UEFA Europa Conference League gears up for its highly anticipated third season in 2023-24 as the footballing world awaits with bated breath.
Organized by UEFA, this prestigious tournament serves as a captivating platform that unites teams from diverse corners of the continent.
With every edition, the Europa Conference League continues to provide an unparalleled opportunity for clubs to showcase their talent, passion, and determination on the grand stage of European football.
On June 7, West Ham United have become the first English club to win the UEFA Europa Conference League as the Hammers celebrated a narrow 1 - 2 victory over Serie A side Fiorentina at Eden Arena, Prague.
Image source: Getty Images.
UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round draw
The draw for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 took place on Tuesday, 20th June at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland at 15:00 CET.
For the first qualifying round, the matches will be played in a two-legged format, with the fixtures scheduled to take place on the 13th and 20th of July.
Among the 62 participating teams, they are divided into six distinct groups. Five of these groups, namely groups 1 to 5, consist of 10 teams each, while the remaining group, group 6, comprises 12 teams.
In order to ensure fairness, each group consists of an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams, resulting in a total of 31 seeded teams and 31 unseeded teams.
To avoid matches between teams from the same association, a key principle is upheld during the draw, ensuring that clubs from the same country will not be paired against each other, promoting diversity and representation from different association
Europa Conference League 2023/24 Draw Results
Group A: Lille, Slovan Bratislava, Olimpija Ljubljana, KÍ Klaksvík.
Group B: Gent, M. Tel Aviv, Zorya Luhansk, Breidablik.
Group C: Dinamo Zagreb,Viktoria Plzeň, Astana, Ballkani.
Group D: Club Brugge, Bodø/Glimt, Besiktas, Lugano.
Group E: AZ Alkmaar, Aston Villa, Legia, Zrinjski.
Group F: Ferencváros, Fiorentina, Genk, Čukarički.
Group G: Frankfurt, PAOK, HJK, Aberdeen.
Group H: Fenerbahce, Ludogorets, Spartak Trnava, Nordsjælland.
Europa Conference League 2023/24 Group Stage - Matchday 1
- LOSC vs Olimpija
- Ferencvaros vs Cukaricki
- HJK vs PAOK
- Genk vs Fiorentina
- Legia Warszawa vs Aston Villa
- Zinjski vs AZ Alkmaar
- Fenerbahce vs Nordsjaelland
- Slovan Bratslava vs KI
- Lugano vs Bodo/Glimt
- Dinamo Zagreb vs Astana
- M. Tel- Aviv vs Breioablik
- Club Brugge vs Besiktas
- Zorya Luhansk vs Gent
- Viktoria Plzen vs Ballkani
When is the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 draw?
The Europa Conference League draw takes place on Friday, September 1.
When is the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24?
The 2023/24 Europa Conference League will begin on July 13, 2023 and end on May 29, 2024.
Teams in Europa Conference League group stage 2023/24
In a unique twist of fate, the clubs that face elimination in the first qualifying round of the prestigious UEFA Champions League, as well as those ousted in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, discover a fresh opportunity for triumph in the newly established Europa Conference League.
A total of 177 teams from 54 out of the 55 UEFA member associations eagerly participate in the Europa Conference League. The exclusion of Russia adds an intriguing element to the competition, stirring up further anticipation and unpredictability.
Fifteen associations proudly witness their teams secure direct qualification for the Europa League, showcasing their strength and competitiveness on the continental level.
However, for the remaining 40 associations without direct qualifiers, a captivating twist awaits. These associations find themselves on the edge of their seats as they await the fate of their clubs, who have a chance to enter the Europa Conference League through transfers from the Champions League.
The winners of the Europa Conference League not only secure automatic qualification for the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League group stage but also earn the privilege of facing off against the winners of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League group stage.
This unprecedented showdown between the champions of the Europa Conference League and the Champions League adds an exciting new dimension to European football, pitting the rising stars against the established giants in a battle for supremacy.
Juventus and UEFA are reportedly nearing an agreement that would result in Bianconeris being excluded from European competitions for the upcoming season as their sole punishment. As a result, Fiorentina would take their place in the Conference League.
Osasuna have been readmitted to the Europa Conference League after filing an appeal to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) against UEFA's previous ban for match-fixing in 2013. However, UEFA has initiated another disciplinary case against Osasuna for their decision to approach CAS.
