The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League is the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
The final will be played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania.[1] The winners of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League will automatically qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage, unless they manage to qualify for the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage.[2]
This season is the first since 1998–99 (the last season when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was played) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League) take place.[3]
On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Therefore, if in a two-legged tie, two teams score the same amount of aggregate goals, the winner will not be decided by the number of away goals scored by each team, but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams score the same amount of goals in extra time, the winner will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.[4]
A total of 181 teams from at least 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League (the possible exception being Spain, although one of their teams may still participate after finishing third in the Europa League group stage and winning the play-off). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[5]
For the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.[6]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Europa Conference League, as noted below:
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The following is the access list for this season.[7] In the default access list, the title holders of the Europa Conference League qualify for the Europa League group stage. However, since this berth is vacant this season, the following changes to the access list were made:
As Villarreal, which otherwise would have qualified for the Europa Conference League play-off round via their domestic league, won the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, thereby earning an automatic spot in the Champions League group stage as the Europa League title holders, thus vacating a berth in the play-off round. The following changes have been confirmed by UEFA:[8]
Moreover, in the default access list, originally 17 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round are transferred to the Europa Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path). However, since the Champions League title holders, Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league, only 16 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round are transferred to the Europa Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) after the Champions League access list was rebalanced. As a result, only 19 teams enter the Champions Path second qualifying round (one of the losers from the Champions League first qualifying round is drawn to receive a bye to the third qualifying round).
Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League or Europa League | ||
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First qualifying round (66 teams) |
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Second qualifying round (108 teams) |
Champions Path (18 teams) |
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Main Path (90 teams) |
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Third qualifying round (64 teams) |
Champions Path (10 teams) |
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Main Path (54 teams) |
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Play-off round (44 teams) |
Champions Path (10 teams) |
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Main Path (34 teams) |
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Group stage (32 teams) |
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Preliminary knockout round (16 teams) |
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Knockout phase (16 teams) |
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NOTE: The following list of qualified teams is provisional, subject to final confirmation by UEFA in June 2021, as each participating team must obtain a UEFA club licence. All qualified teams are included in this list as long as they have not been banned by UEFA or have not failed their final appeal with their football association on obtaining a licence. |
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[10]
Three teams not playing a national top division take part in the competition: Gagra (2nd tier), Sileks (2nd tier) and Vaduz (2nd tier).
Notes
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[20] Matches are scheduled for Thursdays apart from the final, which takes place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally can take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts (especially featuring teams from countries where there are very few sufficient stadiums, such as Gibraltar and Wales). Scheduled kick-off times starting from the group stage are 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET, though exceptionally can take place at 16:30 due to geographical reasons.[21]
All draws start at 13:00 or 14:00 CEST/CET and are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. On 16 July 2021, UEFA announced that the group stage draw will be held in Istanbul, Turkey.[22]
Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
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Qualifying | First qualifying round | 15 June 2021 | 8 July 2021 | 15 July 2021 |
Second qualifying round | 16 June 2021 | 22 July 2021 | 29 July 2021 | |
Third qualifying round | 19 July 2021 | 5 August 2021 | 12 August 2021 | |
Play-offs | 2 August 2021 | 19 August 2021 | 26 August 2021 | |
Group stage | Matchday 1 | 27 August 2021 | 16 September 2021 | |
Matchday 2 | 30 September 2021 | |||
Matchday 3 | 21 October 2021 | |||
Matchday 4 | 4 November 2021 | |||
Matchday 5 | 25 November 2021 | |||
Matchday 6 | 9 December 2021 | |||
Knockout phase | Knockout round play-offs | 13 December 2021 | 17 February 2022 | 24 February 2022 |
Round of 16 | 25 February 2022 | 10 March 2022 | 17 March 2022 | |
Quarter-finals | 18 March 2022 | 7 April 2022 | 14 April 2022 | |
Semi-finals | 28 April 2022 | 5 May 2022 | ||
Final | 25 May 2022 at Arena Kombëtare, Tirana |
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 15 June 2021, 13:30 CEST.[23] The first legs were played on 6 and 8 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 15 July 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Main Path second qualifying round. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 16 June 2021, 13:30 CEST.[24] The first legs were played on 20, 21 and 22 July, and the second legs were played on 27 and 29 July 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Shamrock Rovers | Bye | N/A | – | – |
Teuta | 3–2 | Inter Club d'Escaldes | 0–2 | 3–0 (a.e.t.) |
Riga | 3–0 | Shkëndija | 2–0 | 1–0 |
Dinamo Tbilisi | 2–7 | Maccabi Haifa | 1–2 | 1–5 |
HB Tórshavn | 6–0[A] | Budućnost Podgorica | 4–0 | 2–0 |
Linfield | 4–0 | Borac Banja Luka | 4–0 | 0–0 |
Shakhtyor Soligorsk | 1–3 | Fola Esch | 1–2 | 0–1 |
Folgore | 3–7 | Hibernians | 1–3 | 2–4 |
Prishtina | 6–5 | Connah's Quay Nomads | 4–1 | 2–4 |
Valur | 0–6 | Bodø/Glimt | 0–3 | 0–3 |
