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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.
Europa League: Knockout Round Play-Offs
The draw for the Europa League Knockout Round play-offs took pace on 30th January.
The first legs were played on 19th February, and the return legs will take place on 26th February.
Knockout Round Play-Offs: Second-Leg Matches
Thursday, 26th February
🇷🇸 Crvena zvezda vs Lille 🇫🇷
(1st Leg: Lille 0:1 Crvena zvezda)
Crvena zvezda won their first match away to French opposition in European competitions when they defeated Lille 1-0 in the first leg of this tie. The Serbian side then went on to defeat fierce local rivals, Partizan Belgrade, by a 3-0 scoreline in the SuperLiga on Sunday. Their last defeat in a competitive match was in early December, 12 matches ago.
These sides have already met in Serbia in the league phase of this year’s competition, with Crvena zvezda winning that match by a score of 1-0. Lille also lost two of their other three away games in the league phase, although the French side did triumph 1-0 away to Roma.
Score prediction: 1-1
🇭🇺 Ferencváros vs Ludogorets Razgrad 🇧🇬
(1st Leg: Ludogorets Razgrad 2:1 Ferencváros)
There is plenty of head-to-head history between these sides, including four matches in Europe this season. In the first leg of this match, Ludogorets claimed a 2-1 victory to take a narrow lead into the second leg.
Before that, they first met in the third qualifying round of this season’s Champions League. The Bulgarian side were held to a goalless draw at home before suffering a 3-0 loss in Hungary. Ferencváros subsequently ended up in the Europa League too, and these sides met again in the league phase. Ferencváros hosted that match, and they were victorious again, this time by a scoreline of 3-1.
With two home victories (both by two goals) over their opponents in Europe already this season, Ferencváros will be hoping for a similar outcome.
Score prediction: 2-0
🇩🇪 VfB Stuttgart vs Celtic 🏴
(1st Leg: Celtic 1:4 VfB Stuttgart)
Celtic will need something extraordinary to happen if they are to pull back a three-goal deficit from their home leg of this clash. The Scottish side can’t draw any inspiration from their previous European travels to Germany. In the 16 matches Celtic have played away to German sides, they are still looking for their first win (D4, L12). Celtic also lost at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
Stuttgart and Celtic also faced each other in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. On that occasion, Celtic lost the second leg 3-2 in Germany. Stuttgart are currently in excellent form, winning six of their last eight matches in all competitions. VfB scored three or more goals in six of those eight games.
Score prediction: 3-1
🇨🇿 Viktoria Plzeň vs Panathinaikos 🇬🇷
(1st Leg: Panathinaikos 2:2 Viktoria Plzeň)
A 2-2 draw in Greece extended Viktoria Plzeň’s unbeaten run from the league phase, in which the Czech side won three and drew five of their eight matches.
These sides also met in the league phase, again in Greece, in a match that finished goalless. Something finally must give in their third encounter, although the stats say it may need extra time to do so.
Viktoria Plzeň are strong at home, having lost just two of their previous 18 home matches in all competitions (W9, D7, L2). However, Rafa Benítez’s Panathinaikos side have only lost one of their previous six away matches in this season’s Europa League (W2, D3, L1).
Score prediction: 1-1
🇮🇹 Bologna vs Brann 🇳🇴
(1st Leg: Brann 0:1 Bologna)
This will be the third meeting between these sides in this season’s tournament, with just one goal being scored across the opening two games. Their encounter on Matchday 4 of the league phase ended in a goalless draw in Italy, whilst Bologna gained a 1-0 victory in Norway in the first leg of this tie.
Since the Norwegian season ended in November, Brann have only had club friendlies to keep them sharp for their Europa League matches. However, since their domestic season ended, Brann have lost three and drawn one of the four Europa League matches they have played since. Meanwhile, Bologna ended a seven-match winless run at home in all competitions with a 1-0 victory over Udinese on Monday evening.
Score prediction: 2-0
🇪🇸 Celta Vigo vs PAOK 🇬🇷
(1st leg: PAOK 1:2 Celta Vigo)
PAOK have it all to do after losing the home leg of this tie 2-1. That follows a 3-1 defeat for the Greek side when these sides met in Spain on Matchday 2 of the league phase of this season’s competition.
