UEFA has decided to completely change the face of its European competitions for the 2024/25 season! This is particularly the case of the Europa League. Haven’t you seen this redesign? You’ve come to the right place… Find everything you need to know about the new format.
What are the main changes made with this reform of the 2024/25 Europa League?
Now there’s a very different format that will liven up your Thursday nights! For many years, we got used to seeing the qualifiers divided into different groups in the Europa League. This will no longer be the case in this new edition. There will not be eight groups of four clubs, but rather a single group of 36 teams.
Each club will play about eight games in the league phase. These teams will play four games at home and four away. The top eight from this group of 36 will qualify directly for the round of 16. The teams classified between 9th and 24th position will compete in a playoff to try to reach the round of 16.
Teams ranked 25th or higher will be eliminated from all European competitions.
How many clubs will compete in the Europa League in 2024/25?
In recent years, 32 clubs were present at the start of the Europa League. Now there will be four more, since the total is 36. There will be 24 teams that will qualify directly, while the other 12 will go through the qualification phase.
What are the important dates of the 2024/25 Europa League?
We are already used to it. The European season will extend for several months. There are 24 clubs that will qualify directly for the Europa League league stage, which will begin at the end of September. For the other 12, they must first go through the qualifying phases, which will be played from July 11 to August 29.
The qualifying phases of the Europa League 2024/25:
|
Round |
Departure date |
Return date |
|---|---|---|
|
First round |
July 11, 2024 |
July 18, 2024 |
|
Second round |
July 25, 2024 |
August 1, 2024 |
|
Third round |
August 8, 2024 |
August 15, 2024 |
|
Playoff |
August 22, 2024 |
August 29, 2024 |
The league phase will then run over several months. All the clubs qualified for this edition of the Europa League will play eight days, from September to January.
The league phase of the Europa League 2024/25:
|
Working day |
Date |
|---|---|
|
1st day |
September 25 and 26, 2024 |
|
2nd day |
October 3, 2024 |
|
3rd day |
October 24, 2024 |
|
4th day |
November 7, 2024 |
|
5th day |
November 28, 2024 |
|
6th day |
December 12, 2024 |
|
7th day |
January 23, 2025 |
|
8th day |
January 30, 2025 |
Finally, the Europa League knockout matches will begin shortly after the end of the league phase. They will be played until May 21, 2025, the date of the grand final.
The knockout phase of the 2024/25 Europa League:
|
Round |
Departure date |
Return date |
|---|---|---|
|
Playoff |
February 13, 2025 |
February 20, 2025 |
|
Round of 16 |
March 6, 2025 |
March 13, 2025 |
|
Quarter finals |
April 10, 2025 |
April 17, 2025 |
|
Semifinals |
May 1, 2025 |
May 8, 2025 |
Europa League Final 2024/25:
|
Round |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Final |
May 21, 2025 |
How will the 2024/25 Europa League qualifying phase take place?
It is one of the few things that does not change in this reform of the Europa League. While there are 24 clubs that will already be qualified at the end of this season, we will have to wait a little longer to find out the last 12. In fact, a qualifying phase will take place throughout the summer. The teams’ goal is to reach the playoffs and win to qualify for the Europa League. The 12 losers in the playoffs will be moved to the league phase of the Co
nference League.
How will the league stage of the 2024/25 Europa League take place?
This is where things get interesting! The 36 clubs in this edition of the Europa League will be divided into four pots. The pots are made based on the UEFA coefficient of each team in 2024. After the draw, each club will have to face two teams from each pot, including their own.
The clubs will play four games at home and four away, facing eight different opponents in this league phase. As usual, a victory is worth three points, a draw one point and a loss zero points.
How will the knockout phase of the 2024/25 Europa League take place?
It is not very complicated to understand how direct elimination matches work. Except for the final, which is played in a single match, the playoffs, round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals are played in a double match (one at home and one away). The top eight of the league phase go directly to the round of 16.
The teams classified between 8th and 24th position will compete in the playoffs. The 9th and 10th will face the 23rd and 24th; the 11th and 12th to the 21st and 22nd; the 13th and 14th to the 19th and 20th; and the 15th and 16th to the 17th and 18th. At the end of these playoffs the 16 teams that advance in this competition will be known.
Which clubs have qualified for the 2024/25 Europa League?
|
Classified clubs |
|---|
|
Tottenham |
|
Athletic Bilbao |
|
Real society |
|
Eintracht Frankfurt |
|
Rome |
|
OGC Nice |
|
Olympique Lyonnais |
|
AZ Alkmaar |
|
FC Porto |
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Where will the 2024/25 Europa League final take place?
In July 2021, UEFA announced the verdict on the venue of the 2024/25 Europa League final. San Mamés, Bilbao’s stadium, was chosen by the European football authorities. It is a stadium with capacity for almost 54,000 people. In the 2023/24 season, the Spanish stadium already hosted the final of the Women’s Champions League, between FC Barcelona and OL.
Will this format remain for future editions of the Europa League?
This format will be implemented from the 2024/25 season. We’ll probably have to get used to it, as it should stick around for a few years. However, we are not exempt from a change with UEFA, as European football authorities are always evolving the format of their European competitions.
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