From the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 season, UEFA’s third-tier competition will change its name from “Europa Conference League” to “Conference League”. From now on it will be called the UEFA Conference League.
The UEFA Conference League 2024/25, now in its fourth edition, will undergo a significant format change. The UEFA Conference League is the third tier of continental club football and the qualifier for the UEFA Europa League.
The fourth edition of the UEFA Conference League will start from the First qualifying round on 11 July 2024 and continue until the final on 28 May 2025.
What are the new changes?
Similar to the Champions League and Europa League, the revamped Conference League will feature 36 teams in the league stage.
Despite the new format like the Champions League and Europa League, the Conference League will not have eight games and eight different opponents. But each team will play six opponents in the league stage with three home and three away games.
The top 8 teams in the overall standings will advance to the last 16 and the ninth to 24th ranked teams will compete in a knockout round playoff to reach the last 16. Subsequent matches will be in straight knockout format.
UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Start date
Under the new format, the fourth edition of UEFA Conference League will run from 11 th of July, 2024 to 28 th of May 2025. The League stage for the matches will start from 3rd October 2024 following the conclusion of the qualifiers and playoffs.
UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Schedule
Similar to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Europa Conference League also follows a three-phase structure for its tournament. The phases are the qualifying rounds, the group stage, and the knockout rounds. The schedule for each phase is outlined below.
Qualifiers round
- First qualifying round: 11th – 18th July 2024
- Second qualifying round: 25th July – 1st August 2024
- Third qualifying round: 8th – 15th August 2024
- Play-offs: 22nd – 29th August 2024
League Stages
- Matchday 1: 3rd October 2024
- Matchday 2: 24th October 2024
- Matchday 3: 7th November 2024
- Matchday 4: 28th November 2024
- Matchday 5: 12th December 2024
- Matchday 6: 19th December 2024
Knock out Stage
- 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: 28th May 2025
UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Teams
Out of the 36 clubs participating in this year’s Conference League, 5 have already qualified for the Conference League. The remaining teams enter after finishing up the qualifying rounds.
The teams that qualified for the UEFA Conference League is outlined below.
- Chelsea (England)
- Fiorentina (Italy)
- Heidenheim (Germany)
- Lens (France)
- Real Betis (Spain)
Who won the 2024 UEFA Conference League?
Olympiacos F.C., a Greek club, emerged as the champions of the 2023/24 UEFA Conference League, marking the first time a Greek team has won a European trophy. They achieved this by defeating Fiorentina 1-0, securing their place in the Europa League.
Which team has won the UEFA Conference League most?
The UEFA Conference League, established in 2021, has been held three times, each with a different winner. The champions in sequential order are Roma (2021/22), West Ham United (2022/23), and Olympiacos (2023/24).
When and Where is the 2025 Conference League final?
The UEFA Conference League 2024/25 final is set to be held at Stadion Wroclaw in Poland on May 28, 2025. The team that wins the UEFA Conference League will earn a spot in the Europa League if they have not already qualified through their domestic league.
What is the new format for the league stage draws?
The drawing process for the UEFA Conference League follows the same format as the Champions League and Europa League. Each of the 36 teams is manually drawn on stage using a physical ball. An automated software then randomly selects opponents and determines the home and away matches.
