Europa Conference League: Tottenham drawn against Pacos De Ferreira or Larne FC in play-off

Tottenham are drawn against either FC Pacos De Ferreira OR Larne FC of Northern Ireland in the Europa Conference League play-off round

  • Tottenham have found out their Europa Conference League play-off opponents
  • They will play either FC Pacos De Ferreira OR Larne FC of Ireland 
  • The London club qualified for the competition by finishing seventh last year
  • The play-off will be a two-legged affair, played on August 19 and August 26 

Tottenham will play either FC Pacos De Ferreira or Larne FC in the Europa Conference League play-off round, it was confirmed after the draw on Monday. 

The two-legged encounter will take place once the Premier League season has begun, with the first match on August 19 and the second a week later on August 26.  

Tottenham will play the first leg away from home, a benefit they were given due to their UEFA coefficient, before returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the following week. 

Nuno Espirito Santo leads Tottenham into the inaugural Europa Conference League campaign

The draw came shortly after Harry Kane failed to report for his return to training on Monday

The draw came shortly after Harry Kane failed to report for his return to training on Monday

The north London club will officially find out their opponents following the conclusion of the third qualifying round, which will be completed on August 12, after the first leg takes place this week. 

Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira came fifth in the Primeira Liga last year, while Larne finished the Northern Ireland Football League Premiership campaign in fourth.  

If Tottenham come out the winners over the two legs, they will progress to the group stages of the competition, which run from September through to December.  

Tottenham qualified for the inaugural tournament by finishing in seventh place in a highly turbulent Premier League campaign, in which Ryan Mason claimed four wins from six to see off the season after replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho.   

The group stages of the newly-formed competition start in September, with the knockouts getting underway in March and the final in May

The group stages of the newly-formed competition start in September, with the knockouts getting underway in March and the final in May 

Europa Conference League Group Stage
Match day Match date
Match 1  September 16 
Match 2 September 30 
Match 3  October 21 
Match 4  November 4 
Match 5  November 25 
Match 6  December 9 
Europa Conference League Knockout Stage 
Round  First Leg   Second Leg
Knockout play-offs February 17 February 24 
Round of 16  March 10  March 17 
Quarter-finals  April 7  April 14 
Semi-finals  April 28  May 5 
Final  May 25  N/A 

The Europa Conference League comes in as a new tournament, running alongside the pre-existing Champions League and Europa League formats.    

UEFA are determined to give more clubs the opportunity to play European football, which is why they have introduced the new format.    

‘The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before,’ UEFA president Aleksandr Ceferin said of the tournament. 

‘There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.’ 

Tottenham have been more familiar to higher level competition in recent years, having reached the final of the Champions League in 2019 and the last 16 of the Europa League last season. 

There, Mourinho’s side were inexplicably knocked out Dinamo Zagreb, despite winning the first leg 2-0. 

Kane is pushing for a move to Manchester City, who are closing in on midfielder Jack Grealish

Kane is pushing for a move to Manchester City, who are closing in on midfielder Jack Grealish

It was a damning blow for Tottenham, who once again finished the campaign without a trophy – a run that now stretches back to the League Cup win under Juande Ramos in 2008.  

And heading into the 2021/22 campaign, Tottenham face a fight to keep talisman Harry Kane. 

The forward, who wants to move to Manchester City, failed to report to training on Monday after returning from his summer break.

Kane has made his desire to leave public in the search of his new challenge, and he believes he has a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Daniel Levy that he can leave this summer.     

The Spurs chairman is not willing to entertain a bid of less than £150million, however.  

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