Europa League 2025/26: overview and schedule

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The new format of the Europa League resulted in some exciting matches last season and ultimately produced an all-English final, in which Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 1-0. How will the 2025/26 Europa League compare?

Europe’s current second-tier club competition began life as the UEFA Cup in 1971. At that stage, it replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and ran as the third-tier European competition until 1999. In that year, the Cup Winners Cup was discontinued, and the two competitions merged. Then, in 2009, the competition was rebranded as the Europa League.

29 different teams have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League since it began in 1971. Sevilla have been the dominant side in this competition in recent years, having won the trophy seven times between 2006 and 2023. They have the notable distinction of winning the final on each occasion they have contested it. Four teams have won the trophy three times—Inter, Liverpool, Juventus and Atlético Madrid.

Tottenham’s victory in 2025 was their second win in the competition, as they won the inaugural UEFA Cup competition in 1972, when they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final.

A total of 78 teams will compete in the 2025/26 Europa League, with each of the top-12 ranked associations having two representatives.

Who will win the 2025/26 Europa League?

Currently, only 13 of the 36 teams who will contest the league stage are known, making it extremely difficult to form an opinion on who the likely winner of the Europa League may be at this moment in time.

The remainder of the teams who will contest the group stage are made up of 12 the winning sides from the playoff round, as well as 11 losing sides from the Champions League playoff rounds. Consequently, with so many teams still unknown at this stage, there is no early betting on the Europa League outright market.

Looking at the teams who we know will be in the league phase, Aston Villa will be hopeful of making the latter stages, after they fully tested Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of last season’s Champions League before losing 5-4 on aggregate.

Other sides to watch include Real Betis, who reached the final of last season’s Conference League before succumbing 4-1 to Chelsea, and Roma, who lost to Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 in last season’s tournament.

Lille finished seventh in the league-phase table in last season’s Champions League before losing out to Borussia Dortmund by an aggregate score of 3-2 in their round of 16 encounter. Their French counterparts, Lyon, were minutes away from the semi-finals in this competition last season as they led Manchester United 4-2 on aggregate deep into extra-time. However, the Red Devils scored three times in the last six minutes to break Lyonnais hearts.

What is the format for the 2025/26 Europa League?

The format for the Europa League, as in the Champions League, was revamped last season. A 36-team league stage has replaced the group stage. Each team will play matches against eight different opponents, four at home and four away. These matches will be determined with the 36-teams ranked into four seeding pots. Each team will play two opponents from each of those pots.

The league phase proved full of excitement last season, with several places in the knockout rounds not being determined until the final round of matches had been completed. The form of the top teams during the league phase held up well, with three of the top four sides in the table at the end of the league stage reaching the semi-finals.

How do teams qualify from the league phase of the Europa League?

• The top eight sides in the league phase will qualify for the knockout phase and move directly into the round of 16.
• The sides finishing in 9^th to 24^th place will compete in a two-legged playoff round to determine the other eight teams to qualify for the round of 16.
• Those sides finishing in 25^th or lower will be eliminated. There is no access to a place in the UEFA Conference League for teams that have not qualified.

Europa League schedule (2025/26)

First qualifying round

First leg: 10^th July, Second leg: 17^th July 

Second qualifying round

First leg: 24^th July, Second leg: 31^st July 

Third qualifying round

First leg: 7^th August, Second leg: 14^th August 

Playoff round

Draw date: 4^th August 

First leg: 21^st August, Second leg: 28^th August 

League phase

Draw date: 29^th August 

Matchday 1: 24^th–25^th September 

Matchday 2: 2^nd October 

Matchday 3: 23^rd October 

Matchday 4: 6^th November 

Matchday 5: 27^th November 

Matchday 6: 11^th December 

Matchday 7: 22^nd January 

Matchday 8: 29^th January 

Knockout phase

Draw date: 30^th January 

Knockout round playoffs: First leg: 19^th February, Second Leg 26^th February 

Draw date for round of 16 onwards: 27^th February 

Round of 16: First leg: 12^th March, Second Leg 19^th March 

Quarter-finals: First leg: 9^th April, Second Leg 16^th April 

Semi-finals: First leg: 30^th April, Second Leg 7^th May 

Final: 20^th May

Where is the Europa League final 2025/26 being held?

The final will be held on the 20^th of May 2026 at the Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey. The stadium was constructed between 2013 and 2016, after the demolition of the old İnönü Stadium at the same site. The first competitive match at the new stadium was between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor in the Turkish Süper Lig on 11^th April 2016, which drew a crowd of over 38,000.

The 2019 UEFA Super Cup match between Liverpool and Chelsea was held at the Beşiktaş Stadium. That match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Liverpool winning the trophy after a penalty shootout. That match was also notable as being the first UEFA men’s final officiated by a female referee, Stéphanie Frappart.

Which teams will compete in the league phase of the 2025/26 Europa League?

At present, just 13 of the 36 teams who will contest the league stage are determined. Here are the teams that have qualified already:

• Real Betis (Spain)
• Celta Vigo (Spain)
• Aston Villa (England)
• Crystal Palace (England)
• Bologna (Italy)
• Roma (Italy)
• VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
• SC Freiburg (Germany)
• Lille (France)
• Lyon (France)
• Go Ahead Eagles (Netherlands)
• Porto (Portugal)
• Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Europa League 2024/25 stats

A few statistics from the 2024/25 Europa League:

Note: These stats include data from the league stage onwards.

Top scorers: 7 – Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos), Kasper Høgh (Bodø/Glimt)

Most assists: 8 – Rayan Cherki (Lyon), 5 – Dries Mertens (Galatasaray)

Most yellow cards: 49 – Fenerbahçe, 40 – Union Saint-Gilloise

Highest scoring match: Manchester United 5-4 Lyon (after extra-time)

Successive wins: 5 – Manchester United, Athletic Bilbao

Successive losses: 6 – Dynamo Kyiv

Most goals scored in league stage: 19 – Galatasaray, 17 – Lazio, Tottenham Hotspur

Fewest goals scored in league stage: 4 – Ludogorets Razgrad, 5 – Dynamo Kyiv

Most goals conceded in league stage: 20 – Qarabağ, 18- Dynamo Kyiv

Fewest goals conceded in league stage: 3 – Olympiacos, 5 – Lazio

You’ll find great odds and a massive range of markets on all the Europa League matches in the Marathonbet Sportsbook. The coverage doesn’t end when the live action starts, with prices updated continually throughout each match.

For further reading, you’ll find our Champions League predictions and tips article on the blog, as well as weekly predictions for the English Premier League.