS Monaco also learned their fate during Friday's procedures, discovering their six opponents for the UEFA Conference League phase. Monaco will play home matches at the Stade Louis II against German team Freiburg, Gibraltar club Lincoln Red Imps, and Danish side Nordsjaelland, while traveling for away fixtures against English Premier League team Brighton, Scottish club Hearts of Midlothian, and Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia.
Across the draw ceremony in Monaco, French clubs avoided being paired against Portuguese side Benfica, while no French team was drawn against Italian side AC Milan. The draw was conducted using automated computer software rather than the traditional manual selection of physical numbered balls.
The draw event coverage concluded on Friday afternoon, with attention turning toward the upcoming round of Ligue 1 domestic league matches and mountain racing coverage from the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc event in Chamonix.
