The Hammers get breathing space

The last 24 competing in the the Europa League and Champions League group stages have been finalised with West Ham is among the eight teams automatically qualifying for the Round of 16.

That of course takes place in March meaning the Hammers get breathing space within the Premier League as we  bidto climb the league in a bid to ensure another European adventure next season.

The eight teams finishing as runners-up will be involved in a two-legged play-off round against the eight teams finishing third in their respective Champions League groups. The winners of these play-offs will secure a spot in the Round of 16.

The teams securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16 by winning their Europa League groups are as follows:

Group A: West Ham United
Group B: Brighton & Hove Albion
Group C: Rangers (Scotland)
Group D: Atalanta (Italy)
Group E: Liverpool
Group F: Villarreal (Spain)
Group G: Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
Group H: Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)

The eight runners-up from each group set to compete in the play-off round are:

Group A: SC Freiburg (Germany)
Group B: Marseille (France)
Group C: Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Group D: Sporting (Portugal)
Group E: Toulouse (France)
Group F: Rennes (France)
Group G: AS Roma (Italy)
Group H: Qarabag FK (Azerbaijan)
These eight teams will face the eight clubs dropping from the Champions League, which include:

Group A: Galatasaray (Turkey)
Group B: Lens (France)
Group C: Braga (Portugal)
Group D: Benfica (Portugal)
Group E: Feyenoord (Netherlands)
Group F: AC Milan (Italy)
Group G: Young Boys (Switzerland)
Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
The play-off round is scheduled for February 2024, with the Round of 16 legs set to take place on March 7 and 14, 2024.