Europa Conference League
The Europa Conference League is a new competition that began in the 2021-2022 season.
The Europa Conference League (UECL) is the third most important European football competition after the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
It is aimed primarily at clubs in lower-ranked UEFA member associations.
Europa Conference League Qualification
Clubs qualify for the UECL based on performances in their respective national leagues and cup competitions. The new competition has implications for the Europa League with the number of teams in the group stage now reduced from 48 to 32 teams.
The group stage is contested by teams coming through the Europa Conference League qualifiers plus 10 teams eliminated in the Europa League play-offs.
The winners of the UECL enter the Europa League the following season, unless they qualify for the Champions League.
Format
The original format was of 8 groups of 4 teams, then the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
An extra preliminary knockout round was played before the round of 16 between teams finishing second in their groups and the third-placed teams of the UEFA Europa League groups.
From the start of the 2024-25 season, 36 teams will compete in Europe's third club competition, up from 32. Mirrowing changes in both the Champions League and Europa League there will be a transformation from a group stage to a league phase that includes all participating teams. Each team will play six matches, 3 at home and 3 away, with all six games taking place over a ten-week period.
The winner of the competition participates in the UEFA Europa League league phase the following season. The competition's matches are usually played on Thursdays.
Some of the more well-known teams in the inaugural competition were eventual winners Roma, Spurs, Rennes, Feyenoord, PAOK, Vitesse, Qarabağ and Basel.
Finals
Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in Leipzig, Germany to win their first European trophy in 2026. Chelsea won the 2025 final beating Real Betis 4-1 at Wrocław Stadium (Stadion Miejski) in Poland. Olympiacos won the 2024 final at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, beating Fiorentina 1-0 in the final. The 2023 Final took place at the Fortuna Arena in Prague with David Moyes' West Ham United beating Fiorentina 2-1. The 2022 Final was scheduled for the 22,500-capacity Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania on May 25, 2022. Jose Mourinho's Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0.
The four teams from Europe's top five leagues which will be competing in the tournament next season (2023-2024).
Overview Of The UEFA Europa Conference League - The UEFA Conference League is new as of the 2021-2022 season. The conference league will feature up-and-coming teams competing head to head. By the end of the playoffs, 10 teams are eliminated from moving on.
UEFA Cup - all the previous match reports, news and analysis from the old UEFA Cup.
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