About the UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL, the UEFA Cup) is an international annual football competition. It is considered the second most important competition for football clubs belonging to UEFA after the Champions League. The UEFA Europa League matches are played on Thursdays in the Champions League game weeks and on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the weeks when the Champions League matches are not scheduled. Depending on the venue, the matches start at 19:00 or 21:05 European time.
2026/27 Season
The 2026/27 UEFA Europa League season will continue to be played in the updated format introduced in the 2024/25 season. The league phase will feature 36 teams. Each club will play 8 matches against different opponents — 4 at home and 4 away.
At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams will qualify directly for the Round of 16. Clubs finishing from 9th to 24th place will compete in the knockout play-offs for the remaining places in the knockout stage. Teams finishing from 25th to 36th place will be eliminated from the tournament.
Key Dates for the 2026/27 Season
- Qualifying rounds: July–August 2026
- Qualifying play-off round: August 2026
- League phase: September 2026 – January 2027
- Knockout play-offs: February 2027
- Round of 16: March 2027
- Quarter-finals: April 2027
- Semi-finals: April–May 2027
- Final: May 2027
The exact match dates and venues for the individual stages will be determined and published by UEFA at a later date.
History of the Tournament
The UEFA Europa League was founded in 1971 as the UEFA Cup. The tournament retained this name until the 2008/09 season, after which it was renamed the UEFA Europa League as part of the reorganization of European club competitions.
The first winner of the tournament was English club Tottenham Hotspur. Throughout the history of the competition, clubs from various European countries have won the trophy, but the most successful team remains Spanish side Sevilla, who have won the title six times.
Until 1998, the UEFA Cup final was played over two legs, with each team hosting one match. Since 1998, the final has been played as a single match at a neutral venue.
Previous UEFA Europa League Winners
| Season | Final Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Istanbul, Türkiye | Winner to be determined at the end of the season |
| 2024/25 | San Mamés Stadium, Bilbao, Spain | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2023/24 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland | Atalanta |
2027/28 Season
The next UEFA Europa League 2027/28 season will take place after the conclusion of the 2026/27 campaign. The exact dates for the qualifying rounds, league phase, knockout stages and final, as well as the venues for the matches, will be announced by UEFA at a later date.
Keep an eye on the dates of football tournaments and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.
