How does the UEFA Europa League work? Competition format explained for 2023/24

The 2022/23 Europa League final, one that certainly won't be remembered for its beauty, culminated in an all too familiar sight.

Sevilla, who feared relegation to the Segunda Division midway through the season, had no right to be competing in the Europa League final, but impressive victories over Manchester United and Juventus meant they very much earned it.

Something had to give in the showpiece event: Sevilla's Europa League prestige, or Jose Mourinho's spotless record in European finals. A bitty - understatement of the year - affair unsurprisingly went to penalties, and it was Mourinho's pristine record that fell. Sevilla were crowned champions of the competition for a remarkable seventh time.

The Spanish side's victory meant they earned automatic qualification into the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, but you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be seeing them in the competition they simply own at some point soon.

Here are all the details regarding the format of the 2023/24 Europa League; a season before the competition undergoes severe change.

2023/24 Europa League qualification

The arduous ascent towards Europa League glory began on 24 July with the draw for the third qualifying round.

A total of 14 teams dotted across the continent are split into two paths - Champions and Main.

The ten champions of their respective divisions that were knocked out of the second round of Champions League qualifying fittingly entered the Champions Path of the Europa League third qualifying round. Two of the losers in the Champions League second qualifying round that made it into the competition via their league position dropped into the Europa League's Main Path, where they were joined by Olympiacos after a third-place finish in the Greek top flight and Czech Cup champions Slavia Prague as the seeded teams.

2023/24 Europa League qualifying schedule

Those in the Champions and Main paths were paired up for two-legged ties in August. The seven winners of those matches advanced into the play-off round, joining 13 other clubs, including the illustrious Ajax. A final batch of two-legged ties ultimately decided the ten clubs that entered into the group phase.

All the losers, from both the third qualifying round and the play-off round, dropped into qualifying for the 2023/24 Europa Conference League at different stages.

2023/24 Europa League group stage

• 2023/24 Europa League group stage: Confirmed teams and pots

The 2023/24 Europa League group stage draw took place on 1 September 2023, with the 32 teams, including ten that qualified via the play-offs, drawn into eight groups of four.

Ahead of the draw, the competing clubs were separated into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients. West Ham United, who won the 2022/23 Europa Conference League, were automatically assigned to Pot 1. The Hammers were joined by the likes of Liverpool, Roma, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta in the top pot.

Teams from the same UEFA member association can't be drawn into the same group, with teams facing each of their group opponents twice, home and away, between 21 September 2023 and 14 December 2023. The team that collects the most points after six games in each group will progress straight into the round of 16, while the eight second-place finishers will face off against the eight third-place finishers from the Champions League in the knockout play-off round.

The eight victors of the these ties will advance and join the eight group winners in the last 16.

2023/24 Europa League group stage schedule

2023/24 Europa League knockout stage

We've already touched upon the knockout play-off round, which was established following the addition of the Europa Conference League to the calendar in 2021.

A total of 16 teams compete in the knockout play-offs, with the eight group runners-up from the Europa League each being drawn against teams that finished third in their Champions League group. These ties, as is the case with all Europa League knockout ties, are played over two legs, with extra time and penalties deciding the winner if necessary following the abolition of the away goals rule.

The eight winners of these ties will be paired up against the seeded group winners in the round of 16. However, teams from the same member association cannot face each other just yet.

The quarter- and semi-finals follow a similar format, although the clubs aren't seeded anymore and teams competing in the same domestic league can be drawn against one another. The path to Dublin will be mapped out for the eight teams that progressed into the quarter-finals, as the draws for both the quarter and semi-finals are made on the same day (15 March 2024).

2023/24 Europa League knockout stage schedule

2023/24 Europa League final

The 2024 Europa League final will be held in Dublin.

The Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital will play host to its second Europa League final after holding the competition's showpiece event between Porto and Braga in 2011 where the former ran out 1-0 winners.

UEFA decided upon Dublin as its venue for the 2024 final in July 2021 after the city's hosting rights for Euro 2020 were withdrawn.

The 2024 Europa League final has been scheduled for a 20:00 (BST) kick-off on 22 May.

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