West Ham United are in elite company.
The Hammers are one of only six clubs to have reached the quarter-finals of European competition in each of the last three seasons.
The other five are Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica and Roma, European giants all.
David Moyes’ West Ham reached the UEFA Europa League last-eight with a Club European record 5-0 win over SC Freiburg of Germany at London Stadium on Thursday evening, completing a 5-1 aggregate victory.
The Irons’ win was their 26th in 35 European matches played since September 2021, their sixth in eight Europa League ties played this term, and third in four meetings with Freiburg in 2023/24.
Thursday’s success put West Ham into the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the second time in three years and Moyes, his players and the Claret and Blue Army will hope to emulate their victory over Olympique Lyonnais of France when they take to the pitch in April.
So, how does the tournament work from now on?
It is simple, to be honest!
West Ham United will be one of eight teams competing over two-legged quarter-finals, which will be played on Thursdays 11 and 18 April, barring any city clashes which can see fixtures moved.
Ties level after 180 minutes will go to extra time irrespective of the number of goals each team has scored at home and away. If the teams still cannot be separated after the additional 30 minutes, the tie goes to a penalty shootout.
The eight remaining teams will now be whittled down to two, who will contest the final at the Republic of Ireland’s Dublin Arena on 22 May 2024.
The ground is home to the Republic of Ireland national football and rugby sides and has hosted the Europa League final once before – in 2011, when Porto defeated fellow Portuguese team Braga 1-0.
When will the quarter-final draw take place?
You will actually get three-in-one as the draws for the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, semi-finals and final draws will take place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday 15 March 2024. The draw is scheduled to start at 12noon GMT (1pm CET).
Sporting director Mark Noble and Club secretary Andrew Pincher will represent the Club at the draws, while manager David Moyes and his staff prepare the squad for Sunday’s Premier League home game with Aston Villa at Rush Green training ground.
How can I follow the draw?
We will have news of the draw as soon as it happens on whufc.com, our official app and across our social media channels. You can also watch a live stream via the UEFA website.
We will then be providing exclusive reaction across our channels too.
How will the draw work?
West Ham United and the seven other UEFA Europa League round of 16 winners will go into an open draw, meaning there will be no seeding and no bar on clubs from the same national association facing one another, which means the Irons could face Liverpool!
The first legs will be played on Thursday 11 April, and the second legs on Thursday 18 April.
Confirmation of dates and kick-off times is likely to follow the draw late on Friday afternoon.
So, who could we play against?
The eight teams who will be in the hat for Friday’s draw hail from five different countries – three from Italy, two from England and one each from France, Germany and Portugal. They are:
AC Milan (ITA)
Atalanta (ITA)
Benfica (POR)
Leverkusen (GER)
Liverpool (ENG)
Marseille (FRA)
Roma (ITA)
West Ham United (ENG)
When will our ties be played?
Almost certainly on consecutive Thursdays 11 and 18 April.
Dates, venues, kick-off times and ticket information for both ties will be confirmed following the draw and discussions with UEFA, our opponents and other stakeholders.
Without getting ahead of ourselves, when will the later rounds be played?
11 & 18 April 2024: Quarter-finals*
2 & 9 May 2024: Semi-finals
22 May 2024: Final (Dublin Arena, Dublin, Republic of Ireland)
*To be confirmed
