2023–24 UEFA Europa League

The 2023–24 UEFA Europa League is the 53rd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 15th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

2023–24 UEFA Europa League
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin will host the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
8–31 August 2023
Competition proper:
21 September 2023 – 22 May 2024
TeamsCompetition proper: 32+8
Total: 21+36 (from 31–36 associations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played47
Goals scored141 (3 per match)
Attendance1,241,453 (26,414 per match)
Top scorer(s)Vincenzo Grifo (SC Freiburg)
João Pedro (Brighton & Hove Albion)
4 goals each

The final will be played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League group stage, and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League in the 2024 UEFA Super Cup.

This edition will be the final season with the current format of 32 teams participating at the group stage, after UEFA announced that a brand new format would be introduced for the following edition.[1] Due to the format change, no clubs can be transferred from the Champions League group stage to the UEFA Europa League under the Swiss format, and this edition's winners onwards will no longer be able to defend the title.[2]

As the title holders, Sevilla have qualified for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League.

Association team allocation

A total of 57 teams from between 31 and 36 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League. Among them, 15 associations have teams directly qualifying for the Europa League, while for the other 40 associations that do not have any teams directly qualifying, between 15 and 20 of them may have teams playing after being transferred from the Champions League (the only member association which cannot have a participant is Liechtenstein, which does not organise a domestic league, and can only enter their cup winner into the Europa Conference League given their association ranking). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[3]

  • The title holders of the UEFA Europa Conference League will be given an entry in the Europa League (if they do not qualify for the Champions League through league performance).
  • Associations 1–5 each have two teams qualify.
  • Associations 6–16 (except Russia)[Note RUS] each have one team qualify.
  • 36 teams eliminated from the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League.

Association ranking

For the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2022 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2017–18 to 2021–22.[4]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below:

  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
  • (UECL) – Additional berth for UEFA Europa Conference League title holders
Association ranking for 2023–24 UEFA Europa League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1  England 106.641 2 +1 (UECL)
2  Spain 96.141
3  Italy 76.902
4  Germany 75.213
5  France 60.081 +1 (UCL)
6  Portugal 53.382 1
7  Netherlands 49.300
8  Austria 38.850 +1 (UCL)
9  Scotland 36.900 +1 (UCL)
10  Russia 34.482 0 [Note RUS]
11  Serbia 33.375 1 +1 (UCL)
12  Ukraine 31.800 +1 (UCL)
13  Belgium 30.600 +1 (UCL)
14  Switzerland 29.675 +1 (UCL)
15  Greece 28.200 +2 (UCL)
16  Czech Republic 27.800 +1 (UCL)
17  Norway 27.250 0 +1 (UCL)
18  Denmark 27.175
19  Croatia 27.150 +1 (UCL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20  Turkey 27.100 0
21  Cyprus 26.375 +1 (UCL)
22  Israel 24.375 +1 (UCL)
23  Sweden 22.875 +1 (UCL)
24  Bulgaria 19.500 +1 (UCL)
25  Romania 17.150
26  Azerbaijan 17.000 +1 (UCL)
27  Hungary 16.375
28  Poland 15.875 +1 (UCL)
29  Kazakhstan 15.750 +1 (UCL)
30  Slovakia 15.625 +1 (UCL)
31  Slovenia 15.000 +1 (UCL)
32  Belarus 12.500 +1 (UCL)
33  Moldova 11.250 +1 (UCL)
34  Lithuania 10.000 +1 (UCL)
35  Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.125 +1 (UCL)
36  Finland 8.875 +1 (UCL)
37  Luxembourg 8.750
38  Latvia 8.625
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
39  Kosovo 8.166 0
40  Republic of Ireland 8.125
41  Armenia 8.125
42  Northern Ireland 8.083
43  Albania 8.000
44  Faroe Islands 7.250 +1 (UCL)
45  Estonia 7.041
46  Malta 7.000
47  Georgia 7.000
48  North Macedonia 7.000
49  Liechtenstein 6.500
50  Wales 5.500
51  Gibraltar 5.416
52  Iceland 5.375 +1 (UCL)
53  Montenegro 4.875
54  Andorra 4.665
55  San Marino 1.332

Distribution

The following is the access list for this season.[5]

