Chelsea are back in European football, but it is the third-tier of UEFA competitions for the Blues this season.
They are in the Europa Conference League, having edged past Servette in the play-off round. Enzo Maresca’s side were beaten 2-1 in the second leg, but did just about enough to hold on for a 3-2 aggregate win.
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It means Chelsea take their place in the new-look Conference League, which this season had 36 teams in it. Rather than the usual groups of four, all clubs will go into one league. Every team will face one side from each of the six seeding pots.
The draw takes place on Friday at 1:30pm BST and much of it will be automated due to the complex nature of the league phase.
The top eight ranked teams after these six matches will go straight through to the last-16, with those finishing ninth to 24th facing a knockout phase play-off to join them. Teams in ninth to 16th will be seeded for that draw.
Which pot are Chelsea in for the Conference League draw?
Chelsea have been placed in Pot 1, as they have the highest UEFA coefficient of any club in the tournament.
Who can Chelsea face in the Conference League draw?
The Blues will face one side from each of the six pots.
Pot 1: Chelsea, Copenhagen, Gent, Fiorentina, LASK, Real Betis
Pot 2: Istanbul Basaksehir, Molde, Legia Warsaw, Heidenheim, Djurgarden, Apoel Nicosia
Pot 3: Rapid Wien, Omonia Nicosia, HJK Helsinki, Vitoria, Astana, Olimpija Ljubljana
Pot 4: Cercle Brugge, Shamrock Rovers, The New Saints, Lugano, Mlada Boleslav, Hearts
Pot 5: Petrocub, St Gallen, Panathinaikos, TSC Backa Topola, Borac Banja Luka, Jagiellonia
Pot 6: Celje, Larne, Dinamo Minsk, Pafos, Vikingur Reykjavik, Noah
Conference League group-stage matchdays
Matchday 1: October 3, 2024
Matchday 2: October 24, 2024
Matchday 3: November 7, 2024
Matchday 4: November 28, 2024
Matchday 5: December 12, 2024
