Formerly known as the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Europa League is the secondary club competition in Europe behind the UEFA Champions League. Clubs that qualify are usually the runners-up of domestic top-flight leagues, along with domestic cup competition winners.
Founded in 1971, the competition has seen Sevilla be the most successful, having won the competition six times. Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany are the current champions, winning their second title after defeating Rangers of Scotland 5-4 on penalties after initially playing out a 1-1 draw at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Sevilla.
Format of the UEFA Europa League
There is a Qualifying Round and a Play-off round in August before 32 teams compete in the Group Stage of the competition, lasting from September to December.
The new format will see a preliminary knockout round, with 8 group runners-up from the group stage taking on 8 third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League group stage. The 8 winners from the preliminary knockout round then enter the knockout phase, along with the 8 group winners from group stage. The knockout phase runs from February to May, culminating in the Final in late May.
Winners of the UEFA Europa League play against the Champions League winner in the UEFA Super Cup, whilst also earning a place in the following season’s UEFA Champions League.
2022-2023 UEFA Europa League
The 32 teams that are competing in the 2022-2023 Europa League are listed below. Click the links (where available) for a guide to visiting each stadium.
Group A
Arsenal (England) – Emirates Stadium
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) – Philips Stadion
Bodø/Glimt (Norway) – Aspmyra Stadion
FC Zürich (Switzerland) – Letzigrund
Group B
Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) – NSC Olimpiyskiy
Stade Rennais F.C. (France) – Roazhon Park
Fenerbahçe (Turkey) – Şükrü SaracoÄŸlu Stadium
AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) – AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis
Group C
Roma (Italy) – Stadio Olimpico
Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria) – Huvepharma Arena
Real Betis (Spain) – Benito VillamarÃn
HJK (Finland) – Bolt Arena
Group D
Braga (Portugal) – Estádio Municipal de Braga
Malmö FF (Sweden) – Stadion
Union Berlin (Germany) – Stadion An der Alten Försterei
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) – Joseph Marien Stadium
Group E
Manchester United (England) – Old Trafford
Real Sociedad (Spain) – Anoeta Stadium
Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) – Sheriff Stadium
Omonoia (Cyprus) – GSP Stadium
Group F
Lazio (Italy) – Stadio Olimpico
Feyenoord (Netherlands) – De Kuip
FC Midtjylland (Denmark) – MCH Arena
Strum Graz (Austria) – Liebenauer Stadium
Group G
Olympiakos (Greece) – Karaiskakis Stadium
Qarabağ (Azerbaijan) – Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium
SC Freiburg (Germany) – Europa-Park Stadion
Nantes (France) – Stade de la Beaujoire
Group H
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) – Red Star Stadium
Monaco (France) – Stade Louis II
Ferencváros (Hungary) – Groupama Arena
Trabzonspor (Turkey) – Åženol GüneÅŸ Spor Kompleksi Akyazı Stadyumu
Key Dates
8th September 2022: Matchday one
15th September 2022: Matchday two
6th October 2022: Matchday three
13th October 2022: Matchday four
27th October 2022 Matchday five
3rd November 2022: Matchday six
7th November 2022: Knockout round play-offs draw
16th February 2023: Knockout round play-offs first legs
23rd February 2023: Knockout round play-offs first legs
24th February 2023: Round of 16 draw
9th March 2023: Round of 16 first legs
16th March 2023: Round of 16 second legs
17th March 2023: Quarter-finals & Semi-finals draw
13th April 2023: Quarter-finals first leg
20th April 2023: Quarter-finals second leg
11th May 2023: Semi-finals first leg
18th May 2023: Semi-finals second leg
31st May 2023: Final (Puskás Aréna, Budapest, Hungary)
Future UEFA Europa League Final’s
2022-2023 UEFA Europa League Final (31st May 2023) – Puskás Aréna (Budapest, Hungary)
2023-2024 UEFA Europa League Final (22nd May 2024) – Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland)
2024-2025 UEFA Europa League Final (May 2025) – San Mamés (Bilbao, Spain)
Further Information
UEFA Europa League Official Website
Last Updated on May 15, 2023 by Sports Tourist