Access list for 2023–24 UEFA Europa League
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions League
Third qualifying round
(14 teams)		 Champions Path
(10 teams)		 — —
  • 10 teams eliminated from Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(4 teams)
  • 2 domestic cup winners from associations 15–16
 —
  • 2 teams eliminated from Champions League second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round
(20 teams)
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 7–14 (except Russia)[Note RUS]
  • 5 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 2 winners from the third qualifying round (Main Path)
  • 6 teams eliminated from Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path)
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • Europa Conference League title holder
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 1–6
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 5
  • 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 10 winners from the play-off round
  • 4 teams eliminated from Champions League play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 teams eliminated from Champions League play-off round (League Path)
  • 4 teams eliminated from Champions League third qualifying round (League Path)
Preliminary knockout round
(16 teams)		 —
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage
  • 8 group third-placed teams from Champions League group stage
Knockout phase
(16 teams)		 —
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 winners from the preliminary knockout round

Due to the suspension of Russia for the 2023–24 European season, the following changes to the access list have been made:

  • The cup winners of associations 13 (Belgium) and 14 (Switzerland) enter the play-off round instead of the third qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of association 16 (Czech Republic) enter the third qualifying round instead of the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • ECL: Europa Conference League title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.: League position of the previous season
  • UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • CH/LP PO: Losers from the play-off round (Champions/League Path)
    • CH/LP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
    • CH/LP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Champions/League Path)

The third qualifying round is divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).


Qualified teams for 2023–24 UEFA Europa League
Entry round Teams
Knockout round play-offs (UCL GS) (UCL GS) (UCL GS) (UCL GS)
(UCL GS) (UCL GS) (UCL GS) (UCL GS)
Group stage England West Ham United (ECL) England Liverpool (5th) England Brighton & Hove Albion (6th) Spain Villarreal (5th)
Spain Real Betis (6th) Italy Atalanta (5th) Italy Roma (6th) Germany SC Freiburg (5th)
Germany Bayer Leverkusen (6th) France Toulouse (CW) France Rennes (4th) Portugal Sporting CP (4th)
Scotland Rangers (UCL LP PO) Greece AEK Athens (UCL CH PO) Greece Panathinaikos (UCL LP PO) Norway Molde (UCL CH PO)
Israel Maccabi Haifa (UCL CH PO) Poland Raków Częstochowa (UCL CH PO) France Marseille (UCL LP Q3) Austria Sturm Graz (UCL LP Q3)
Serbia TSC (UCL LP Q3) Switzerland Servette (UCL LP Q3)
Play-off round Netherlands Ajax (3rd) Austria LASK (3rd) Scotland Aberdeen (3rd) Serbia Čukarički (3rd)
Ukraine Zorya Luhansk (3rd)[Note UKR] Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise (3rd) Switzerland Lugano (3rd) Czech Republic Sparta Prague (UCL CH Q3)
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (UCL CH Q3) Cyprus Aris Limassol (UCL CH Q3) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (UCL CH Q3) Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana (UCL CH Q3)
Faroe Islands KÍ (UCL CH Q3)
Third qualifying round CH Sweden BK Häcken (UCL CH Q2) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (UCL CH Q2) Azerbaijan Qarabağ (UCL CH Q2) Kazakhstan Astana (UCL CH Q2)
Belarus BATE Borisov (UCL CH Q2) Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL CH Q2) Lithuania Žalgiris (UCL CH Q2) Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar (UCL CH Q2)
Finland HJK (UCL CH Q2) Iceland Breiðablik (UCL CH Q2)
MP Greece Olympiacos (3rd) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (CW) Ukraine Dnipro-1 (UCL LP Q2) Belgium Genk (UCL LP Q2)

Notes

  1. ^
    Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[7]
  2. ^
    Ukraine (UKR): Organization of the 2022–23 Ukrainian Cup was aborted and scratched due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The berth reserved for the cup winners is transferred to the third-placed team in the league.

Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows.[8][9][10] Matches are scheduled for Thursdays apart from the final, which takes place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally can take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Schedule for 2023–24 UEFA Europa League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying Third qualifying round 24 July 2023 10 August 2023 17 August 2023
Play-offs Play-off round 7 August 2023 24 August 2023 31 August 2023
Group stage Matchday 1 1 September 2023 21 September 2023
Matchday 2 5 October 2023
Matchday 3 26 October 2023
Matchday 4 9 November 2023
Matchday 5 30 November 2023
Matchday 6 14 December 2023
Knockout phase Knockout round play-offs 18 December 2023 15 February 2024 22 February 2024
Round of 16 23 February 2024 7 March 2024 14 March 2024
Quarter-finals 15 March 2024 11 April 2024 18 April 2024
Semi-finals 2 May 2024 9 May 2024
Final 22 May 2024 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Third qualifying round
Main article: 2023–24 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 24 July 2023. The first legs were played on 8 and 10 August, and the second legs were played on 17 August 2023.

The winners of the ties will advance to the play-off round. The losers will be transferred to the Europa Conference League play-off round of their respective path.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Žalgiris Lithuania 1–8 Sweden BK Häcken 1–3 0–5
Qarabağ Azerbaijan 4–2 Finland HJK 2–1 2–1
Zrinjski Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina 6–3 Iceland Breiðablik 6–2 0–1
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 7–3 Belarus BATE Borisov 5–1 2–2
Astana Kazakhstan 3–6 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 2–1 1–5
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Olympiacos Greece 2–1 Belgium Genk 1–0 1–1
Slavia Prague Czech Republic 4–1 Ukraine Dnipro-1 3–0 1–1

Play-off round
Main article: 2023–24 UEFA Europa League play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 7 August 2023. The first legs were played on 24 August and the second legs were played on 31 August 2023.

The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League group stage.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Slavia Prague Czech Republic 3–2 Ukraine Zorya Luhansk 2–0 1–2
Olympiacos Greece 6–1 Serbia Čukarički 3–1 3–0
Union Saint-Gilloise Belgium 3–0 Switzerland Lugano 2–0 1–0
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 2–4 Netherlands Ajax 1–4 1–0
BK Häcken Sweden 5–3 Scotland Aberdeen 2–2 3–1
LASK Austria 3–2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar 2–1 1–1
KÍ Faroe Islands 2–3 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–1 1–2
Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenia 1–3 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 0–2 1–1
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 4–7 Cyprus Aris Limassol 2–1 2–6
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 4–5 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 3–1 1–4

Group stage
Main article: 2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage
Location of teams of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H

The draw for the group stage was held on 1 September 2023, 13:00 CEST, in Monaco. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots each of eight teams, based on their club coefficients. As the winners of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, West Ham United entered Pot 1 regardless of their club coefficient (CC).[11] Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

Aris Limassol, Brighton & Hove Albion, BK Häcken, Raków Częstochowa, Servette and TSC made their debut appearances in the group stage and their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Furthermore, Brighton & Hove Albion qualified for European football for the first time in their history.

A total of 21 national associations are represented in the group stage.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification WHU FRE OLY TSC
1 England West Ham United 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6[lower-alpha 1] Advance to round of 16 — 14 Dec 9 Nov 3–1
2 Germany SC Freiburg 3 2 0 1 7 5 +2 6[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–2 — 30 Nov 9 Nov
3 Greece Olympiacos 3 1 1 1 6 6 0 4 Transfer to Europa Conference League 2–1 2–3 — 14 Dec
4 Serbia TSC 3 0 1 2 4 8 −4 1 30 Nov 1–3 2–2 —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: West Ham United 3, SC Freiburg 0.

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MAR AEK BHA AJA
1 France Marseille 3 1 2 0 8 6 +2 5 Advance to round of 16 — 3–1 2–2 30 Nov
2 Greece AEK Athens 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout round play-offs 9 Nov — 30 Nov 1–1
3 England Brighton & Hove Albion 3 1 1 1 6 5 +1 4[lower-alpha 1] Transfer to Europa Conference League 14 Dec 2–3 — 2–0
4 Netherlands Ajax 3 0 2 1 4 6 −2 2 3–3 14 Dec 9 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: AEK Athens 3, Brighton & Hove Albion 0.

