When is the Europa League Last 16 draw? West Ham's potential opponents including Rennes, Benfica & more

West Ham concluded their Europa League group stage fixtures with a 2-0 home win over SC Freiburg which not only secured their qualification but ensured they went through as group winners.

Doing so was important for David Moyes' side as it means they avoid an extra two-legged fixture in the competition's Knockout Play-Off round. Had they finished second in the group they would have but instead they advance directly to the Last 16 along with the seven other group winners including Premier League rivals Liverpool and Brighton as well as Rangers.

Here is everything Reds' fans need to know about when the draw for both the knockout play-off round and the Last 16 will take place and who they could end up facing:

When is the Europa League Last 16 draw and how does it work?

The Europa League knockout play-off draw will be held on Monday, December 18 at 12:00 GMT. It will take place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Europa League group stage runners-up will be seeded and drawn against teams who finished third in the Champions League group stages and teams from the same country cannot be drawn together. West Ham, and the other seven Europa League group stage winners advance straight to the Last 16 phase.

The play-offs will be played on February 15 and 22, 2024 before the draw for the Last 16 is held on 23 February.

Who is in the Europa League Last 16 and the knockout play-off?

These are the eight clubs, including West Ham, who have already qualified for the Last 16 stage by winning their Europa League group:

• Atalanta
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Brighton
• Liverpool
• Rangers
• Villarreal
• Slavia Prague
• West Ham

These are the 16 teams who will feature in Monday's knockout play-off stage draw with the eight winners advancing to make up the last 16:

Seeded

• Freiburg
• Marseille
• Qarabag
• Rennes
• Roma
• Sparta Prague
• Sporting Lisbon
• Toulouse

Unseeded

• Benfica
• Braga
• Feyenoord
• Galatasaray
• Lens
• Milan
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Young Boys

Is the Last 16 draw seeded?

Yes, West Ham and the other seven group stage winners will be seeded for the Last 16 draw and the knockout play-off round winners will be unseeded. That means Liverpool will not come up against the likes of Rangers, Liverpool or Brighton. Teams from the same country once again cannot be drawn together but, with no English clubs involved in the play-off knockout round that should not impact the Hammers.

When are the Europa League Last 16 fixtures being played?

The first legs of the Europa League Last 16 will be played on March 7, 2024. The second legs will then be played on March 14, 2024.

These are the dates for the later sages of the competition after the Last 16:

• Quarter-finals: 11 and 18 April 2024
• Semi-finals: 2 and 9 May 2024
• Final: 22 May 2024

The final of the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League is set to be held at The Aviva Stadium in Dublin which has a capacity of 51,711 spectators for football and Rugby Union matches.