The UEFA Conference League, formerly the UEFA Europa Conference League, is a seasonal football competition established in 2021.[1] It was created by UEFA to accommodate at least 34 of its national associations in the group stage of its competitions and is the third-tier of European football behind the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.[2] The winner automatically qualifies for the subsequent season's Europa League, unless they have already qualified for the Champions League through their domestic league. The format features eight groups of four teams, with the winners of each group qualifying for the round of 16 and a playoff round held between the teams that finish second in their group and those that finish third in their Europa League groups to determine the remaining eight teams. Knockout matches are held over two legs with the final held at a neutral venue.[3]
 West Ham players celebrating victory in the 2023 final | |
| Founded | 23 May 2021 |
|---|---|
| Region | UEFA (Europe) |
| Number of teams | 36 (league stage) 2 (finalists) |
| Current champions |  Olympiacos (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Roma West Ham United Olympiacos(1 title each) |
 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final | |
The competition was announced in 2018, and began in 2021. UEFA created the competition in order to offer European competition for more clubs and have more representation from associations that might not qualify for the group stages of the Champions League or Europa League.[4] This is determined via the UEFA country coefficients with three teams participating from nations ranked 16 to 50, two teams participating from nations ranked 6 to 15 and 51 to 55, and one team participating from nations ranked 1 to 5.[5]
Roma won the inaugural competition with a 1–0 victory in the 2022 final against Feyenoord.[6] Olympiacos are the current champions; they beat Fiorentina 1–0 in the 2024 final.[7] English, Greek, and Italian clubs have won the competition the most times with one win each. Fiorentina is the first team to play in more than one final and also the first to lose multiple finals.
List of finals
editPast finals
edit| † | Match won after extra time |
| Season | Country | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Country | Venue | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Italy
|
Roma | 1–0 | Feyenoord |  Netherlands
|
Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania | 19,597 | [6] |
| 2022–23 | England
|
West Ham United | 2–1 | Fiorentina | Italy
|
Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czech Republic | 17,363 | [9] |
| 2023–24 | Greece
|
Olympiacos | 1–0† | Fiorentina | Italy
|
Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens, Greece | 26,842 | [7] |
Future finals
edit| Season | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Stadion Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland | [10] |
| 2025–26 | Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany | [11] |
| 2026–27 | Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey | [11] |
Performances
editBy club
edit| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roma
|
1 | 0 | 2022 | — |
| West Ham United
|
1 | 0 | 2023 | — |
| Olympiacos
|
1 | 0 | 2024 | — |
| Fiorentina
|
0 | 2 | — | 2023, 2024 |
| Feyenoord
|
0 | 1 | — | 2022 |
By nation
edit| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy
|
1 | 2 | 3 |
| England
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Greece
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "UEFA Europa Conference League: What is it? How does it work? Why was it introduced?". UEFA. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Dale (6 July 2021). "UEFA Europa Conference League: All you need to know". ESPN. Archived from the original on 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League". UEFA. 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Uefa confirms new European club competition will begin in 2021". The Guardian. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "UEL2 Access List 2021–24" (PDF). UEFA. 2 December 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Europa Conference League final: Roma 1–0 Feyenoord - Nicolo Zaniolo hits winner for Italians". BBC Sport. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b Grounds, Ben (30 May 2024). "Olympiakos 1–0 Fiorentina: Ayoub El Kaabi scores winner in extra-time to secure Europa Conference League title". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Stokkermans, Karel (8 June 2023). "UEFA Conference League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Stone, Simon (7 June 2023). "Fiorentina 1–2 West Ham United: Jarrod Bowen goal decides Europa Conference League final". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Lisbon to host UEFA Women's Champions League final in 2025". UEFA. 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Budapest to host UEFA Champions League Final 2026". UEFA. 22 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.