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 19 July 2021, 14:00 CEST.[25] The first legs were played on 3 and 5 August, and the second legs were played on 10 and 12 August 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Maccabi Haifa | 7–3 | HB Tórshavn | 7–2 | 0–1 |
Linfield | 2–4 | Fola Esch | 1–2 | 1–2 |
Shamrock Rovers | 3–0 | Teuta | 1–0 | 2–0 |
Riga | 4–2 | Hibernians | 0–1 | 4–1 (a.e.t.) |
Prishtina | 2–3 | Bodø/Glimt | 2–1 | 0–2 |
The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 14:00 CEST.[26] The first legs were played on 19 August, and the second legs were played on 26 August 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Žalgiris | 2–3 | Bodø/Glimt | 2–2 | 0–1 |
Neftçi Baku | 3–7 | Maccabi Haifa | 3–3 | 0–4 |
Flora | 5–2 | Shamrock Rovers | 4–2 | 1–0 |
Riga | 2–4 | Lincoln Red Imps | 1–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
Fola Esch | 2–7 | Kairat | 1–4 | 1–3 |
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
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Qarabağ | 4–1 | Aberdeen | 1–0 | 3–1 |
Basel | 4–4 (4–3 p) | Hammarby IF | 3–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
Viktoria Plzeň | 2–3 | CSKA Sofia | 2–0 | 0–3 (a.e.t.) |
Paços de Ferreira | 1–3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1–0 | 0–3 |
Rennes | 5–1 | Rosenborg | 2–0 | 3–1 |
Anderlecht | 4–5 | Vitesse | 3–3 | 1–2 |
LASK | 3–1 | St Johnstone | 1–1 | 2–0 |
Shakhter Karagandy | 1–4 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 1–2 | 0–2 |
PAOK | 3–1 | Rijeka | 1–1 | 2–0 |
KuPS | 0–4 | Union Berlin | 0–4 | 0–0 |
Feyenoord | 6–3 | IF Elfsborg | 5–0 | 1–3 |
Raków Częstochowa | 1–3 | Gent | 1–0 | 0–3 |
Sivasspor | 1–7 | Copenhagen | 1–2 | 0–5 |
Santa Clara | 2–3 | Partizan | 2–1 | 0–2 |
Trabzonspor | 1–5 | Roma | 1–2 | 0–3 |
Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 1–3 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 0–0 | 1–3 |
Jablonec | 8–1 | Žilina | 5–1 | 3–0 |
The draw for the group stage was held on 27 August 2021, 13:30 CEST (14:30 TRT), in Istanbul, Turkey.[22][27] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[10] Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia, could not be drawn into the same group. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association, including those playing in the Europa League group stage (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams), based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would have different kick-off times.[28]
The matches will be played on 14 and 16 September, 30 September, 21 October, 4 November, 25 November, and 9 December 2021. The winners of each group will advance to the round of 16, while the runners-up will advance to the knockout round play-offs. The third-placed and fourth-placed teams will be eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Alashkert, Bodø/Glimt, Flora, Kairat, Lincoln Red Imps, Mura, Randers and Union Berlin will make their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Alashkert, Flora and Lincoln Red Imps will be the first teams from Armenia, Estonia and Gibraltar, respectively, to play in a UEFA competition group stage.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LAS | MTA | ALA | HJK | |
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1 | LASK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 30 Sep | 4 Nov | 9 Dec | |
2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 25 Nov | — | 14 Sep | 4 Nov | |
3 | Alashkert | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 Oct | 9 Dec | — | 30 Sep | ||
4 | HJK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 Sep | 21 Oct | 25 Nov | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GNT | PAR | FLO | ANO | |
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1 | Gent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 4 Nov | 9 Dec | 30 Sep | |
2 | Partizan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 21 Oct | — | 30 Sep | 9 Dec | |
3 | Flora | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 Sep | 25 Nov | — | 4 Nov | ||
4 | Anorthosis Famagusta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 Nov | 16 Sep | 21 Oct | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ROM | ZOR | CSS | BOD | |
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1 | Roma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 25 Nov | 16 Sep | 4 Nov | |
2 | Zorya Luhansk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 30 Sep | — | 4 Nov | 9 Dec | |
3 | CSKA Sofia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 Dec | 21 Oct | — | 30 Sep | ||
4 | Bodø/Glimt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 Oct | 16 Sep | 25 Nov | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AZ | CLJ | JAB | RAN | |
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1 | AZ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 4 Nov | 30 Dec | 9 Dec | |
2 | CFR Cluj | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 21 Oct | — | 9 Dec | 30 Sep | |
3 | Jablonec | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 Nov | 16 Sep | — | 21 Oct | ||
4 | Randers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 Sep | 25 Nov | 4 Nov | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SLA | FEY | UNI | MHA | |
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1 | Slavia Prague | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 25 Nov | 16 Sep | 4 Nov | |
2 | Feyenoord | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 30 Sep | — | 21 Oct | 9 Dec | |
3 | Union Berlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 Dec | 4 Nov | — | 30 Sep | ||
4 | Maccabi Haifa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 Oct | 14 Sep | 25 Nov | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COP | PAO | SLO | LIN | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Copenhagen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 21 Oct | 9 Dec | 30 Sep | |
2 | PAOK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 4 Nov | — | 30 Sep | 9 Dec | |
3 | Slovan Bratislava | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 Sep | 25 Nov | — | 21 Oct | ||
4 | Lincoln Red Imps | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 Nov | 16 Sep | 4 Nov | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TOT | REN | VIT | MUR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 9 Dec | 4 Nov | 30 Sep | |
2 | Rennes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 16 Sep | — | 25 Nov | 4 Nov | |
3 | Vitesse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 Oct | 30 Sep | — | 9 Dec | ||
4 | Mura | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 Nov | 21 Oct | 16 Sep | — |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BAS | QAR | KAI | OMO | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Basel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 9 Dec | 30 Sep | 21 Oct | |
2 | Qarabağ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to preliminary knockout round | 16 Sep | — | 21 Oct | 25 Nov | |
3 | Kairat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 Nov | 4 Nov | — | 16 Sep | ||
4 | Omonia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 Nov | 30 Sep | 9 Dec | — |
Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2021-09-06 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=63129286