Celta won three of their four home matches in the league phase, with the only reverse a 2-1 defeat against Bologna. They have also won four of their last five home matches in LaLiga.
PAOK’s four away matches in the league phase were full of goals. Apart from the 3-1 loss to Celta, PAOK also lost 4-2 against Lyon, drew 3-3 with Ludogorets Razgrad, and beat Lille 4-3.
Score prediction: 2-1
🇧🇪 Genk vs Dinamo Zagreb 🇭🇷
(1st Leg: Dinamo Zagreb 1:3 Genk)
Although Genk have done the hard part by claiming a 3-1 win in Croatia in the first leg, the Belgian side will be mindful of the only other time they faced Dinamo Zagreb at home. That match was in the Group Stage of the 2021/22 Europa League, when Dinamo cruised to a 3-0 victory.
On Sunday, Genk also saw their four-match unbeaten run in the Jupiler League come to an end when they lost 3-0 at home to Standard Liege. On the same day, Dinamo Zagreb were recording their second successive 4-0 victory in the Croatian League.
Score prediction: 1-2
🏴Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahçe 🇹🇷
(1st Leg: Fenerbahçe 0:3 Nottingham Forest)
Although Genk have done the hard part by claiming a 3-1 win in Croatia in the first leg, the Belgian side will be mindful of the only other time they faced Dinamo Zagreb at home. That match was in the Group Stage of the 2021/22 Europa League, when Dinamo cruised to a 3-0 victory.
On Sunday, Genk also saw their four-match unbeaten run in the Jupiler League come to an end when they lost 3-0 at home to Standard Liege. On the same day, Dinamo Zagreb were recording their second successive 4-0 victory in the Croatian League.
Score prediction: 1-2
Note: Score predictions are based on the result at the end of normal time and do not include extra time (if played).
Who will qualify for the Europa League Round of 16?
Based on the odds for the teams to qualify from their knockout round play-off matches, these are the probabilities of each team reaching the Round-of-16 stage:
- 68% Crvena zvezda – 32% Lille
- 57% Ludogorets Razgrad – 43% Ferencváros
- 98% VfB Stuttgart – 2% Celtic
- 61% Viktoria Plzeň – 39% Panathinaikos
- 94% Bologna – 6% Brann
- 86% Celta Vigo – 14% PAOK
- 91% Genk – 9% Dinamo Zagreb
- 96% Nottingham Forest – 4% Fenerbahçe
Europa League: League Phase
The league stage of the Europa League has now concluded.
The top eight teams in the standings progressed directly to the Round of 16 as seeded teams, whilst those teams that finished in positions nine to 24 will play in the knockout phase playoffs.
The top eight finishers were:
- Lyon
- Aston Villa
- Midtjylland
- Real Betis
- Porto
- Sporting Braga
- SC Freiburg
- Roma
The knockout phase play-offs will take place between 19th and 26th February. Included in that round will be Bologna, Nottingham Forest, Lille, VfB Stuttgart, Celta Vigo and Fenerbahçe.
The 12 teams who were eliminated at the league stage were Young Boys. Sturm Graz, FCSB, Go Ahead Eagles, Feyenoord, Basel, Red Bull Salzburg, Rangers, Nice, Utrecht, Malmö and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Who will win the 2025/26 Europa League?
Aston Villa have been favourites to win the Europa League since the betting opened, and they remain the shortest priced team heading into the knockout rounds after finishing second in the league-stage table.
Roma are the second favourites after a late goal in a 1-1 draw away to Panathinaikos on Matchday 8 saw the Italian side move above Genk to take the final place in the direct route to the Round of 16. Lyon, who topped the league phase, are third favourites, whilst Porto and Real Betis are the next two sides in the outright betting.