- The champion of Serbia moves from CL-PO to CL-GS,
- The champion of Belgium moves from CL-Q3 to CL-PO,
- The champion of Greece moves from CL-Q2 to CL-Q3,
- The champions of Denmark and Croatia move from CL-Q1 to CL-Q2,
- The runner-up of Serbia moves from CL-Q2nc to CL-Q3nc,
- The cup winners of Belgium and Switzerland move from EL-Q3 to EL-PO,
- The cup winner of Czechia moves from ECL-Q2 to EL-Q3,
- The cup winners of Norway, Denmark, and Croatia move from ECL-Q2 to ECL-Q3,
- The cup winners (or runners-up) of Slovakia, Slovenia, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Kosovo move from ECL-Q1 to ECL-Q2,
- As a result there will be only 16 CL-Q1 losers in ECL-Q2ch, one of them gets a bye to ECL-Q3ch (to be determined by a draw).
2023/24 Europa Conference League teams by nation
Europa Conference League 2023/24 Group Stage
The draw for the group stage is scheduled to take place on 1 September 2023. In this thrilling spectacle, the 32 teams will be meticulously putin in 8 groups, each consisting of four teams.
To ensure fairness, the teams will be divided into four pots, with each pot containing eight teams.
- 5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
- 17 winners from the play-off round for (Main Path)
- 10 teams eliminated from the Europa League play-off round
Conference League Play-off round
- England: Aston Villa
- Spain: Osasuna
- Italy: Fiorentina
- Germany: Eintracht Frankfurt
- France: Lille
UEFA have banned Juventus from Connference League and Fiorentina will replace them.
Third qualifying round
Main Path
- Portugal: Arouca
- The Netherlands: AZ Alkmaar
- Austria: Rapid Wien
- Scotland: Heart of Midlothian
- Serbia: Partizan
- Ukraine: Dynamo Kyiv
- Norway: Brann
- Denmark: Nordsjælland
- Croatia: Hajduk Split
Second qualifying round
Main Path
- Portugal: Vitoria de Guimaraes
- Netherlands: Twente
- Austria: Austria Wien
- Scotland: Hibernian
- Serbia: Vojvodina
- Ukraine: Vorskla
- Belgium: Club Brugge, Gent
- Switzerland: Luzern, Basel
- Greece: PAOK, Aris
- Czech Republic: Viktoria Plzen, Bohemians 1905
- Norway: Bodo/Glimt, Rosenborg
- Denmark: AGF
- Croatia: Osijek, Rijeka
- Turkey: Fenerbahce, Besiktas
- Cyprus: APOEL, AEK Larnaca
- Israel: Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Sweden: Djurgardens, Hammarby, Kalmar FF
- Bulgaria: CSKA Sofia, CSKA 1948
- Romania: Sepsi OSK, FCSB, CFR Cluj
- Azerbaijan: Gabala, Sabah, Neftci
- Hungary: Zalaegerszeg, Kecskemet, Debrecen
- Poland: Legia Warsaw, Lech Poznan, Pogon Szczecin
- Kazakhstan: Ordabasy, Aktobe
- Slovenia: Celje
- Slovakia: Spartak Trnava
- Belarus: Torpedo-BelAZ
- Moldova: Petrocub Hincesti
- Lithuania: Kauno Zalgiris
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: Borac Banja Luka
- Finland: KuPS
- Luxembourg: Differdange 03
- Latvia: Auda
- Kosovo: Drita
When are the 2023/24 Europa Conference League group stage matches?
- Matchday 1: 21 September 2023
- Matchday 2: 5 October 2023
- Matchday 3: 26 October 2023
- Matchday 4: 9 November 2023
- Matchday 5: 30 November 2023
- Matchday 6: 14 December 2023
When is the 2023/24 Europa Conference League knockout stage?
- Knockout round play-offs: 15 and 22 February 2024
- Round of 16: 7 and 14 March 2024
- Quarter-finals: 11 and 18 April 2024
- Semi-finals: 2 and 9 May 2024
- Final: 29 May 2024
Confirmed play-off round teams
- Aston Villa (England)
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Third-qualifying round teams
- Arouca (Portugal)
- Partizan (Belgrade)
- Hajduk Split (Croatia)
- AZ (Netherlands)
- Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
- Brann (Norway)
- Aberdeen (Scotland)
- Nordsjælland (Denmark)
Where is the 2023/24 Europa Conference League final?
UEFA are yet to decide on the hosts for the 2024 final.
Jose Mourninho's Roma were the very first winners of the competition, after beating Feyenoord 1–0 in the 2022 final.
Image source: Getty Images.
What is the Europa Conference League format?
The upcoming edition of the tournament marks the final season with 32 teams competing in the group stage. UEFA has unveiled exciting news, announcing the introduction of a brand-new format.
During a UEFA Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 28, 2023 it was confirmed that UEFA Europa Conference League will be renamed to UEFA Conference League.
Meanwhile, Athens and Wrocław will stage UEFA Europa Conference League Final in 2024 and 2025.