The UEFA Europa League has become a sensational topic among football fans in recent years. This is primarily because it stands as a competitive alternative to the UEFA Champions League, producing even greater excitement for fans.
It is not just a competition that engages 48 football-playing teams but gives a ground for players to set their destination in the UEFA Champions League. But what sets it apart from other European Football Tournaments is the excitement of the fans with each match.
However, even with such popularity most people are not aware of its significance in European Football. To enlighten you about its value, we are going to discuss in detail its history, the Europa League draw, and where to watch it.
What is the significance of the Europa League?
The Europa League football tournament started its first season in 1971 and was known as the UEFA Cup until 2009. After that, its name changed to the UEFA Europa League for business purposes. Initially, it was just an elimination match that required 40 teams to compete for their position in the tournament and establish their position in the top 2 teams for the final knockout.
Until 1978, the finals of the tournament were played over two rounds before proceeding with a one-off match. When the 2004 season came to life, they made group sets in which all the teams were divided into eight groups of five players. This tournament’s group sets were different from the Champions League. Subsequently, with this type of group set, players were required to play in a single round-robin format. Meaning, that each team was required to play two home games and two away games rather than a double home and away match.
How does the Europa League work?
The Europa League is one of the most-watched football tournaments across the world. However, it is slightly different than the UEFA Champions League. Here is how the tournament moves forward:-
- The top three teams among the eight groups and the eight third runner-up teams in the UEFA Champions League will carry along the UEFA Europa League knockout round.
- After that, bipedal elimination matches are played until one final round. This is usually played on a Wednesday in May, one week or more before the Champions League finals.
- In the 2009 October season, the Europa League tournament counted in eight more spots to the group set, increasing the number of teams to 48. The final groups grew to 12, with each set having four teams of players in the round-robin game.
- The winners, second and third runners-up from the group sets can then move to the round of 32. The eight third-runner-ups from the UEFA Champions League qualify for this round.
- The rest of the tournament would continue normally, with the round of 32 modified to 16. After this, the teams are qualified to play the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and lastly the finals.
How are the Teams selected in the Europa League?
2009 brought a big change in the UEFA Europa League. This is primarily because all the teams will either qualify for their final or their performance in cup competitions will worsen.
The teams of players to qualify in the UEFA coefficients will get the opportunity to start later in the qualifying rounds. There are four rounds held in total with 32 teams playing who qualify in the Europa League draw.
The outcome of the group-set playing in the tournament represents each association throughout the past five UEFA Europa League. Additionally, the UEFA Champions League seasons serve as the foundation for the tournament system.
Let’s see the breakdown of 48 teams that get the qualification:-
- Firstly, 17 teams of players qualify for the group set due to their club association and coefficients.
- Additionally, there remain 21 teams from the UEFA Europa League winning the matches.
- After that, there remain six falling teams from the UEFA Champions League in the fourth qualifying round.
- Lastly, four international losers from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
What is the Europa League Draw?
Europa League Draw is a rule in which the teams are divided into four pots of eight teams according to their UEFA club coefficient. In the draw, teams drawn from different national associations are placed in the same group. However, it is important to understand that the players from the same national association cannot be drawn together into the exact teams.
When is the 2023-24 Europa League group stage draw?
The 2023-2024 Europa League group stage draw was held on September 2, 2023 Friday. The proceedings were conducted at 7 a.m. ET in the United States and 12 noon BST in the United Kingdom.
Just like the Champions League group stage draw, the Europa League group stage draw was held one day before being started at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
How To Watch The Europa League Group Stage Draw?
You can watch the Europa League Group stage draw from the UEFA’s official website, uefa.com. Every year, you can watch the live streaming of the Europa League group stage.
Authorized broadcast partners usually broadcast the draw live on their separate TV channels and official YouTube channels too.
Conclusion
The UEFA Europa League has managed significant success over the years. Now, it has become one of the greatest football tournaments in the world. With fans continually growing every year, the tournament is expanding its reach and structure of its system. The League has one of the most talented players who can one day make their way to the UEFA Champions League. not to mention the rising stars that can make their mark in the UEFA Champions League one day.
With that said, in this blog post, we have highlighted some essential details on the UEFA Europa League.
FAQs
The Europa League Draw usually starts at 12 noon in the United Kingdom and 7 a.m. in the United States of America.
The finals of the tournament will be held on Wed, 22 May 2024.
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