Here’s a full list of all the latest odds…
Europa League 2025/26 outright winner odds
These are the latest odds on teams to win the 2025/26 Europa League.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| 🏴 Aston Villa | 3.74 |
| 🇮🇹 Roma | 7.90 |
| 🇫🇷 Lyon | 9.60 |
| 🇵🇹 Porto | 10.25 |
| 🇪🇸 Real Betis | 11.00 |
| 🏴 Nottingham Forest | 11.75 |
| 🇮🇹 Bologna | 12.75 |
| 🇩🇪 VfB Stuttgart | 15.50 |
| 🇩🇪 SC Freiburg | 21.00 |
| 🇪🇸 Celta Vigo | 27.00 |
| 🇵🇹 Sporting Braga | 31.00 |
| 🇫🇷 Lille | 35.00 |
| 🇩🇰 Midtjylland | 41.00 |
| 🇧🇪 Genk | 48.00 |
| 🇨🇿 Viktoria Plzeň | 48.00 |
| 🇭🇺 Ferencváros | 51.00 |
| 🇬🇷 Panathinaikos | 91.00 |
| 🇷🇸 Crvena zvezda | 116.00 |
| 🇬🇷 PAOK | 121.00 |
| 🇹🇷 Fenerbahçe | 151.00 |
| 🇧🇬 Ludogorets Razgrad | 151.00 |
| 🇳🇴 Brann | 201.00 |
| 🏴 Celtic | 201.00 |
| 🇭🇷 Dinamo Zagreb | 301.00 |
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 9th to 24th 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 25th 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: 10th July, Second leg: 17th July ✅
Second qualifying round
First leg: 24th July, Second leg: 31st July ✅
Third qualifying round
First leg: 7th August, Second leg: 14th August ✅
Playoff round
Draw date: 4th August ✅
First leg: 21st August, Second leg: 28th August ✅
League phase
Draw date: 29th August ✅
Matchday 1: 24th–25th September ✅
Matchday 2: 2nd October ✅
Matchday 3: 23rd October ✅
Matchday 4: 6th November ✅
Matchday 5: 27th November ✅
Matchday 6: 11th December ✅
Matchday 7: 22nd January ✅
Matchday 8: 29th January ✅
Knockout phase
Draw date: 30th January ✅
Knockout round playoffs: First leg: 19th February ✅, Second Leg 26th February
Draw date for round of 16 onwards: 27th February
Round of 16: First leg: 12th March, Second Leg 19th March
Quarter-finals: First leg: 9th April, Second Leg 16th April
Semi-finals: First leg: 30th April, Second Leg 7th May
Final: 20th May
Where is the Europa League final 2025/26 being held?
The final will be held on the 20th 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 11th 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?
Here is a brief summary for each of the teams that have qualified for the league phase:
Real Betis (Spain)
Real Betis achieved their best European campaign to date last season, when qualifying for the UEFA Conference League final, only to find Chelsea too strong in the big match. A sixth-place finish in LaLiga earned them entry into this season’s Europa League—a competition in which they have yet to progress beyond the round of 16. Their most recent effort saw them eliminated at the group stage in the 2023/24 season, after they finished third of the four teams despite winning three of their six matches.
Celta Vigo (Spain)
Celta Vigo have qualified for a European competition for the first time in nine years after achieving only their second top-half LaLiga finish during that period. Their last European appearance was in the 2016/17 Europa League, where they put up a bold showing to reach the semi-finals before narrowly losing 2-1 on aggregate to Manchester United. Their best performances prior to that were in the UEFA Cup between 1998 and 2001, where Celta reached the quarter-finals on three successive occasions.
Aston Villa (England)
After missing out on European football for 12 years, Aston Villa reached the semi-finals of the Conference League in 2023/24. Last season they played in the main European club competition for the first time since 1983 and progressed as far as the quarter-finals. Villa lost 5-4 on aggregate to the eventual Champions League winners, PSG, although not before giving the French side a scare by winning the second leg 3-2. The Villans’ last Europa League appearances came in 2009 and 2010, where they lost in the qualifying play-off round to Rapid Wien on both occasions.
