How the UEFA Europa League works
The Europa League is UEFA's second most important club competition, just below the Champions League. Many clubs, from Portugal's Porto, Benfica, Sporting and Braga to England's and Spain's big names, have a long history in it.
From UEFA Cup to Europa League
The competition was born in the 1970s as the UEFA Cup and was renamed the Europa League in the 2009/10 season. Sevilla is the club with the most titles. FC Porto won it in 2003 (as the UEFA Cup) and again in 2011.
The current format: league phase
Since 2024/25, the Europa League has followed the same model as the Champions League:
| Stage | How it works |
|---|---|
| League phase | 36 teams in one table; each plays 8 matches (4 home, 4 away) |
| 1st to 8th | Qualify directly for the round of 16 |
| 9th to 24th | Two-legged play-off to reach the round of 16 |
| 25th to 36th | Eliminated |
| Knockouts | Two-legged round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals; one-off final |
The big prize: a Champions League place
The Europa League winner earns a place in the Champions League league phase the following season, even if they did not qualify through their domestic league. That's why clubs who missed out on the top places at home take it very seriously.
Who plays in the Europa League?
- Clubs that qualify through their league position or by winning their domestic cup.
- Clubs knocked out in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
The exact number of places for each country depends on the UEFA coefficient ranking, which measures how a league's clubs have performed in European competitions in recent seasons.
What about the Conference League?
Below the Europa League is the Conference League, created in 2021. It also has a league phase, but a shorter one: each team plays only 6 matches. The winner earns a place in the following season's Europa League.
Summary: Champions League (1st tier) → Europa League (2nd tier) → Conference League (3rd tier).