West Ham United will discover their opponents for the play-off round of the Europa Conference League on Tuesday afternoon, with David Moyes’ side just 180 minutes away from qualification for the full competition.
The Hammers’ seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last season was enough to reach the play-off qualifying round of Europe’s newest club competition, meaning the Hammers must win a two-legged play-off match this month to guarantee a place in the competition’s group stages.
But when is the draw and who could the Irons come up against? Here, football.london takes a detailed look at how the draw works, when West Ham have their play-off match, and who they could face.
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When is the draw?
The draw is taking place on Tuesday, August 2, at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw will take place at 1pm UK time.
What do West Ham have to do reach the group stages?
For the Hammers to reach the group stages, they must win one qualifying match over two legs, with one home leg and one away leg. When Tottenham Hotspur reached this stage last season, they faced Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira over two legs, with Spurs winning 3-1 on aggregate.
Who could they face?
Due to the tight turnaround of the qualifying rounds, West Ham are likely to be drawn against a side that comes through the third round of qualifying from the Europa Conference League, meaning they will not discover their opponents until a week before their tie takes place.
The draw will be split into two parts, the 'Champions Path', and the 'Main Path'. The majority of sides, including West Ham, will be playing in the Main Path. Seeded sides, such as the Hammers, will be drawn against an unseeded side. The seeded teams and the unseeded teams have now been grouped together, meaning West Ham will face the winners of one of five third round qualifying ties.
Here is who they could be drawn against at this stage.
- Winners of AIK (Sweden) vs Shkendija (North Macedonia)
- Winners of Riga (Latvia) vs Gil Vicente (Portugal)
- Winners of Wolfsberger (Austria) vs Gzira United (Malta)
- Winners of Paide Linnameeskond (Estonia) vs Anderlecht (Belgium)
- Winners of Viborg (Denmark) vs B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands)
When will the fixtures take place?
The first leg of the play-off round ties will take place on Thursday, August 18, with the return leg taking place a week later on Thursday, August 25.
How can I follow the draw?
Football.London will be blogging the draw live, so stay tuned for the latest and to find out where the Hammers will play later this month.
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