2023-24 Europa League group stage draw: Liverpool land LASK & Union SG as West Ham get Olympiacos

Elsewhere, Brighton’s first experience of continental competition has seen them drawn against Ajax and Marseille, with Scottish giants Rangers – who failed to progress through the Champions League qualifiers – due to come up against Real Betis and Sparta Prague.

Group A

West Ham, Olympiacos, Freiburg, TSC Backa Topola

Group B

Ajax, Marseille, Brighton, AEK Athens

Group C

Rangers, Real Betis, Sparta Prague, Aris Limassol

Group D

Atalanta, Sporting, Sturm, Rakow

Group E

Liverpool, LASK, Union SG, Toulouse

Group F

Villarreal, Rennes, Maccabi Haifa, Panathinaikos

Group G

Roma, Slavia Prague, Sheriff, Servette

Group H

Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde, Hacken

Liverpool last played in the Europa League back in 2015-16, when they made it all the way to the final before coming unstuck against tournament specialists Sevilla. West Ham reached the semi-finals back in 2022, before going one better in the Europa Conference League last season as they claimed a prestigious trophy. Rangers have also graced a final in recent times, with the Glasgow heavyweights suffering a penalty shootout defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.

The first round of group stage fixtures will take place on September 21, with a further five matchdays playing out from that point – taking things through to December 14. Every team involved in the competition is hoping to steer a course to Dublin on May 22, 2024 – when major silverware will come up for grabs at the Aviva Stadium.