Nottingham Forest (England)
Forest got a helping hand into this tournament following the demotion of Crystal Palace to the Conference League. However, the Tricky Trees were contending for a Champions League place for much of the season, before a stuttering end to their EPL campaign. However, this still marks the return of European football to the City Ground after a 30-year absence. Forest’s last European involvement was in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup, in which they progressed to the quarter-finals before finding Bayern Munich to be too strong and losing 7-2 on aggregate.
Bologna (Italy)
A poor campaign in last season’s Champions League saw Bologna eliminated after finishing in 28th position in the league phase. They won just one of their eight matches—a 2-1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund—which was a disappointing return given it was the Italian side’s first European competition for 25 years. Their best-ever European finish was reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1998/99, in which they were edged out by Marseille on the away goals rule after both legs were drawn.
Roma (Italy)
Having previously reached four European finals, Roma’s sole success came in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League, when they beat Feyenoord 1-0. They have competed in the Europa League for the past three seasons, losing the 2023 final to Sevilla on penalties and suffering a 4-2 aggregate defeat in the 2023/24 semi-finals to Bayer Leverkusen. Last season Roma were unimpressive throughout the league phase, failing to win any of their four away matches before a 3-1 away defeat against Athletic Bilbao saw them eliminated in the round of 16. According to the UEFA coefficients, Roma are the highest rated side in this season’s Europa League.
VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
Last season, Stuttgart claimed a Champions League place for the first time since 2010. However, that was as good as it got, with the German side ultimately finishing 26th in the league phase and failing to progress further. In the Europa League, Stuttgart qualified three times in four seasons between 2010 and 2014. Their best performance came when they reached the round of 16 in 2012/13, before losing home and away to Lazio. The following season, they failed to make the group stage after surprisingly losing to Croatian side Rijeka over two legs in the play-off round.
SC Freiburg (Germany)
Freiburg have qualified for Europe on six previous occasions, all in the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. Freiburg have had limited success so far, having failed to progress beyond the round of 16 on any occasion. In their most recent appearance, in the 2023/24 season, they defeated West Ham 1-0 at home in the round of 16, only to lose the away leg 5-0. They reached the same stage the previous season but were eliminated by Juventus after losing both the home and away legs.
Lille (France)
Lille are relative newcomers to the European stage, having competed for the first time in the 2001/02 Champions League. Last season, they progressed through two qualifying rounds to make the league phase of the Champions League, where they won four and drew two of their eight matches and finished in seventh place. That gave them a place in the round of 16, in which they narrowly lost 3-2 on aggregate to Borussia Dortmund. Their best Europa League effort was when they reached the round of 16 in 2009/10, but the French side were unable to hold onto a first-leg lead in the away match against Liverpool.
Lyon (France)
Lyon have reached four semi-finals in European competitions in their history, but are yet to progress to a final. They were also minutes away from another semi-final in this competition last season, as they led Manchester United 4-2 on aggregate late into extra-time. However, the Red Devils scored three times in the last six minutes to turn the tie on its head. In the 2021/22 Europa League, Lyon reached the quarter-finals before losing 4-1 on aggregate to West Ham.
Nice (France) ❌
A quarter-final defeat to Basel in the 2022/23 Europa Conference League marked the first time Nice had progressed to that stage of a European competition for over 60 years. Nice have not been regular European competitors over the years, with a 20-year gap in qualification following their appearance in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup, and a 15-year gap after losing in the second round of the 1997/98 Cup Winners’ Cup. In the league phase of last season’s Europa League, Nice finished in 35th place out of the 36 teams and failed to win a single match (D3, L5). This season, they lost both matches 2-0 against Benfica in the Champions League third qualifying round and find themselves competing in the Europa League again.
Feyenoord (Netherlands) ❌
Feyenoord have one Champions League title to their name, having defeated Celtic 2-1 in the 1969/70 season to become the first Dutch club ever to win the top European trophy. Their last success in Europe was winning the 2001/02 UEFA Cup. In last season’s Champions League, Feyenoord reached the round of 16 before losing 4-1 to Inter on aggregate. Their group-stage results were inconsistent and included a 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich as well as a 6-1 loss to Lille. In this season’s Champions League third qualifying round, after winning the home leg 2-1 against Fenerbahçe, Feyenoord lost the away leg 5-2 in Turkey and moved down into the Europa League.
