Nottingham Forest to face Fenerbahce in Europa League R16 play-offs
What's the story
Nottingham Forest will take on Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League knockout play-off round. The draw was made on Friday, with Celtic drawn against German side Stuttgart. Forest were seeded after finishing 13th in the league phase and could have faced either Rafael Benitez's Panathinaikos or Fenerbahce. They will now meet the latter, with the first leg scheduled for Istanbul on February 19 and a return leg at City Ground on February 26.
Tough match-up
Celtic drawn against Stuttgart
Celtic, who were unseeded in the draw after finishing 21st, will host Stuttgart for the first leg of their tie. The Scottish side was denied a reunion with Robbie Keane, manager of Ferencvaros. Celtic have faced Stuttgart before and won 5-4 on aggregate in the last-16 round of UEFA Cup back in 2003.
Future match-ups
Forest could meet Midtjylland or Real Betis in last-16
If Nottingham Forest manage to get past Fenerbahce, they will take on either Danish side Midtjylland or Real Betis of Spain in the last-16 round. This is contingent on their success in the knockout play-off round against Fenerbahce. The Europa League knockout stage promises some exciting match-ups as teams from different leagues battle it out for a spot in the next round.
Draw
Here's a look at the draw
Here's a look at the Europa League round of 16 play-off draw. Dinamo Zagreb vs Genk Brann vs Bologna Ludogorets vs Ferencvaros Celtic vs Stuttgart Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzen Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest PAOK vs Celta Vigo Lille vs Red Star Belgrade
Twitter Post
Draw!
The knockout phase play-offs ✅#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/vjT1TzsBsW
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) January 30, 2026