The draw for the Round of 32 took place on 19 December 2008, the day after the final round of UEFA Cup group stage matches. The draw was conducted by UEFA Secretary David Taylor and 2009 UEFA Cup Final ambassador Can Bartu, and featured the top three teams from each group in the group stage and the eight third-place finishers from the UEFA Champions League group stage. The draw saw each UEFA Cup group winner paired with the third-placed team from another UEFA Cup group and each UEFA Cup group runner-up paired with a third-placed team from the UEFA Champions League, with the only restriction on the draw being that teams from the same national association could not be drawn together. The UEFA Cup group winners and runners-up each played the second leg of their Round of 32 ties at home.