Go Ahead Eagles (Netherlands) ❌
Go Ahead Eagles have played three times in European competitions before, with their participation dating back to 1965, but on each occasion they were eliminated in the first match they played. Across those six matches, they drew twice and lost four times, with the most recent occasion being when they were eliminated by Brann in last season’s second qualifying round in the Conference League. However, after winning the Dutch Cup to qualify for the league phase of the Europa League, the Eagles are guaranteed to play at least eight European matches this season.
Utrecht (Netherlands) ❌
Utrecht have only been occasional participants in European competitions, with this season’s Europa League constituting their fifth tournament in the last 20 years. They have yet to progress beyond the group stage in their history. They successfully navigated three qualifying rounds to reach the league phase this year, with their most impressive performances being home and away victories over Servette. In the 2010/11 Europa League Utrecht drew five of their six group matches, including both home and away matches against Liverpool and Napoli, although that wasn’t enough to stop the Dutch side from being eliminated.
Porto (Portugal)
Porto have been a regular feature in European competitions over the years, winning the European Cup/Champions League in 1987 and 2004, and the UEFA Cup/Europa League in 2003 and 2011. However, since that last success, they have failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage, albeit mainly in Champions League campaigns. Last season, they finished in 18th place in the league phase of the Europa League, but were eliminated by Roma in the knockout round play-offs.
Sporting Braga (Portugal)
Sporting Braga have the distinction of having reached a Europa League final before, although they lost 1-0 to fellow Portuguese side Porto in 2011. They defeated Liverpool and Benfica on the way to that final. Last season, they qualified for the league phase of the Europa League, but a 25th-place finish saw them miss the knockout rounds. Braga did beat both Hoffenheim and Lazio at home in those group matches, but failed to win any of their four away games. This year’s qualification for the league phase was confirmed by an emphatic 9-1 aggregate win over the Gibraltar side Lincoln Red Imps.
Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
José Mourinho could not work his magic in last season’s Europa League with Fenerbahçe. They scraped through the league phase by qualifying in 24th place and, although they had a good win over Anderlecht in the knockout play-off round, they lost to Rangers on penalties in the round of 16. They started this season in the Champions League with a 6-4 aggregate win over Feyenoord but were beaten by Benfica in the play-off round to drop into the Europa League. Two days after that defeat, Jose Mourinho was sacked. The Turkish side’s best European performance in this competition came when they reached the semi-final in 2013. Fenerbahçe defeated Benfica 1-0 in the home leg of that semi-final but were unable to hold on in Portugal, as they lost the second leg by a score of 3-1.
Genk (Belgium)
Genk have been fairly regular participants in European competitions over the last 15 years and achieved their best-ever finish in the 2016/17 Europa League, when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Celta Vigo by one goal. They did not take part in the new-look competitions last year, but a third-place finish in the Belgian Pro-League (after they had topped the table during the regular season) gave them entry to the Europa League play-off round. Qualification to the league phase was virtually assured after a 5-1 away win against Lech Poznań, although Genk did lose the home leg 2-1.
Rangers (Scotland) ❌
Last season, Rangers finished eighth in the league phase of the Europa League and then eliminated Fenerbahçe, before losing to Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals. This season, the Scottish side progressed through the first two qualifying rounds in the Champions League before suffering the embarrassment of a 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge in the play-off round. Rangers have reached the final of the Europa League twice before, losing both times—2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg in 2008 and 5-4 on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.
Celtic (Scotland)
Like their rivals Rangers, Celtic also stumbled at the play-off round in their quest for a place in this season’s Champions League. The Scottish champions were held to two goalless draws by Kazakhstani side Kairat before being eliminated following a penalty shootout. Celtic finished 21st in the league stage of last season’s Champions League, after which they lost a hard-fought knockout play-off match against Bayern Munich by an aggregate score of 3-2. In their last two Europa League appearances, Celtic failed to progress from the group stage.