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BET SPP RAN ALI
1 Spain Real Betis 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6 Advance to round of 16 — 2–1 14 Dec 9 Nov
2 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4 Advance to knockout round play-offs 30 Nov — 0–0 3–2
3 Scotland Rangers 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4 Transfer to Europa Conference League 1–0 9 Nov — 30 Nov
4 Cyprus Aris Limassol 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3 0–1 14 Dec 2–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ATA SCP STU RAK
1 Italy Atalanta 3 2 1 0 6 3 +3 7 Advance to round of 16 — 30 Nov 9 Nov 2–0
2 Portugal Sporting CP 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4[lower-alpha 1] Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–2 — 14 Dec 9 Nov
3 Austria Sturm Graz 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4[lower-alpha 1] Transfer to Europa Conference League 2–2 1–2 — 30 Nov
4 Poland Raków Częstochowa 3 0 1 2 1 4 −3 1 14 Dec 1–1 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head points: Sporting CP 3, Sturm Graz 0.

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV USG TOU LAS
1 England Liverpool 3 3 0 0 10 2 +8 9 Advance to round of 16 — 2–0 5–1 30 Nov
2 Belgium Union Saint-Gilloise 3 1 1 1 3 4 −1 4 Advance to knockout round play-offs 14 Dec — 1–1 2–1
3 France Toulouse 3 1 1 1 3 6 −3 4 Transfer to Europa Conference League 9 Nov 30 Nov — 1–0
4 Austria LASK 3 0 0 3 2 6 −4 0 1–3 9 Nov 14 Dec —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification REN PAO VIL MHA
1 France Rennes 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6 Advance to round of 16 — 9 Nov 14 Dec 3–0
2 Greece Panathinaikos 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4 Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–2 — 2–0 14 Dec
3 Spain Villarreal 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 3 Transfer to Europa Conference League 1–0 30 Nov — 6 Dec
4 Israel Maccabi Haifa 2 0 1 1 0 3 −3 1 30 Nov 0–0 9 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ASR SLP SRV SHE
1 Italy Roma (X) 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 9 Advance to round of 16 — 2–0 4–0 14 Dec
2 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 3 2 0 1 8 2 +6 6 Advance to knockout round play-offs 9 Nov — 14 Dec 6–0
3 Switzerland Servette 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1 Transfer to Europa Conference League 30 Nov 0–2 — 9 Nov
4 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 3 0 1 2 2 9 −7 1 1–2 30 Nov 1–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA
(X) Assured of at least a place in the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LEV QAR MOL HAC
1 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 3 3 0 0 11 2 +9 9 Advance to round of 16 — 5–1 14 Dec 4–0
2 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 3 2 0 1 3 5 −2 6 Advance to knockout round play-offs 9 Nov — 1–0 14 Dec
3 Norway Molde 3 1 0 2 6 4 +2 3 Transfer to Europa Conference League 1–2 30 Nov — 5–1
4 Sweden BK Häcken 3 0 0 3 1 10 −9 0 30 Nov 0–1 9 Nov —
Updated to match(es) played on 26 October 2023. Source: UEFA

Final
Main article: 2024 UEFA Europa League final
TBD v TBD

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Tables updated as of 26 October 2023.

Top goalscorers
Rank[12]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Brazil João Pedro England Brighton & Hove Albion 4 180
Italy Vincenzo Grifo Germany SC Freiburg 241
3 Belgium Romelu Lukaku Italy Roma 3 227
4 26 players 2 —

Top assists
Rank[13]PlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played
1 Germany Florian Wirtz Germany Leverkusen 4 148
2 Morocco Amine Harit France Marseille 3 243
England James Ward-Prowse England West Ham United 251
4 15 players 2 —

See also

References
  1. "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  2. Wilson, Jonathan (13 March 2021). "New-look Champions League is a pointless waste of time that will destroy the drama". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  3. "Regulations of the UEFA Europa League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. "Association coefficients 2021/22". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. "Access list 2021–24" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  6. "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". BBC.co.uk. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs" (Press release). Nyon: UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  8. "2023/24 UEFA Europa League: Matches, final, key dates". UEFA. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  9. "International match calendar and access list for the 2023/24 season". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 65/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  10. "2023 European football calendar: Match and draw dates for all UEFA competitions". UEFA. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  11. "UEFA 5-year Club Ranking 2023". kassiesa.net. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  12. "UEFA Europa League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  13. "UEFA Europa League – Top Assists". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
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