THE EUROPA LEAGUE group stage draw is here!
And Leicester City and West Ham will be eagerly awaiting the draw this morning as they look to begin their campaigns.
- Start time: 11am BST/ Europa Conference League draw 12.30pm
- TV/live stream: BT Sport/ BT Sport YouTube (FREE)
- Spurs in Europa Conference League draw
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Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
- Sam Dymond
FEEL THE KING POWER
Leicester City's draw is undoubtedly tougher than that of their Premier League rival with games against Napoli, Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw awaiting the Foxes.
All three opponents present intimidating away trips for Brendan Rodgers' team, and so they will likely look to get their points on the board at home.
- Sam Dymond
HAPPY HAMMERS
It's fair to say that West Hams fans are pretty pleased with life at the Olympic Stadium at the moment.
David Moyes' men have thumped four in their opening two Premier League games to sit top of the table, and are now preparing for their first foray into European football in five years.
The Hammers have been handed the ideal Europa League group against opponents that are the perfect combination of being beatable and based in attractive destinations.
- Sam Dymond
NEW FACES
And new places for the Leicester City faithful.
The Foxes will travel to Italy, Russia and Poland for competitive fixtures for the first time.
- Sam Dymond
POT FOUR
All done!
Legia Warsaw enter Leicester's Group C while West Ham fans have a trip to Vienna to look forward to as Rapid join Group H.
It will be green and white aplenty in Group G as Hungarian side Ferencvaros are draw alongside Celtic and Real Betis, while Brondby have been added to Rangers' Group A.
The local law enforcement for clubs in Group E will be delighted that supporters are back in stadiums with Lazio, Locomotiv Moscow, Marseille and Galatasaray all placed together.
- GROUP A: Lyon, Rangers, Sparta Prague, Brondby
- GROUP B: Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Real Sociedad, Sturm Graz
- GROUP C: Napoli, Leicester, Spartak Moscow, Legia Warsaw
- GROUP D: Olympiakos, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, Antwerp
- GROUP E: Lazio, Locomotiv Moscow, Marseille, Galatasaray
- GROUP F: Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets, Midtjylland
- GROUP G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Real Betis, Ferencvaros
- GROUP H: Dinamo Zagreb, Genk, West Ham, Rapid Vienna
POT THREE
Leicester City and Napoli are joined by Spartak Moscow in Group C.
Meanwhile, there are wry smiles from representatives of Rangers as the Scottish Premiership club are paired with Sparta Prague. It was in last season's competition that tempers flared after their midfielder Glen Kamara was the subject of racist abuse from a Slavia Prague player.
Across Glasgow, Celtic also have two tricky matches with Real Betis to contend with.
- GROUP A: Lyon, Rangers, Sparta Prague
- GROUP B: Monaco, PSV Eindhoven, Real Sociedad
- GROUP C: Napoli, Leicester, Spartak Moscow
- GROUP D: Olympiakos, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce
- GROUP E: Lazio, Locomotiv Moscow, Marseille
- GROUP F: Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Ludogorets
- GROUP G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic, Real Betis
- GROUP H: Dinamo Zagreb, Genk, West Ham
HAMMER TIME
West Ham are out and find themselves in a winnable Group H! They join Dinamo Zagreb and Genk.
The sight of Mark Noble lifting the Europa League trophy next year is not yet out of the question…
POT TWO
Halfway through the draw and the excitement is already building for fans of Leicester City, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic.
- GROUP A: Lyon, Rangers
- GROUP B: Monaco, PSV Eindhoven
- GROUP C: Napoli, Leicester
- GROUP D: Olympiakos, Eintracht Frankfurt
- GROUP E: Lazio, Locomotiv Moscow
- GROUP F: Braga, Red Star Belgrade
- GROUP G: Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic
- GROUP H: Dinamo Zagreb, Genk
FOXES ON THE LOOSE
Leicester City have been drawn, and will slot in Group C alongside Napoli of Serie A.
POT ONE
It's all straightforward enough with Pot One as the eight clubs drawn out are placed into the corresponding group in alphabetical order.
- GROUP A: Lyon
- GROUP B: Monaco
- GROUP C: Napoli
- GROUP D: Olympiakos
- GROUP E: Lazio
- GROUP F: Braga
- GROUP G: Bayer Leverkusen
- GROUP H: Dinamo Zagreb
- Sam Dymond
HERE WE GO!
Ex-Sevilla goalkeeper Andres Palop and former Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna have been introduced as the special guests to help conduct this season's group stage draw.
But first, we're forced to sit through some overly-complicated instructions on how the draw will play out. It makes flatpack furniture look a doddle.
- Sam Dymond
A GUY CALLED GERARD
Gerard Moreno scores seven goals in 12 Europa League appearances as Villarreal went on to claim the trophy in May, and he's been rewarded by being named last season's Player of the Tournament.
The Spanish international was voted the winner ahead of Manchester United pair Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes by the 48 clubs that participated last year, as well as 55 football journalists.
- Sam Dymond
HOST WELCOME
A smattering of socially-distanced applause introduces hosts Pedro Pinto and Laura Wontorra to the stage, and the pair are straight at it…
…and by it, I mean hyping up the Europa Conference League.
The draw for UEFA's new competition will take place in approximately an hour and a half, but first it's the Europa League, and what better way to build excitement for it than by reminding Manchester United fans of where it all went wrong for them in last season's final.
The Red Devils were defeated on penalties by Villarreal in Gdansk in what was a first European title for the Yellow Submarine – but a fourth Europa League success for their manager, Unai Emery.
- Sam Dymond
GOOD MORNING
Welcome to our live coverage of the draw for the group stage of this year's Europa League.
We're in Istanbul where 32 balls will be drawn, including those of West Ham United and Leicester City.
The Premier League pair are two of 12 clubs that qualified for this stage of the competition courtesy of last season's league position, and they'll also be joined by ten sides that have dropped in after missing out on the Champions League – and another ten, who have qualified via the play-offs.
Scottish duo Rangers and Celtic are also in the hat, as are Serie A sides Napoli and Lazio, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen of the Bundesliga, and Lyon, Marseille and Monaco from France.
Eight groups – A to H – will be drawn with teams separated into four pots, based on their UEFA club coefficient. At this point of the tournament, sides cannot be paired in a group with another from their own domestic league.
Stick with us for the draw as it happens plus all the reaction from those involved. Later, we'll also be bringing you live coverage of the draw for the group stage of the inaugural Europa Conference League.
Give those balls a swirl… now let's go!
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