Panathinaikos (Greece)
Panathinaikos reached the final of the 1970/71 European Cup but were defeated 2-0 by Ajax. They can also boast two semi-final and four quarter-final appearances in European competitions over the years, with the last one coming in the 2002/03 Europa League. Their last three Europa League group appearances have resulted in three bottom-place finishes and just one victory across their 18 matches. Last season, Panathinaikos competed in the Conference League and finished in 13th place in the league. They were eventually eliminated by Fiorentina in the round of 16 after the Greek side were unable to hold on to a 3-2 advantage from the first leg.
PAOK (Greece)
PAOK have reached the quarter-final stage in two of the last four Conference League tournaments, before losing out to Marseille and Club Brugge respectively. However, their record in the Europa League is not so good, as they have never progressed as far as the round of 16. Last season, they did make it through the league stage of the Europa League, albeit with a 22nd-place finish, only to lose to FCSB in the knockout play-off round. This season, they have progressed through two rounds to reach the league stage. Firstly, an evenly-matched tie against Wolfsberger saw the only goal scored in extra-time of the second leg. Then, in the play-off round, PAOK turned a 1-0 deficit against Rijeka around with an emphatic 5-0 victory in Greece.
Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) ❌
The Austrian side featured in the league phase of the Champions League last season, but lost seven of their eight matches to finish in 34th-place out of the 36 teams. Across those seven defeats, Salzburg only scored two goals and conceded 26 times. They also competed in the Club World Cup earlier this summer, but didn’t progress beyond their group. On the last three occasions Salzburg competed in the Europa League it followed elimination from the Champions League, and they failed to progress beyond their first match each time. They did reach the final of the 1993/94 UEFA Cup, only to lose each leg of the two-legged final against Inter by a score of 1-0.
Sturm Graz (Austria) ❌
Although the Austrian side have appeared in Europe on a regular basis, the last time they reached the quarter-finals in any European competition was in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, 40 years ago. They did play in the league phase of last season’s Champions League, but lost six of their eight matches and failed to qualify after finishing in 30th place. This season, they entered the Champions League in the play-off round, but became the latest victims of the artificial pitch of Bodø/Glimt, on which the Norwegian side won the first leg 5-0 to put the tie out of Sturm’s reach. The Austrian side will need to improve their away form in Europe if they are to progress this year—in their last 23 away ties in European competitions, they have lost 16 times (W3, D4, L16).
Young Boys (Switzerland) ❌
Young Boys have been regular competitors in European competitions over the years, with their best finish this century being a round-of-16 exit in the 2020/21 Europa League. They did compete in the league phase of last season’s Champions League after eliminating Galatasaray in the knockout round play-off but then lost all of their eight league matches. In those games, they scored just three times and conceded 24 goals. In this season’s Europa League, the Swiss side defeated Slovan Bratislava in the play-off round, winning 3-2 at home and 1-0 in Slovakia to qualify for the league phase.
Basel (Switzerland) ❌
Basel competed in European competitions for 25 consecutive seasons between 1999/00 and 2023/24. They reached the semi-final of the 2012/13 Europa League, where they lost to Chelsea after defeating another London side, Tottenham, in the quarter-finals. More recently, Basel also reached the semi-finals of the 2022/23 UEFA Conference League, only to lose to Fiorentina after extra-time on that occasion. The Swiss side played in the play-off round in this season’s Champions League, but a 3-1 aggregate loss to F.C. København saw them move into the Europa League.
FCSB (Romania) ❌
FCSB, also known as Steaua București, were a force to be reckoned with in European football many years ago and, at the height of their success, won the European Cup in 1985/86. In that final, Barcelona were the strong favourites. However, a goalless match was decided on penalties, Barcelona remarkably saw all four of their penalties saved, and the Romanian side went on to win the shootout 2-0. In both last season and in this year’s competition, FCSB were eliminated in the Champions League qualifying rounds and moved into the Europa League. Last season, they finished 11th in the league table but were eliminated by Lyon 7-1 on aggregate in the round of 16.
Malmö (Sweden) ❌
Although Malmö reached the final of the European Cup in 1979, which they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, that was the only time in their history that they have progressed beyond the round of 32 in any European competition. In the league phase of last season’s Europa League, the Swedish side won just one of their eight matches and finished in 31st place. This season, they defeated Czech side Sigma Olomouc 5-0 on aggregate in the play-off round to earn another crack at the league phase of the Europa League.
