The 2025–26 UEFA Europa League marks the 55th edition of Europe’s prestigious secondary club tournament, organized by UEFA. This season continues under the new revamped league-phase format, bringing more drama, competition, and elite football to fans across the continent.
Featuring 36 clubs from top domestic leagues, the tournament replaces the traditional 32-team group stage with a dynamic single-league structure, ensuring more matches between Europe’s biggest names.
With its innovative Swiss system, the Europa League now promises more competitive balance, thrilling fixtures, and a greater chance for clubs from smaller leagues to shine.
From qualification rounds to knockout stages, every game in the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League contributes to defining the next champion of Europe’s most unpredictable competition.
2025-26 UEFA Europa League Format and Tournament Structure
The 2025-26 UEFA Europa League introduces a significant overhaul to Europe’s secondary club competition, featuring a revamped format with a 36-team league phase replacing the traditional group stage.
Each club competes in 8 matches, 4 at home and 4 away, against 8 opponents selected from 4 seeding pots, guaranteeing a balanced mix of stronger and weaker teams.
After the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League league phase, the top 8 teams go directly to the Round of 16, teams ranked 9–24 enter a knockout playoff round to decide the remaining Round of 16 participants, while teams ranked 25–36 are eliminated.
League Phase System
The 2025-26 UEFA Europa League season employs a Swiss system format, where all 36 competing teams are placed in a single league table rather than divided into separate groups. This format marks a significant departure from the competition’s traditional structure.
The 2025-26 UEFA Europa League season represents a continued evolution in European club football, emphasizing competitive balance, increased fixture variety, and expanded opportunities for teams across UEFA’s member nations.
With top-tier clubs like Roma, Porto, and Lille facing off against surprising newcomers like Nottingham Forest and Go Ahead Eagles, the tournament is set to deliver exciting storylines throughout its 36-match league phase.
Key Format Features:
- 36 teams in one table: All participating clubs compete in a unified standings system
- Eight matches per team: Each club plays exactly eight matches—four at home and four away against eight different opponents
- Pot-based seeding: Teams were divided into four pots of nine teams each based on their 2025 UEFA club coefficients
- Home and away balance: Each team faces two opponents from each pot, with one match at home and one away
Qualification Pathways
- Top Eight Advancement: The eight teams finishing in positions 1-8 advance directly to the Round of 16 as seeded teams
- Playoff Positions (9-24): Teams ranked 9th to 24th enter a two-legged knockout playoff to determine the remaining eight Round of 16 spots
- Elimination (25-36): Teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated from European competition with no secondary pathway
Tiebreaker Rules
When teams are equal on points, standings are determined by the following criteria in order:
- Goal difference
- Goals scored
- Away goals scored
- Wins
- Away wins
- Points earned against league phase opponents collectively
- Goal difference against league phase opponents
- Goals scored by league phase opponents
- Lower disciplinary points total
- UEFA club coefficient
2025-26 UEFA Europa League Teams and Seeding
36 Participating Teams
A total of 23 national associations are represented in the league phase. The 36 teams were distributed across four equally-sized pots:
UEFA Europa League 2025-26 League Phase Standings – Top 12 Teams (Updated: November 4, 2025)
- Pot 1 (Highest Seeded): Roma, Porto, Rangers, Feyenoord, Lille, Dinamo Zagreb, Real Betis, Red Bull Salzburg, Aston Villa
- Pot 2: Fenerbahçe, Braga, Red Star Belgrade, Lyon, PAOK, Viktoria Plzeň, Ferencváros, Celtic, Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Pot 3: Young Boys, Basel, Midtjylland, SC Freiburg, Ludogorets Razgrad, Nottingham Forest, Sturm Graz, FCSB, Nice
- Pot 4 (Lowest Seeded): Bologna, Celta Vigo, VfB Stuttgart, Panathinaikos, Malmö FF, Go Ahead Eagles, Utrecht, Genk, Brann
Historic Debuts
Five clubs made their debut appearance in the Europa League group/league phase since the introduction of the group stage format:
- Aston Villa (though they previously appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage)
- Bologna
- Brann (with prior UEFA Cup group stage experience)
- Go Ahead Eagles (making their debut in a major UEFA competition group/league phase)
- Nottingham Forest (making their debut in a major UEFA competition group/league phase)
Key Dates and Schedule
League Phase Matchdays
The 2025-26 UEFA Europa League league phase kicked off on September 24, 2025, and will wrap up on January 29, 2026. Matches are set for Thursdays, with a special week offering games on both Wednesday and Thursday, September 24-25.
