31.05.2021
International

Europa League 2021/22 format

All you need to know about next season’s UEFA Europa League.

All you need to know about next season’s UEFA Europa League.

Have there been changes to the format?
Yes, there will only be 32 as opposed to 48 teams in the group stage. Each group will comprise four teams once again, with eight groups in total and six matchdays. The top team in each group will qualify directly for the round of 16, while the second-placed team in each group will have to go through a round of 32. Those eight teams will be drawn against one of the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League, with the winners of these ties going through to the last 16.

The third-placed teams in the Europa League group stage will qualify for the round of 32 of the newly created Conference League and face one of the second-placed teams from that competition’s group stage.

When will the draw be held for the group stage?
The 32 balls will be put into the pots on 27 August. What time and where this will take place has yet to be decided.

When will the Europa League be played?
As a rule, Thursday will be the matchday for the Europa League. Fans can already pencil the following six dates into their calendars:

16 September
30 September
21 October
4 November
25 November
9 December

The fixtures will kick off at 16:30 CET, 18:45 CET or 21:00 CET. The final will be held in Seville on 18 May.

Which teams have already qualified for the group stage?
Eintracht are one of 12 teams whose place in the group stage is confirmed, along with: Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Leicester City, West Ham United, Olympique Lyon, Olympique de Marseille, SSC Neapel, Lazio Rom, SC Braga, Lokomotive Moskau, Real Sociedad and Betis Sevilla.