Brann (Norway)
Brann have only played in the group stage of a European competition once before, when they qualified for the knockout rounds after finishing in third place in their group in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. However, the Norwegian side then lost to Everton 8-1 on aggregate in the round of 32. This season, a loss to Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League qualifying round saw Brann move into the Europa League qualifying rounds, where they defeated Häcken (2-1 on aggregate) and AEK Larnaca (6-1 on aggregate) to reach the league phase.
Midtjylland (Denmark)
In the league phase of last season’s Europa League, Midtjylland finished in 20th place to progress to the knockout round play-offs. However, in that round, they found Real Sociedad too strong, losing both at home and away to the Spanish side. The Danish side have already progressed through three rounds to compete in the league phase again this season, having scored 14 goals in the process of eliminating Hibernian, Fredrikstad and KuPS. Midtjylland have yet to progress past the round of 32 in any European competition.
Crvena zvezda (Serbia)
Crvena zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade, won the European Cup in 1990/91, when they took the title following a 5-3 penalty shootout against Marseille. However, they have not come close to matching that performance since, having only progressed beyond the group stage three times in any competition, and have never gone beyond the round of 16. In last season’s league stage of the Champions League, the Serbian side finished 29th out of the 36 teams and were eliminated, although they did defeat VfB Stuttgart 5-1 during their set of games. This season, they lost to Pafos in the Champions League play-off round and moved into the Europa League.
Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)
Viktoria Plzeň have been regular European entrants for the last 15 years, with four round-of-16 appearances in the Europa League being the height of their achievements in this competition. In last season’s competition, they were narrowly defeated in the round of 16 by Lazio with an aggregate score of 3-2, after qualifying in 16th place from the league phase following three wins, three draws and two defeats. Viktoria Plzeň started in the Champions League qualifiers this season, but after defeating Servette, they then lost to Rangers and moved into this competition.
Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
Dinamo Zagreb have been regular participants in European competitions dating back to the 1958/59 season. However, in all that time, they have qualified for the quarter-finals of a competition just once, when they reached that stage in the 2020/21 Europa League. They lost home and away to Villarreal on that occasion, after eliminating Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16. Last season, Dinamo played in the league phase of the Champions League but were eliminated after finishing 25th out of the 36 teams, with one of their matches ending in a record-breaking 9-2 defeat away to Bayern Munich.
Ferencváros (Hungary)
Ferencváros reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1972 before being eliminated by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Since then, a solitary round of 16 appearance, which came in the 2022/23 Europa League, has been their best effort. They topped their group that season, with a 1-0 win away to Monaco amongst their results, but then lost both legs 2-0 in their knockout match against Bayer Leverkusen. In last season’s Europa League, Ferencváros qualified for the knockout rounds after a 17th-place finish in the league table. However, they were then eliminated 3-1 on aggregate by Czech side Viktoria Plzeň.
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) ❌
Maccabi Tel Aviv achieved their best-ever European finish in 2023/24, when they succumbed to a round-of-16 defeat against Olympiacos, who eventually went on to win the Conference League trophy that season. Last season, the Israeli side failed to qualify from the league stage of the Europa League after losing six of their eight matches. This season, they were eliminated in the Champions League qualifying rounds by Pafos, before defeating Hamrun Spartans and Dynamo Kyiv to reach the league phase of the Europa League. However, they may find it difficult to progress much further with all home matches having to be played outside of Israel.
Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria)
Ludogorets Razgrad are relatively new to European football, with their debut season coming in the 2012/13 Champions League. A round-of-16 appearance in the Europa League the following season was their best finish to date. In this stage of the Europa League last season, Ludogorets finished in 33rd place after having failed to win any of their eight league-phase matches (D4, L4). This season, they were eliminated in the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Ferencváros, before defeating Macedonian side Shkëndija 5-3 on aggregate to set up another attempt in the league stage of the Europa League.
❌ = Eliminated
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.
