Manchester United Advance to the Round of 16 Phase of the Europa League (What It Means)

Fotbal Club FCSB v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8
Fotbal Club FCSB v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 | Vasile Mihai-Antonio/GettyImages

Manchester United finished a strong Europa League campaign with a 2-0 win against Romania's FCSB. Let's take a look at the new Europa League format and what it means for the remainder of the competition.

Diogo Dalot scored his first goal since May while Kobbie Mainoo was also on target in a comfortable 2-0 victory over Romanian side FCSB at National Arena in Bucharest on Thursday (January 30). This result secured the Red Devils a spot in the top eight of the newly formatted table, qualifying them for the round of 16 competition phase. The remaining teams placed 9th-24th advance to a playoff round to decide the final eight spots in the last 16, with clubs placed 25th-36th eliminated.

Opposed to previous years, where this portion of the tournament was considered “The Group Stage,” now all 36 teams participating in the Europa league compete and are placed in a table to dictate who advances to the round of 16 phase of the competition.

Who Can Manchester United Face In The Round of 16?

Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD8
Ruben Amorim's Manchester United were the only team unbeaten in the Europa League | Vasile Mihai-Antonio/GettyImages

The new format allows the top eight teams in the table to automatically qualify for the last 16, securing Manchester United’s safety for now. The Red Devils will face either La Liga side Real Sociedad, Turkish giants Galatasaray, Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar, or Danish side Midtjylland in the Round of 16. Fans familiar with the previous format will breathe a sigh of relief as the remaining portion of the tournament will return to two-legged play-off ties until a winner-take-all championship final is held at the San Mames in Bilbao, Spain.

Currently sat 12th in the Premier League table, The Europa League appears to be one of two potential remaining chances at silverware for Manchester United this season. The other is the FA Cup, in which they are the reigning champions after an unexpected 2-1 win against Manchester City last season under former manager Erik ten Hag. Given the strength of the competition, United’s current coach Ruben Amorin will indeed be prioritizing the Europa League competition for the remainder of the season now that the trophy is within sight.