Super Eagles stars Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina have discovered their opponents for the UEFA Europa League round of 16 play-offs following Friday’s draw.
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Iheanacho’s Celtic have been paired against German Bundesliga side Stuttgart, while Nottingham Forest duo Awoniyi and Aina will face Turkish giants Fenerbahce in a two-legged encounter.
Celtic, who finished 21st in the league phase standings, will host Stuttgart in the first leg at Celtic Park before travelling to Germany for the return fixture.
The winner of the tie will progress to face either Porto or Braga in the round of 16.
The Scottish champions sealed their place in the play-offs with a 4–2 victory over Utrecht in their final league-phase match.
Nottingham Forest, who ended the league phase in 13th position, earned the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
Forest secured qualification with an emphatic 4–0 win over Ferencvaros and will now battle Fenerbahce for a place in the last 16.
If they advance, Forest will meet either Midtjylland or Real Betis.
The Europa League play-off matches are scheduled for 19 and 26 February.
Meanwhile, the top eight teams from the league phase — Lyon, Aston Villa, Midtjylland, Real Betis, Porto, Braga, Freiburg and Roma — have already booked automatic spots in the round of 16.
The 2026 UEFA Europa League final will be held on 20 May at Besiktas Park in Istanbul, Turkey.
Europa League Play-off Draw (First Legs):
Ludogorets vs Ferencvaros
Panathinaikos vs Viktoria Plzen
GNK Dinamo vs Genk
PAOK vs Celta
Celtic vs Stuttgart
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest
SK Brann vs Bologna
Lille vs Red Star Belgrade
Teams listed first will host the first leg.
