What are the new changes to the Europa League 2024/25 format? The 2024/25 Europa League will undergo a significant format revamp, similar to the Champions League.
This season marks the 54th edition of Europe’s second most prestigious football competition, promising an exciting experience with refreshed European tournaments.
The major changes are in the Europa League 2024/25 format is group stage, where 36 clubs will compete in a single league phase. Unlike the previous structure of 3 home and 3 away matches, each team will face eight opponents.
Teams will be seeded into four pots, each playing two opponents from each pot, ensuring a mix of home and away games.
The top eight teams will directly advance to the round of 16, while the 9th to 24th-placed teams will compete in knockout round playoffs for a spot in the last 16. Subsequent matches will follow a straight knockout format.
Europa League 2024/25 Start date
The 2024/25 Europa League, featuring a new format, will take place from July 11, 2024, to May 21, 2025. The league stage matches will begin on September 25, following the conclusion of the qualifiers and playoffs.
Europa League 2024/25 Schedule
The new changes Europa League 2024/25 format is structured into three phases: the qualifying round, the group stage, and the knockout rounds, similar to the UEFA Champions League. The schedule for each phase is detailed below.
Qualifiers round
| Qualifying Round | Dates |
| First Qualifying Round | 11th – 18th July, 2024 |
| Second Qualifying Round | 25th July – 1st August, 2024 |
| Third Qualifying Round | 8th – 15th August, 2024 |
| Play offs | 22 th – 29 th August, 2024 |
League Stages
| Matchday | Dates |
| Matchday 1 | 25th – 26th September, 2024 |
| Matchday 2 | 3rd October, 2024 |
| Matchday 3 | 24th October, 2024 |
| Matchday 4 | 7th November, 2024 |
| Matchday 5 | 28th November, 2024 |
| Matchday 6 | 12th December, 2024 |
| Matchday 7 | 23rd January, 2025 |
| Matchday 8 | 30th January, 2025 |
Knock out Stage:
| Stage | Dates |
| Knockout Round Playoffs | 13th – 20th February, 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 6th – 13th March, 2025 |
| Quarter Finals | 10th – 17th April, 2025 |
| Semi Finals | 1st – 8th May, 2025 |
| Finals | 21st May, 2025 |
Europa League 2024/25 Teams
Out of the 36 clubs participating in this year’s Europa League, 13 have already qualified by being Conference title holders, Cup winners, or securing 3rd, 4th, or 5th place in their leagues last season. The remaining teams enter after being eliminated in the Champions League qualifying and playoff rounds.
The teams that qualified for the Europa League is outlined below.
- Olympiacos (ECL)
- Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, 5th)
- Manchester United (FA Cup winner)
- Nice (Ligue 1, 5th)
- Lyon (Ligue 1, 6th)
- Athletic Club (Copa Del Rey winner)
- Real Sociedad (La Liga, 6th)
- Eintracht Frankfurt (Bundesliga, 6th) *
- Hoffenheim (Bundesliga, 7th)
- AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie, 4th)
- Porto (Taca de Portugal winner)
Who won the Europa League final in 2024?
Italian club Atalanta claimed their first Europa League title in the 2023/24 season. They secured the championship with a dramatic 3-0 victory over German club Bayer Leverkusen in the final.
Which team has won the Europa League most?
Sevilla F.C. has achieved the greatest success in UEFA Europa League history, winning a total of seven titles. They are also the only team to have won three consecutive titles, from 2014 to 2016. Their most recent Europa League victory was in the 2022/23 season.
What date is the 2025 Europa League final?
The final of the 2024/25 Europa League is scheduled for May 21, 2025, at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain. The winner will qualify for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League and compete against the winner of this year’s Champions League in the upcoming UEFA Super Cup.
What is the format for the league stage draws?
The drawing format for the Europa League mirrors that of the Champions League, with each of the 36 teams being manually drawn on stage using a physical ball.
For each team drawn, automated software provided by AE Live will randomly select eight opponents from the four pots and determine the home and away matches. The draw begins with teams from Pot 1 and proceeds to Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4.
During the league phase, teams from the same country cannot play against each other and can face up to two teams from the same country.