- Matchday 1: September 24-25, 2025 (exclusive week)
- Matchday 2: October 2, 2025
- Matchday 3: October 23, 2025
- Matchday 4: November 6, 2025
- Matchday 5: November 27, 2025
- Matchday 6: December 11, 2025
- Matchday 7: January 22, 2026
- Matchday 8: January 29, 2026 (all matches simultaneously at 21:00 CET/CEST)
Knockout Phase Schedule
- Knockout Round Playoffs: February 19 & 26, 2026
- Round of 16: March 12 & 19, 2026
- Quarter-finals: April 9 & 16, 2026
- Semi-finals: April 30 & May 7, 2026
- Final: May 20, 2026 at Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark Midtjylland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 |
| 2 | Portugal Braga | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 |
| 3 | France Lyon | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 |
| 4 | Croatia Dinamo Zagreb | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 |
| 5 | Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 |
| 6 | Germany SC Freiburg | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 7 | Hungary Ferencváros | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 |
| 8 | Norway Brann | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 |
| 9 | Spain Celta Vigo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 |
| 10 | England Aston Villa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 11 | France Lille | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 |
| 12 | Netherlands Go Ahead Eagles | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 |
| 13 | Switzerland Young Boys | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 14 | Turkey Fenerbahçe | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| 15 | Portugal Porto | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 16 | Spain Real Betis | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 |
| 17 | England Nottingham Forest | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 |
| 18 | Italy Bologna | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 19 | Belgium Genk | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 20 | Greece PAOK | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 |
| 21 | Scotland Celtic | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| 22 | Greece Panathinaikos | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 23 | Italy Roma | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 |
| 24 | Switzerland Basel | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 |
| 25 | Netherlands Feyenoord | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 |
| 26 | Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| 27 | Austria Sturm Graz | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
| 28 | Romania FCSB | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |
| 29 | Germany VfB Stuttgart | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |
| 30 | Serbia Red Star Belgrade | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 |
| 31 | Sweden Malmö FF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 1 |
| 32 | Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 |
| 33 | France Nice | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 0 |
| 34 | Austria Red Bull Salzburg | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 |
| 35 | Netherlands Utrecht | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 |
| 36 | Scotland Rangers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 |
- Advance to round of 16 (seeded) – Top 8 Teams (S No 1 to 8)
- Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) – S No 9 to 16
- Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) – S No 17 to 24
Notably, Rangers and Red Bull Salzburg, both prominent historical teams, have made disappointing starts to their campaigns.
2025-26 UEFA Europa League Top Goalscorers
Leading the scoring charts after three matchdays:
- Anass Zaroury (Panathinaikos) – 3 goals
- Hamza Igamane (Lille) – 3 goals
- Karol Świderski (Panathinaikos) – 3 goals
- Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest) – 3 goals
- Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe) – 3 goals
Historical Context
Previous Season
Tottenham Hotspur are the current champions, having claimed the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League title. However, their victory earned them an automatic spot in the Champions League league phase, meaning they can’t defend their crown under the new format, which no longer allows teams to drop from the Champions League into the Europa League once the league phase begins.
Competition Evolution
This is only the second season of the new league phase format. The change from the traditional group stage to the Swiss system represents one of UEFA’s most significant restructuring initiatives, designed to:
- Increase competitive variety through more diverse opponent pairings
- Reduce group stage predictability
- Enhance late-season drama with simultaneous final matchday games
- Create more opportunities for lower-seeded clubs
Tournament Premises and Rules
Regulatory Framework
- No same-association matchups in league phase: Teams cannot face opponents from their own country
- Maximum two teams per association: Each team can face a maximum of two sides from the same association
- Consistent scheduling: Matches scheduled to prevent calendar clashes between Europa League and Champions League clubs in the same cities
Kick-off Times
Scheduled kickoff times follow UEFA’s standardized format:
- 16:30 CET/CEST
- 18:45 CET/CEST
- 21:00 CET/CEST
- Final Matchday: All matches simultaneously at 21:00 CET/CEST
Association Representation
The 36-team league phase draws representation from across European football:
Top Represented Nations:
- England: 2 direct places
- Italy: 2 direct places
- Spain: 2 direct places
- Germany: 2 direct places
A total of 77 teams from between 33 and 40 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate across all Europa League stages.
Path to the Final for Knockout Phase Structure
Round of 16 (16 teams):
- 8 teams from league phase positions 1-8
- 8 winners from knockout playoff matches
Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final:
Final
The 2026 UEFA Europa League Final will be contested on May 20, 2026 at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. This represents a historic occasion as it marks the first time the Istanbul venue has hosted the Europa League final.