Обновлено: 28 july 2025
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.
2025/2026 UEFA Europa League
The 2025/2026 UEFA Europa League kicked off in July with qualifying matches and will move on to the main stage in the autumn. This season, the tournament is being held in an updated format: 36 teams will play 8 matches with different opponents – 4 at home and 4 away. Based on the results of this league, the eight best teams will directly advance to the 1/8 finals, and the clubs that take places from 9th to 24th will play for tickets in the play-offs. The tournament final is scheduled for May 20, 2026 and will be held at the Beşiktaş Park stadium in Istanbul.
The list of participants in this competition is impressive. Such strong clubs as Roma, Porto, Lyon, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Betis will compete for the trophy. Among the bright newcomers is the Dutch Go Ahead Eagles, who have earned the right to play in the tournament for the first time. Ahead is a tense road to the playoffs, which will begin in February 2026. The tournament promises to be intense – with loud signs, unexpected results and spectacular struggles at every stage.
Below are the key dates that fans and professional followers should pay attention to:
Qualifying rounds:
– July 10 and 17 – Round 1
– July 24 and 31 – Round 2
– August 7 and 14 – Round 3
Qualifying playoff round:
– August 21 and 28, 2025
League (main stage of 36 teams):
– September 24 — January 29
– A total of 8 rounds, 4 home and away matches for each team
Playoffs for the 1/8 finals (teams ranked 9th to 24th):
– February 19 and 26, 2026
1/8 finals:
– March 12 and 19, 2026
Quarter finals:
– April 9 and 16 2026
Semi-finals:
– 30 April and 7 May 2026
Final:
– 20 May 2026
– Beşiktaş Park Stadium, Istanbul (Turkey)
UEL history
The tournament was founded in 1971 and was known as the UEFA Cup. This name was valid until 2009. That year, there was a reorganization, after which the name was changed to UEL.
The first winner of the tournament is Tottenham Hotspur F.C. from London.
26 different clubs have won the UEFA Europa League. Furthermore, Spanish club Sevilla have won the tournament six times.
After 1985 and for the next 12 seasons, Italian clubs surged ahead in football.
Until 1998, the match format was based on 2 games. In 1998, the format was changed to a one-game match on neutral ground.
Winners of previous championships
| The year | Venue | Results/ Winning team |
| 2024/2025 | The final match took place at the San Mames stadium, Bilbao, Spain | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2023/2024 | The final match took place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland | Atalanta |
| 2022/2023 | The final match took place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland | Seville |
2026/2027 UEL
The dates and venues the next UEL season are still being finalized.
Keep an eye on the dates of football tournaments and other events in our Sports Events Calendar.
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