The draw for the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League group stages took place on Friday, with Mihlali Mayambela’s Aris Limassol getting a tough group in the first appearance.
Limassol booked their tickets after beating Slovan Bratislava 7-4 on aggregate, with Mayambela netting two goals and setting up one more over the two legs.
They are one of 32 teams partaking in this year’s group stages, alongside teams such as Liverpool, West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Real Betis, Bayer Leverkusen and Rangers.
The draw featured 32 teams – 12 automatic qualifiers, 10 Europa League play-off winners and 10 sides transferring from the UEFA Champions League play-offs or third qualifying round League path.
Aris were paired with Rangers, Real Betis and Sparta Praha in one of the tougher groups of the competition.
Below is the full Europa League group stage draw:
Group A: West Ham United, Olympiacos, Freiburg, Backa Topola
Group B: Ajax, Marseille, Brighton, AEK Athens
Group C: Rangers, Real Betis, Sparta Praha, Aris Limassol
Group D: Atalanta, Sporting, Sturm Graz, Rakow
Group E: Liverpool, LASK, Saint-Gilloise, Toulouse
Group F: Villarreal, Stade Rennes, Maccabi, Panathinaikos
Group G: AS Roma, Slavia Praha, Sheriff, Servette
Group H: Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde, BK Hacken
The Europa League group stages will be played between 21 September and 14 December.