The UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, is an association football competition established in 1971 by UEFA.[1] It is considered the second most important international competition for European clubs, after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the Europa League based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. For the first 25 years of the competition, the final was contested over two legs, one at each participating club's stadium, but in 1998, Inter Milan defeated Lazio in the competition's first single-legged final held at a neutral venue, the Parc des Princes in Paris.[2] Tottenham Hotspur won the inaugural competition in 1972, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 on aggregate.[3] Ten finals have featured teams from the same national association: Italy (1990, 1991, 1995 and 1998), Spain (2007 and 2012), England (1972 and 2019), Germany (1980) and Portugal (2011).
 | |
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Region | UEFA (Europe) |
| Number of teams | 36 (league stage) 2 (finalists) |
| Current champions |  Atalanta(1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |  Sevilla(7 titles) |
 2024 UEFA Europa League final | |
Sevilla holds the record for the most victories, having won the competition seven times since its inception.[4] Real Madrid (winners in 1985 and 1986) and Sevilla (winners in 2006 and 2007, and 2014, 2015 and 2016) are the only teams to have retained their title. The competition has been won fourteen times by teams from Spain, more than any other country.[1] The last champions before the UEFA Cup was renamed to UEFA Europa League were Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat Werder Bremen 2–1 after extra time in the 2009 final.[5] Benfica and Marseille have lost the most finals, with three losses in the competition. The current champions are Atalanta, who defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3–0 in the 2024 final.
While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is considered to be the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, UEFA does not recognise the Fairs Cup as one of its official club competitions, and therefore its records are not included in the list.[6]
List of finals
edit| † | Match won after extra time |
| * | Match won after a penalty shoot-out |
| § | Match won by a golden goal |
| # | Team won on away goals |
- The "Season" column refers to the season during which the competition was held, and links to the article about that season.
- The two-legged final matches are listed in the order they were played.
- The "UCL" note by a team means that the team initially competed in the UEFA Champions League for that season (since the 1999–2000 season).
- The link in the "Score" column directs to the article about that season's final.
Performances
editBy club
editBy nation
edit| Nation | Winners | Runners-up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain
|
14 | 5 | 19 |
| Italy
|
10 | 8 | 18 |
 England
|
9 | 8 | 17 |
 Germany[o]
|
7 | 9 | 16 |
 Netherlands
|
4 | 3 | 7 |
 Portugal
|
2 | 5 | 7 |
 Russia
|
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Sweden
|
2 | 0 | 2 |
 Belgium
|
1 | 2 | 3 |
 Ukraine
|
1 | 1 | 2 |
 Turkey
|
1 | 0 | 1 |
 France
|
0 | 5 | 5 |
 Scotland
|
0 | 4 | 4 |
 Austria
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
 Hungary
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
 Yugoslavia
|
0 | 1 | 1 |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Tottenham Hotspur won the penalty shoot-out 4–3.[8]
- ^ The score was 3–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Bayer Leverkusen won the penalty shoot-out 3–2.[9]
- ^ The score was 0–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Schalke 04 won the penalty shoot-out 4–1.[10]
- ^ The score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Galatasaray won the penalty shoot-out 4–1.[11]
- ^ The score was 4–4 after 90 minutes. Liverpool scored the golden goal in the 26th minute of extra time.[12]
- ^ The score was 2–2 after 90 minutes.[13]
- ^ The score was 2–2 after 90 minutes and extra time. Sevilla won the penalty shoot-out 3–1.[14]
- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes.[15]
- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes.[16]
- ^ The score was 0–0 after 90 minutes and extra time. Sevilla won the penalty shoot-out 4–2.[17]
- ^ The 2020 final was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[18]
- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Villarreal won the penalty shoot-out 11–10.
- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Eintracht Frankfurt won the penalty shoot-out 5–4.
- ^ The score was 1–1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Sevilla won the penalty shoot-out 4–1.
- ^ Includes clubs representing West Germany. No clubs representing East Germany appeared in a final.
References
edit- ^ a b c "UEFA Cup/Europa League". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "1997/98 season history". UEFA. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Spurs keep Wolves at bay". UEFA. 2 January 2006. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
- ^ "Europa League kings Sevilla beat Roma on penalties to win seventh crown". Reuters. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Shakhtar Donetsk claim Uefa Cup final glory over Werder Bremen". The Guardian. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ "UEFA Cup: All-time finals". UEFA. 30 June 2005. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
- ^ "UEFA Europa League Statistics Handbook" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 10 November 2022. See also "2022–23 Season Update" (PDF).
- ^ "1983/84: Tottenham keep cool to dispatch Anderlecht". UEFA. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "1987/88: Leverkusen overturn 3-0 final deficit". UEFA. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "1996/97: Spot-on Schalke hold off Inter". UEFA. 22 August 2020. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
- ^ "1999/00: Galatasaray the pride of Turkey". UEFA. 1 June 2000. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "2000/01: Liverpool triumph after nine-goal thriller". UEFA. 1 June 2001. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "2002/03: Mourinho's silver lining for Porto". UEFA. 1 June 2003. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "2006/07: Palop the hero". UEFA. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "2008/09: Last UEFA Cup brings Shakhtar first". UEFA. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "2009/10: Atlético end wait for European title". UEFA. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "2013/14: Spot-on Sevilla show their mettle". UEFA. 1 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Venues for Round of 16 matches confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
External links
edit- UEFA Europa League official website