- Chelsea will face one of SC Braga or Servette in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off
- The Blues qualified for the competition after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season
- Former head coach Mauricio Pochettino was dismissed after missing out on Champions League spot
Chelsea have been drawn against the losers of the Europa League play-off tie between Servette and SC Braga in their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off.
The Londoners qualified for the competition despite finishing sixth in the Premier League after Manchester United won the FA Cup and knocked them off the UEFA Europa League automatic spot.
Mauricio Pochettino paid for the season with his job after failing to meet the minimum requirement of the UEFA Champions League spot, which the Todd Boehly-led owners demanded.
Chelsea learn UECL opponent
As one of the seeded teams, the Blues will play the loser between Servette and SC Braga, one of whom will drop to the competition from the Europa League qualification.
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The first leg is scheduled for Thursday, 22 August, with the return a week later on Thursday, 29 August, with the Blues going straight to the group if they win as a seeded team.
As noted by Chelseafc, the competition, like other UEFA competitions, Champions League and Europa League, will be a single group of 36 teams, with each club playing six games, three at home and three away.
The top eight teams will qualify for the round of 16, while the ninth to 24th will have a play-off, where the winners will head to join the first eight, and then it'll be a straight knockout.
The Blues could become the first team to win all three UEFA competitions if they win, having won the Champions League and Europa League twice each.
Jose Mourinho's AS Roma won the inaugural competition in 2022. English club West Ham won in 2023, while Greek club Olympiacos won last season.
Source: Legit.ng