The UEFA Europa Conference League will begin in the 2021-22 season. Find out all you need to know about the competition.
What is the UEFA Europa Conference League?
It is the new third-tier of European competition, below the Champions League and the Europa League.
Why has UEFA Europa Conference League been created?
Originally named Europa League 2 as a working title, the competition was created to give teams from smaller nations, who would usually not make the group stage of European competition, a greater chance.
It means at least 34 countries will be represented in the group stages of the UEFA club competitions (guaranteed number is 26 under the present format).
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said: “There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages. There was a widespread demand by all clubs to increase their chances of participating more regularly in European competition.”
Does this mean more teams will qualify for Europe?
No, the access list has simply been adjusted so teams from the smaller nations now play in this competition, and fewer clubs will go through Europa League qualifying.
How many teams will be in the UEFA Europa Conference League?
There will be 32 teams in the group stage, and the new competition will feature 141 matches over 15 match weeks, exactly like the Europa League.
UEFA have confirmed there will soon be a third club competition…
The UEFA Europa Conference League begins in 2021 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cynQ44e8vL
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 24, 2019
Who will compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League?
As the competition is aimed at giving smaller countries more European football, only five clubs will come from the top European leagues — all of which will enter in the final qualifying round. The lowest-ranked team in each league will switch from the Europa League to the Conference League.
For this season, it means Wolverhampton Wanders, Espanyol, Eintracht Frankfurt, Torino and Strasbourg would play in the Conference League rather than the Europa League.
No team would qualify automatically for the group stage, and only the five nations from the top leagues would start in the final qualifying round.
Starting in the third qualifying round this season would have been Spartak Moscow, Braga, Mariupol, Royal Antwerp, Trabzonspor, Austria Vienna, FC Thun.
The teams starting in the second qualifying round would be: Arsenal Tula, Vitoria Guimaraes, Zorya Luhansk, Gent, Malatyaspor, Sturm Graz, FC Luzern, Mlada Boleslav, FC Utrecht, Aris Thessaloniki, FK Jablonec, AZ Alkmaar, Atromitos, Hajduk Split, Brondby, Hapoel Beer-Sheva, Apollon Limassol, Universitatea Craiova, Cracovia Krakow, Malmo, Sabail, Levski Sofia, Cukaricki Belgrade, Aberdeen, FC Vitebsk, Ordabasy Shymkent, NK Osijek, Esbjerg, Maccabi Haifa, Larnaca, FCSB, Legia Warsaw, Norrkoping, Neftchi Baku, CSKA Sofia, Radnicki Nis, Kilmarnock, Dinamo Minsk, Tobol Kustanai, Haugesund, Rijeka, Midtjylland, Bnei Yehuda, Limassol, Viitorul Constanta, Lechia Gdansk, Hacken, Gabala, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Partizan Belgrade, Rangers, Shakhtior Saligorsk, Kairat Almaty, Brann Bergen.
Will teams drop down from Champions League and Europa League?
Yes, as follows:
Second qualifying round: 20 losers from Champions League qualifying
Playoff round: 8 losers from Europa League third-qualifying round
Group stage: 10 losers from Europa League playoff round
Knockout stage: 8 third-placed teams from Europa League groups
How many teams will qualify from the group stage?
The top two teams in each of the eight groups will advance to the knockout stage.
How will the knockout rounds work?
Group winners will automatically go through to the round of 16. But there will be a preliminary knockout round (or round of 32 as we now know it) where group runners-up will play two-legged ties against third-placed teams from the Europa League groups to reach the round of 16. The competition then adopts a traditional knockout format.
When will the games be played?
Fixtures will be on a Thursday, played at 4.30 p.m., 6.45 p.m. or 9 p.m. CET.
When will the UEFA Europa Conference League final be played?
The new format for European finals will be:
Wednesday: UEFA Europa Conference League
Thursday: UEFA Europa League
Saturday: UEFA Champions League
Do the winners qualify for the Europa League?
Yes, just as the Europa League winners qualify for the Champions League, the UEFA Europa Conference League winners will automatically be entered into the following season’s Europa League.
Will the Europa League change?
Along with the streamlined qualification process, there will also be a preliminary knockout round after the group stage (again, this is really the round of 32). The runners-up will play third-placed teams from the Champions League for a place in the round of 16.