The UEFA Conference League is set to introduce an exciting new format this season, moving away from the traditional group stage to a league phase that includes all 36 participating clubs. Each team will be divided into six seeded pots, allowing them to compete against one club from each pot for a total of six matches, a change from the eight games typically played in the Champions League and Europa League.
In this inaugural league phase, Chelsea will embark on their first-ever journey in the Conference League after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season.
The London club will travel to Germany to face Heidenheim, who secured their spot by finishing eighth in their debut Bundesliga campaign, as well as to Athens to take on Panathinaikos, a former European Cup runner-up.
Chelsea will also host matches against Gent from Belgium, Shamrock Rovers from Ireland, and FC Noah from Armenia, who successfully navigated four qualifying rounds to reach this stage, when their first opponent was Sliema Wanderers.
The draw for the league phase took place on Friday in Monaco, and Chelsea is eager to add the Conference League trophy to their impressive collection, which already includes two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, two Cup Winners’ Cups, and two UEFA Super Cups.
Fiorentina, who were runners-up in the last two editions of the tournament, including last season’s final against Olympiakos, will also be competing. They will face The New Saints, marking the first time a club from the Welsh league system has reached this level of European competition.
Real Betis will represent Spain, while no French teams will participate in the league phase after Lens was eliminated by Panathinaikos in the play-offs.
Scottish side Hearts will have a challenging schedule, taking on FC Copenhagen and Cercle Brugge away, as well as hosting Heidenheim.
Meanwhile, Larne, the first Northern Irish club to reach this stage, will welcome Shamrock Rovers, who will also compete against The New Saints.
UEFA is expected to announce specific fixture dates on Saturday, with the first matches scheduled for October 3 and the final matchday set for December 19. The season’s Conference League final will take place in Wroclaw, Poland, on May 28 of next year.
Here are all the draws:
