UEFA Europa League explained

UEFA Europa League
Organiser:UEFA
Founded:
(rebranded in 2009)
Region:Europe
Number Of Teams:36 (league stage)
58 (total)
Qualifier For:UEFA Super Cup
UEFA Champions League
Related Comps:
Current:2024–25 UEFA Europa League

The UEFA Europa League (previously known as the UEFA Cup), abbreviated as UEL or sometimes UEFA EL, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Conference League.

Introduced in 1971 as the UEFA Cup, it replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The UEFA Cup was the third-tier European club competition from 1971 to 1999 before the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued,[1] [2] and it is still often referred to as the "C3" in reference to this. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions.

In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was merged with the UEFA Cup and discontinued as a separate competition.[3] From the 2004–05 season a group stage was added before the knockout phase. The competition took on its current name in 2009,[4] [5] following a change in format.[6] The 2009 re-branding included a merge with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, producing an enlarged competition format, with an expanded group stage and a change in qualifying criteria. The winner of the UEFA Europa League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, for the following season's UEFA Champions League since the 2014–15 season, entering at the group stage, as well as for the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge — a friendly cup against the winners of the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana — since 2023.

Spanish clubs have the highest number of victories (14 wins), followed by teams from Italy (10 wins) and England (9 wins). The title has been won by 30 clubs, 14 of which have won it more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Sevilla, with seven titles. Colombian striker Radamel Falcao holds the record of most goals (17) scored in a single season of the tournament.[7]

History

Winners
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
SeasonWinner
UEFA Cup
1971–72 Tottenham Hotspur
1972–73 Liverpool
1973–74 Feyenoord
1974–75 Borussia Mönchengladbach
1975–76 Liverpool 
1976–77 Juventus
1977–78 PSV Eindhoven
1978–79 Borussia Mönchengladbach 
1979–80 Eintracht Frankfurt
1980–81 Ipswich Town
1981–82 IFK Göteborg
1982–83 Anderlecht
1983–84 Tottenham Hotspur 
1984–85 Real Madrid
1985–86 Real Madrid 
1986–87 IFK Göteborg 
1987–88 Bayer Leverkusen
1988–89 Napoli
1989–90 Juventus 
1990–91 Inter Milan
1991–92 Ajax
1992–93 Juventus 
1993–94 Inter Milan 
1994–95 Parma
1995–96 Bayern Munich
1996–97 Schalke 04
1997–98 Inter Milan 
1998–99 Parma 
1999–2000 Galatasaray
2000–01 Liverpool 
2001–02 Feyenoord 
2002–03 Porto
2003–04 Valencia
2004–05 CSKA Moscow
2005–06 Sevilla
2006–07 Sevilla 
2007–08 Zenit Saint Petersburg
2008–09 Shakhtar Donetsk
UEFA Europa League
2009–10 Atlético Madrid
2010–11 Porto 
2011–12 Atlético Madrid 
2012–13 Chelsea
2013–14 Sevilla 
2014–15 Sevilla 
2015–16 Sevilla 
2016–17 Manchester United
2017–18 Atlético Madrid 
2018–19 Chelsea 
2019–20 Sevilla 
2020–21 Villarreal
2021–22 Eintracht Frankfurt 
2022–23 Sevilla 
2023–24 Atalanta
2024–25
The UEFA Cup was preceded by the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971.[8] The competition grew from 11 teams during the first edition (1955–58) to 64 teams by the last edition which was played in 1970–71. It was replaced by the UEFA Cup, a new seasonal confederation competition with a different regulation, format and disciplinary committee.[9] [10]

The UEFA Cup was first played in the 1971–72 season, and ended with an all-English final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs taking the first honours.[11] The competition has since gained greater prestige and interest from the mass media than the Fairs Cup.[12] The title was retained by another English club, Liverpool, in 1973, who defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the final.[13] Gladbach won the competition in 1975[14] and 1979,[15] and reached the final in 1980.[16] Feyenoord won the cup in 1974 after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 on aggregate (2–2 in London, 2–0 in Rotterdam).[17] Liverpool won the competition for the second time in 1976 after defeating Club Brugge in the final.[18]

During the 1980s, IFK Göteborg (1982 and 1987)[19] [20] and Real Madrid (1985 and 1986)[21] [22] won the competition twice each, with Anderlecht reaching two consecutive finals, winning in 1983[23] and losing to Tottenham Hotspur in 1984.[24] 1989 saw the commencement of the Italian clubs' domination, when Diego Maradona's Napoli defeated VfB Stuttgart.[25] The 1990s started with two all-Italian finals,[26] and in 1992, Torino lost the final to Ajax on the away goals rule.[27] Juventus won the competition for a third time in 1993.[28] Inter Milan kept the cup in Italy in 1994.[29]

1995 saw a third all-Italian final, with Parma proving their consistency after two consecutive Cup Winners' Cup finals.[30] The only final with no Italians in the 1990s was in 1996.[31] Internazionale reached the final the following two years, losing in 1997 to Schalke 04 on penalties,[32] and winning another all-Italian final in 1998, taking home the cup for the third time in only eight years.[33] Parma won the cup in 1999, the last win of the Italian-domination era.[34] It was the last UEFA Cup/Europa League final appearance for any Italian club until Internazionale reached the 2020 final.[35]

The era of the 2000s began with victory for Galatasaray, the first Turkish team to win the trophy, defeating Arsenal.[36] Liverpool won the competition for the third time in 2001.[37] In 2002, Feyenoord became winners for the second time, defeating Borussia Dortmund.[38] Porto triumphed in the 2003[39] and 2011 tournaments, with the latter victory against fellow Portuguese side Braga.[40]

In 2004, the cup returned to Spain with Valencia being victorious.[41] CSKA Moscow won in 2005.[42] Sevilla succeeded on two consecutive occasions in 2006 and 2007,[43] the latter in a final against fellow Spaniards Espanyol.[44] Zenit Saint Petersburg won in 2008.[45] Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, won in 2009, the first Ukrainian side to do so.[46]

Since the 2009–10 season, the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League.[47] At the same time, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA's third-tier competition, was discontinued and merged into the new Europa League.[48]

Atlético Madrid won twice in three seasons, in 2010[49] and 2012, the latter in another all-Spanish final between them and Athletic Bilbao.[50] In 2013, Chelsea became the first Champions League holders to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League the following year.[51] In 2014, Sevilla won their third cup in eight years after defeating Benfica on penalties.[52] In 2015, Sevilla won their fourth UEFA Cup/Europa League[53] and, in an unprecedented feat, they defended their title a third year in a row beating Liverpool in the 2016 final, making them the most successful team in the history of the competition with five titles.[54] Atlético won their third title in 2018.[55] The 2019 all-London final between Chelsea and Arsenal was the first UEFA Cup/Europa League final between two teams from the same city.[56] Sevilla added a record-extending sixth victory in 2020, after defeating Inter Milan,[57] and won an unprecedented seventh title in 2023.[58]

Trophy

The UEFA Cup, also known as the Coupe UEFA, is the trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Europa League. Before the 2009–10 season, both the competition and the trophy were known as the 'UEFA Cup'.

Before the competition was renamed the UEFA Europa League in the 2009–10 season, the UEFA regulations stated that a club could keep the original trophy for a year before returning it to UEFA. After its return, the club could keep a four-fifths scale replica of the original trophy. Upon their third consecutive win or fifth win overall, a club could retain the trophy permanently.[59]

Under the new regulations, the trophy remains in UEFA's keeping at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to each winner of the competition. A club that wins three consecutive times or five times overall will receive a multiple-winner badge.[60] As of 2016–17, only Sevilla has earned the honour to wear the multiple-winner badge, having achieved both prerequired feats in 2016.[61]

The trophy was designed and crafted by Silvio Gazzaniga, who also designed the FIFA World Cup Trophy, working for Bertoni, for the 1972 UEFA Cup Final. It weighs and is silver on a yellow marble plinth. 67cm (26inches) tall, the cup is formed by a base with two onyx discs in which a band with the flags of the UEFA member nations is inserted. The lower part of the sculpture symbolises the stylised footballers and is surmounted by a hand-embossed slab.[62]

Anthem

A musical theme for the competition, the Anthem, is played before every Europa League game at a stadium hosting such an event and before every television broadcast of a Europa League game as a musical element of the competition's opening sequence.[63]

The competition's first anthem was composed by Yohann Zveig and recorded by the Paris Opera in early 2009. The theme for the re-branded UEFA Cup competition was first officially unveiled at the Grimaldi Forum on 28 August 2009 before the 2009–10 season group stage draw. A new anthem was composed by Michael Kadelbach and recorded in Berlin and was launched as part of the competition's rebranding at the start of the 2015–16 season.[64]

A new anthem created by MassiveMusic was composed for the start of the 2018–19 season.[65] It also can be heard at the start of UEFA Europa Conference League matches.

Format

Qualification

See also: UEFA coefficient. Qualification for the competition is based on UEFA coefficients, with better entrance rounds being offered to the more successful nations. In practice, each association has a standard number of three berths (across both the Europa League and the Conference League), except:

Usually, each country's places are awarded to teams who finish in various runners-up places in its top-flight league and the winner of the main cup competition. Typically the teams qualifying via the league are those in the highest places not eligible for the UEFA Champions League; however, the Belgian league awards one place via a playoff between First A and First B teams. Before its discontinuation in 2020–21, France offered a place to the winners of the Coupe de la Ligue.

A team may qualify for European competitions through more than one route. In all cases, if a club is eligible to enter the UEFA Champions League then the Champions League place takes precedence and the club does not enter the UEFA Europa League. The UEFA Europa League place is then granted to another club or vacated if the maximum limit of teams qualifying for European competitions is exceeded. If a team qualifies for European competition through both winning a cup and league placing, the "spare" UEFA Europa League place will go to the highest placed league team which has not already qualified for European competition, depending on the rules of the national association, or vacated, if the described limit is reached.

The top three ranked associations may qualify for the fourth berth if both the Champions League and Europa League champions are from that association and do not qualify for European competition through their domestic performance. In that case, the fourth-placed team in that association will join the Europa League instead of the Champions League, in addition to their other qualifying teams.

More recently, clubs that are knocked out of the qualifying round and the group stage of the Champions League can also join the UEFA Europa League, at different stages (see below). Formerly, the reigning champions qualified to defend their title, but since 2015 they qualify for the Champions League. From 1995 to 2015, three leagues gained one extra place via the UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking.

Background

UEFA coefficients were introduced in 1980 and, until 1999, they gave a greater number of berths in UEFA Cup to the more successful nations. Three nations had four places, five nations had three places, thirteen nations had two places, and eleven nations only one place. Since 1998, a similar system has been used for the UEFA Champions League. Before 1980, the entrance criteria of the last Fairs Cup was used.

Historical formats

The competition was traditionally a pure knockout tournament. All ties were two-legged, including the final. Starting with the 1997–98 season, the final became a one-off match, but all other ties remained two-legged.

Before the 2004–05 season, the tournament consisted of one qualifying round, followed by a series of knockout rounds. The sixteen non-qualifiers from the final qualifying round of the Champions League entered at the first round proper; later in the tournament, the survivors were joined by third-place finishers from the (first) group phase of the Champions League.

From the 2004–05 season, the competition started with two knockout qualifying rounds held in July and August. Participants from associations ranked 18 and lower entered the first qualifying round with those from associations ranked 9–18 joining them in the second qualifying round. In addition, three places in the first qualifying round were reserved for the UEFA Fair Play ranking winners (until 2015–16), and eleven places in the second qualifying round for the UEFA Intertoto Cup winners.

Winners of the qualifying rounds then joined teams from the associations ranked 1–13 in the first round proper. In addition, non-qualifiers in the third qualifying round of the Champions League also joined the competition at this point along with the current title-holders (unless they had qualified for the Champions League via their national league), for a total of 80 teams in the first round.

After the first knockout round, the 40 survivors entered a group phase, with the clubs being drawn into eight groups of five each. Unlike the Champions League group phase, the UEFA Cup group phase was played in a single round-robin format, with each club playing two home and two away games. The top three teams in each of the eight groups qualified for the main knockout round along with the eight third-placed teams in the Champions League group phase. From then on a series of two-legged knockout ties were played before a single-legged final, traditionally held on a Wednesday in May, exactly one week before the Champions League final.

In the 2009–10 season, the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League to raise its profile.[4] Eight more teams qualified for the group stage, which consisted of 12 groups with four teams each (in a double round-robin); the top two teams in each group advanced. The competition was then similar to the previous format, with four rounds of two-legged knockout rounds and a one-off final held at a neutral ground which met UEFA's Category Four stadium criteria. Matches are generally played on Thursdays. The final was played in May, on the Wednesday ten days before the Champions League final.

Qualification changed significantly. Associations ranked 7–9 in the UEFA coefficients sent the cup winners and three (two since the 2015–16 season) other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification; all other nations sent a cup winner and two other teams, except for Andorra and San Marino (who sent a cup winner and a runner-up) and Liechtenstein (who sent only a cup winner). Since Gibraltar was accepted as a full UEFA member at the 24 May 2013 UEFA Congress in London, their cup winner also qualified for the Europa League.

Although the other teams were the next-highest-ranked in each domestic league (after those qualifying for the UEFA Champions League), France and England continued to use one spot for their league-cup winners. With the abolition of the Intertoto Cup, all participants in the Europa League are qualified through domestic routes. The higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its members begin the qualification. However, every team except for the title-holder (until the 2014–15 season) and the highest-ranked (the cup winner or the best Europa League-qualified) from the top (six from 2012 to 2015, 12 since the 2015–16 season) associations had to play at least one qualification round.

Except for the teams mentioned, all teams eliminated in the Champions League preliminary round, qualifying rounds and play-off round are transferred to the Europa League. The 12 winners and runners-up in the group stage advance to the knockout round, with eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage.

The distribution was changed in 2014 to broaden the competition's appeal, giving the Europa League champions a Champions League qualification berth, more teams automatically qualified for the group stage. If cup winners had already qualified for European competition through league performance, their place in the league is vacated and goes to the best-ranked teams not qualified for European competition; the cup runner-up is no longer qualified through the cup berth.[66] [67] These rules became effective for the 2015–16 season.

Distribution (from 2018–19 to 2020–21)

Beginning with the 2018–19 tournament, all domestic champions eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League will transfer to the Europa League, rather than just teams that are eliminated in the third-qualifying and play-off rounds. Europa League qualifying will also provide a separate champions route for these teams, allowing more opportunities for domestic league champions to compete against each other.[68]

Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
Preliminary round
(16 teams)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 50–55
  • 7 domestic league runners-up from associations 49–55
  • 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 48–50
First qualifying round
(94 teams)
  • 25 domestic cup winners from associations 25–49
  • 30 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–48 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 31 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–47 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 8 winners from preliminary round
Second qualifying roundChampions
(20 teams)
  • 17 losers from Champions League first qualifying round
  • 3 losers from Champions League preliminary round
Non-champions
(74 teams)
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 18–24
  • 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17
  • 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 13–15
  • 9 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–15
  • 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 5–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 4 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–4 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 47 winners from first qualifying round
Third qualifying roundChampions
(20 teams)
  • 10 winners from second qualifying round for champions
  • 10 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for champions
Non-champions
(52 teams)
  • 5 domestic cup winners from associations 13–17
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6
  • 37 winners from second qualifying round for non-champions
  • 3 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for non-champions
Play-off roundChampions
(16 teams)
  • 10 winners from third qualifying round for champions
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for champions
Non-champions
(26 teams)
  • 26 winners from third qualifying round for non-champions
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 12 domestic cup winners from associations 1–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 5
  • 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 21 winners from play-off round
  • 6 losers from Champions League play-off round
  • 4 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for non-champions
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage

If the Europa League title holders already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic league, the following changes to the access list were made:

Distribution (from 2021–22 to 2023–24)

The announcement of the UEFA Europa Conference League, a tertiary competition which would serve to split off the lower-ranked teams in the Europa League to give them a greater chance to compete, included a document from UEFA listing their intentions for qualification to the Europa League from 2021 onwards.[69] With a majority of the former entrants into the Europa League now participating solely in the UECL, the Europa League itself would have a greatly reduced format which will focus primarily around its group stage.[70] There would also be an additional knockout round before the knockout phase proper, allowing for third-placed teams in the Champions League group stage to fall into the Europa League while still keeping the knockout stage itself at only 16 teams total.[69]

Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
Third qualifying roundChampions
(10 teams)
  • 10 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for champions
Non-champions
(6 teams)
  • 3 domestic cup winners from associations 13–15
  • 3 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for non-champions
Play-off round
(20 teams)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 7–12
  • 5 winners from qualifying round for champions
  • 3 winners from qualifying round for non-champions
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for champions
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • UEFA Europa Conference League title holders (beginning with the 2022–23 season)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 1–6
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 5
  • 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 10 winners from play-off round
  • 4 losers from Champions League play-off round for champions
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round and play-off round for non-champions
Preliminary knockout round
(16 teams)
  • 8 group runners-up from group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from group stage
  • 8 winners from preliminary knockout round
Changes will be made if the Europa Conference League title holders qualified through their league position, the following changes to the access list were made:

Distribution (from 2024–25)

[71]

Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from the previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(18 teams)
  • 18 domestic cup winners from associations 16–33
Second qualifying round
(16 teams)
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6
  • 9 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
Champions
(12 teams)
  • 12 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for champions
Non-champions
(14 teams)
  • 3 domestic cup winners from associations 13–15
  • 8 winners from second qualifying round for non-champions
  • 3 losers from Champions League second qualifying round for non-champions
Play-off round
(24 teams)
  • 5 domestic cup winners from associations 8–12
  • 6 winners from third qualifying round for champions
  • 7 winners from third qualifying round for non-champions
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round for champions
League stage
(36 teams)
  • UEFA Europa Conference League title holders
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 1–7
  • 5 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–5
  • 12 winners from play-off round
  • 5 losers from Champions League play-off round for champions
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round and play-off round for non-champions

Changes will be made to the access list above if the Europa League or Conference League title holder qualifies for the tournament via their domestic leagues.

Prize money

Similar to the UEFA Champions League, the prize money received by the clubs is divided into fixed payments based on participation and results, and variable amounts that depend of the value of their TV market.[72]

For the 2021–22 season, group stage participation in the Europa League awarded a base fee of €3,630,000. A victory in the group pays €630,000 and a draw €210,000. Each group winner earns €1,100,000 and each runner-up €550,000. Reaching the knock-out stage triggers additional bonuses: €500,000 for the round of 32, €1,200,000 for the round of 16, €1,800,000 for the quarter-finals and €2,800,000 for the semi-finals. The losing finalists receive €4,600,000 and the champions receive €8,600,000.[73]

Sponsorship

The UEFA Europa League is sponsored by seven multinational corporations, which share the same partners as the UEFA Europa Conference League.

The tournament's main sponsors for the 2024–27 cycle are:

Decathlon's Kipsta sub-brand is the official match ball supplier from the 2024–25 season onwards for a three-year period.[78]

Since the inception of Europa League brand, the tournament has used its own hoardings (in that year it debuted in the round of 32) like UEFA Champions League. LED hoardings made their debut in the 2012–13 final and appeared in the 2015–16 season from the round of 16. In the same season, from the group stage, teams are not allowed to show their sponsors.[79] It appeared in the 2018–19 season for selected matches in the group stages and the round of 32.[80]

Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising, even if such sponsors conflict with those of the Europa League. Two sponsorships are permitted per jersey (plus that of the manufacturer), at the chest and the left sleeve.[81] Exceptions are made for non-profit organisations, which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor, or on the back, either below the squad number or between the player name and the collar.

Records and statistics

See main article: UEFA Cup and Europa League records and statistics.

See also: UEFA Europa League clubs performance comparison.

See also: List of UEFA Cup and Europa League top scorers.

The UEFA Cup finals were played over two legs until 1997. The first final, between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur, was played on 3 May 1972 in Wolverhampton and 17 May 1972 in London. The first leg was won 2–1 by Tottenham Hotspur. The second leg ended in a 1–1 draw, meaning that Tottenham Hotspur became the first UEFA Cup winners.

The one-match finals in pre-selected venues were introduced in 1998. A venue must meet or exceed UEFA Category three standards to host UEFA Cup finals. On two occasions, the final was played at a finalist's home ground: Feyenoord defeated Borussia Dortmund at De Kuip, Rotterdam, in 2002, and Sporting CP lost to CSKA Moscow at their own Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, in 2005.

The last UEFA Cup final before it was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League was held at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul on 20 May 2009, when Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine beat Werder Bremen of Germany 2–1 after extra time.

The first final of the rebranded Europa League was played in 2010, when Atlético Madrid of Spain beat Fulham of England 2–1 after extra time.

Performances by club

See main article: List of UEFA Cup and Europa League finals.

Performances by nation

Nation!scope=col
Winnersscope=colRunners-upscope=colTotal
scope=row14519
scope=row10818
scope=row9817
scope=row7916
scope=row437
scope=row257
scope=row202
scope=row202
scope=row123
scope=row112
scope=row101
scope=row055
scope=row044
scope=row011
scope=row011
scope=row011
Notes
  1. Web site: The Europa League is back and more than ever is a competition to savour. Sachin. Nakrani. 14 February 2018. theguardian.com. 16 August 2018. 29 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191129004712/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/feb/14/europa-league-is-back-more-than-ever-competition-to-savour-round-of-32-arsenal. live.
  2. 3 December 2020. UEFA Europa Conference League: all you need to know. 22 February 2021. UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819062548/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaconferenceleague/news/0264-10fe90612aa3-37b2bc77f89e-1000--uefa-europa-conference-league-all-you-need-to-know/. live.
  3. UEFA Europa League History. UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations. 27 April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20100216001242/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/index.html. 16 February 2010. live.
  4. News: UEFA Cup gets new name in revamp. BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 26 September 2008. 26 September 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080927173643/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7637600.stm. 27 September 2008. live.
  5. 26 September 2008. UEFA Cup to become UEFA Europa League. UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 30 July 2020. 12 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812210527/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/administration/marketing/news/01d1-0f8ef23c90b9-fdc5b01d5c6f-1000--uefa-cup-to-become-uefa-europa-league/?referrer=%2finsideuefa%2fabout-uefa%2fadministration%2fmarketing%2fnews%2fnewsid%3d754085. live.
  6. New format provides fresh impetus. UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations. https://web.archive.org/web/20111124231856/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/. 15 May 2010. 24 November 2011.
  7. Web site: UEFA Europa League all-time top scorers. 14 July 2023 .
  8. Web site: UEFA.com . History UEFA Europa League . 2024-06-05 . UEFA.com . en.
  9. May 2009 . Origins of the UEFA Cup . live . UEFA direct . Nyon . Union des Associations Européennes de Football . 85 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210731160812/https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/01d9-0f842685651a-f24cacace181-1000/uefadirect_86_06.2009_.pdf . 31 July 2021.
  10. Web site: 2010-11-19 . UEFA Europa League . 2024-06-05 . web.archive.org.
  11. News: Martin Chivers on Tottenham's 1972 UEFA Cup win. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 October 2015. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922001516/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0226-0e922bd0695b-1dc2dc37eb6e-1000--martin-chivers-on-tottenham-s-1972-uefa-cup-win/. live.
  12. Book: Vieli, André. UEFA: 60 years at the heart of football. Union des Associations Européennes de Football. 2014. Nyon. 45. 10.22005/bcu.175315. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803202951/https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/021f-0f842a4ba426-22bf135e36bc-1000/uefa_60_years_at_the_heart_of_football.pdf. 3 August 2021. live.
  13. Web site: Season 1972/73. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922033104/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1972/. live.
  14. Web site: Season 1974/75. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922014532/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1974/. live.
  15. Web site: Season 1978/79. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 21 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921154646/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1978/. live.
  16. Web site: Season 1979/80. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922023049/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1979/. live.
  17. Web site: Season 1973/74. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922180039/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1973/. live.
  18. Web site: Season 1975/76. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 28 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221028160010/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1975/. live.
  19. Web site: Season 1981/82. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922221622/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1981/. live.
  20. Web site: Season 1986/87. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 14 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220814130246/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1986/. live.
  21. Web site: Season 1984/85. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922234400/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1984/. live.
  22. Web site: Season 1985/86. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 14 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220814130246/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1986/. live.
  23. Web site: Season 1982/83. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 15 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220815135536/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1982/. live.
  24. Web site: Season 1983/84. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 16 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220816204621/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1983/. live.
  25. Web site: Season 1988/89. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 12 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220812184342/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1988/. live.
  26. Web site: Season 1989/90. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 19 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220819022916/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1989/. live.
  27. Web site: Season 1991/92. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 15 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220815171751/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1991/. live.
  28. Web site: Season 1992/93. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 23 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220923225058/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1992/. live.
  29. Web site: Season 1993/94. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 29 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220929020555/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1993/. live.
  30. Web site: Season 1994/95. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 6 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221206152440/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1994/. live.
  31. Web site: Season 1995/96. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 26 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220926103142/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1995/. live.
  32. Web site: Season 1996/97. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 19 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220819025429/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1996/. live.
  33. Web site: Season 1997/98. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 28 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220928140324/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1997/. live.
  34. Web site: Season 1998/99. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 29 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220529030405/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1998/. live.
  35. Web site: Season 2019/20. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 18 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818050459/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2019/. live.
  36. Web site: Season 1999/00. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 28 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220928005545/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/1999/. live.
  37. Web site: Season 2000/01. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 7 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200607085057/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2000/. live.
  38. Web site: Season 2001/02. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 4 October 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221004045047/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2001/. live.
  39. Web site: Season 2002/03. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 17 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200617171044/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2002/. live.
  40. Web site: Season 2010/11. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 26 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200526200337/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2010/. live.
  41. Web site: Season 2003/04. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 20 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220820002252/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2003/. live.
  42. Web site: Season 2004/05. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 28 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221128211128/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2004/. live.
  43. Web site: Season 2005/06. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 30 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221130132839/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2005/. live.
  44. Web site: Season 2006/07. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 26 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200526195722/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2006/. live.
  45. Web site: Season 2007/08. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022.
  46. Web site: Season 2008/09. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 29 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220929022018/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2008/. live.
  47. News: From UEFA Cup to Europa League. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. 20 April 2021. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 21 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921110104/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0268-121578920573-b970b8f59925-1000--from-uefa-cup-to-uefa-europa-league/. live.
  48. News: Intertoto Cup was Europe's back-door tournament with multiple winners that died suddenly. Mirror. Charlesworth. Ricky. 16 September 2021. 13 February 2023. 13 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230213143554/https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/intertoto-cup-tournament-died-suddenly-24994427. live.
  49. Web site: Season 2009/10. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 26 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200526195740/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2009/. live.
  50. Web site: Season 2011/12. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 24 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220924181019/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2011/. live.
  51. Web site: Season 2012/13. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 20 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220820025713/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2012/. live.
  52. Web site: Season 2013/14. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 14 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220814135932/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2013/. live.
  53. Web site: Season 2014/15. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 26 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200526173704/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2014/. live.
  54. Web site: Season 2015/16. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 29 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220529032637/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2015/. live.
  55. Web site: Season 2017/18. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 1 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220901163513/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2017/. live.
  56. Web site: Season 2018/19. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 16 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220816203650/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2018/. live.
  57. Web site: Season 2019/20. uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague. UEFA. 21 September 2022. 18 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818050459/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/history/seasons/2019/. live.
  58. Web site: Sevilla 1–1 Roma (4–1 on pens): Gonzalo Montiel scores winning penalty as La Liga side lift seventh Europa League. BBC Sport. Sutcliffe. Steve. 31 May 2023. 31 May 2023. 31 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230531223618/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65752974. live.
  59. Web site: Regulations of the UEFA Cup 2007/08, page 6, II Cup and Medals, Article 4, Cup . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 1 August 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060629100814/http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/19070.pdf . 29 June 2006 .
  60. Web site: Regulations of the UEFA Europa League 2009/10, page 7, III Trophies and medals, Article 5, Trophy. UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations. 1 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090823205941/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/competitions/UEFACup/84/52/89/845289_DOWNLOAD.pdf. 23 August 2009. dead.
  61. News: Sevilla make it three in row at Liverpool's expense. UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 May 2015. 28 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160521030103/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000663/match=2017222/postmatch/report/index.html. 21 May 2016. live.
  62. Web site: UEFA Europa League trophy. UEFA.com. January 2017. Union of European Football Associations. 12 May 2020. 12 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200812212232/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/thetrophy/. live.
  63. News: UEFA Europa League anthem makes debut . UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 28 August 2009 . 12 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120901003450/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=875565.html . 1 September 2012 . live .
  64. News: UEFA Europa League anthem anthem. UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 1 September 2015 . 12 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100301041822/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=934495.html . 1 March 2010 . live .
  65. News: UEFA Europa League launches edgier brand identity. UEFA.com . Union of European Football Associations . 30 May 2018 . 2 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180602192446/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/news/newsid=2561028.html . 2 June 2018 . live .
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  74. Web site: Just Eat Takeaway.com and UEFA renew partnership . UEFA.com . 26 July 2024.
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  76. Web site: 29 September 2023. STRAUSS renews UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League partnership. 26 July 2024. UEFA.com1. live.
  77. Web site: 27 February 2024. UEFA and Swissquote renew partnership. 26 July 2024. UEFA.com. live.
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Awards

Player of the Season

Starting from the 2016–17 edition of the competition, UEFA introduced the UEFA Europa League Player of the Season award.

The jury is composed of the coaches of the clubs which participate in the group stage of the competition, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, one from each UEFA member association.

SeasonPlayerClub
UEFA Europa League Player of the Season
2016–17 Paul Pogba Manchester United
2017–18 Antoine Griezmann Atlético Madrid
2018–19 Eden Hazard Chelsea
2019–20 Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan
2020–21 Gerard Moreno Villarreal
2021–22 Filip Kostić Eintracht Frankfurt
2022–23 Jesús Navas Sevilla
2023–24 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Marseille

Young Player of the Season

Starting from the 2021–22 edition of the competition, UEFA introduced the UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season award, chosen by UEFA's Technical Observer Panel.

SeasonPlayerClub
UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season
2021–22 Ansgar Knauff Eintracht Frankfurt
2022–23 Florian Wirtz Bayer Leverkusen
2023–24 Florian Wirtz Bayer Leverkusen

See also

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "UEFA Europa League".

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