Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
2024–25 UEFA Conference League
European club football competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
The 2024–25 UEFA Conference League was the fourth season of the UEFA Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
.jpg)
From this season, the competition was renamed from the UEFA Europa Conference League to the UEFA Conference League.[3] This was also the first edition of the tournament played under a new format involving a 36-team league phase.[4] This increased the total number of matches played in the competition proper from 141 to 153. The new format also did not allow teams to transfer from the Europa League league or knockout phase to the Conference League knockout phase, and thus Conference League winners (Olympiacos in the 2023–24 edition) could no longer defend their title as the winner of the Conference League automatically qualified for the Europa League league phase.
The final was played at the Wrocław Stadium in Wrocław, Poland, between Chelsea and Real Betis, with Chelsea winning the match 4–1.[5][6] The victory made Chelsea the first club to win all four major European trophies, including all three of the current European competitions. Chelsea’s triumph over Betis also marked the first time a Spanish team had lost a final since Valencia lost to Bayern Munich in the 2001 Champions League final and marked the first English team to beat a Spanish team in a European final since Liverpool's UEFA Cup triumph, also in 2001.[7]
Remove ads
Association team allocation
Summarize
Perspective
A total of 164 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League. The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]
- Associations 1–12 each have one team.
- Associations 13–33 and 51–55 (except Russia)[Note RUS] each have two teams.
- Associations 34–50 each have three teams (except Liechtenstein, which has one).[Note LIE]
- 14 teams eliminated from the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League and 41 teams eliminated from the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League were transferred to the Conference League.
Association ranking
For the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2023 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2018–19 to 2022–23.[9]
Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Conference League, as noted below:
- (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
- (UEL) – Additional/vacated teams transferred from/to the UEFA Europa League
Distribution
The following is the access list for this season.
The information here reflects the ongoing suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list were made:
- The cup winners of associations 39 to 44 (Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Faroe Islands and Northern Ireland) will enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
- As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there was one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) so one transferred team received a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
As the Champions League title holders (Real Madrid) qualified for the Champions League via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list were made:
- As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there was one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round (two fewer in total) transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path), so one transferred team (two in total) received a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
As the Europa Conference League title holders (Olympiacos) entered the Europa League, the berth they qualified for via league position (Conference League second qualifying round) was vacated, and the following changes to the default access list were made:
- The cup winners of associations 45 (Malta) and 46 (Georgia) will enter the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
Teams
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- CW: Domestic cup winners
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position of the previous season
- LC: League cup winners
- RW: Regular season winners
- PW: End-of-season Conference League play-offs winners
- UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- UEL: Transferred from the Europa League
- PO: Losers from the play-off round
- CH/MP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/Main Path)
- MP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Main Path)
- MP Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round (Main Path)
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
Three teams not playing in a national top division took part in the competition: Corvinul Hunedoara (2nd tier), Vaduz (2nd tier) and Wisła Kraków (2nd tier).
Notes
- ^ Champions League (UCL Q1): Two of the Champions League first qualifying round losers were drawn to receive byes to the third qualifying round (Champions Path), as two fewer losers were transferred to the second qualifying round (Champions Path), due to Champions League league phase berths vacated following the Champions League title holders (Real Madrid) qualifying via league position and the suspension of Russia from the 2024–25 European season.
- ^ Albania (ALB): Skënderbeu, who finished third in the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore, were banned from entering UEFA competitions. As a result, their berth in the competition was passed onto the fifth-placed team, Tirana.
- ^ Georgia (GEO): Georgian Cup winners FC Saburtalo Tbilisi changed their name to FC Iberia 1999 on 27 February 2024.
- ^ Greece (GRE): Olympiacos qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league phase by winning the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, so their third place berth was vacated.
- ^ Latvia (LVA): Valmiera, who finished fourth in the 2023 Latvian Higher League, were denied a UEFA license. As a result, their place in the competition was passed onto the fifth-placed team, Liepāja.
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all played in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified for the UEFA Conference League for the 2024–25 season.
- ^ Lithuania (LTU): Due to the three-year rule, cup winners FK TransINVEST were not expected to compete as they were less than three years old. However, they were granted an exception and allowed to participate in European competitions.[10]
- ^ Luxembourg (LUX): Swift Hesperange, who finished second, were denied a UEFA license. Consequently, their place in the competition was passed onto the next highest-ranked team granted a UEFA licence by the FLF, UNA Strassen, who finished sixth.
- ^ Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[11] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[12]
Remove ads
Round and draw dates
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[13][14] Matches are scheduled for Thursdays, with an exclusive day of 19 December, apart from the final, which takes place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally can take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.[15][16][17]
Remove ads
Qualifying rounds
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 18 June 2024.[18] The first legs were played on 10 and 11 July, and the second legs were played on 17 and 18 July 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Main Path second qualifying round. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Notes:
Second qualifying round
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 19 June 2024. The first legs were played on 23, 24 and 25 July, and the second legs were played on 30, 31 July and 1 August 2024.
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.
Notes:
Third qualifying round
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 22 July 2024. The first legs were played on 6, 7 and 8 August, and the second legs were played on 13, 14 and 15 August 2024.
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.
Remove ads
Play-off round
The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2024. The first legs were played on 20, 21 and 22 August, and the second legs were played on 28 and 29 August 2024.
The winners of the ties advanced to the league phase. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Remove ads
League phase
Summarize
Perspective
Nicosia
Location of teams of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League league phase
The league phase draw for the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 30 August 2024, 14:30 CEST.[20][21] The 36 teams were divided into six pots of six teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient.
The 36 teams were manually drawn and then automated software digitally drew their six different opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team faced one opponent from each of the six pots. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association.[22][23]
Borac Banja Luka, Celje, Cercle Brugge, 1. FC Heidenheim, Jagiellonia Białystok, Larne, Noah, Pafos, Petrocub Hîncești, The New Saints, and Víkingur Reykjavík all made their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase. Noah were the first club in Conference League history to successfully navigate all four rounds of qualification, while The New Saints and Larne were the first teams from the Wales and Northern Ireland associations, respectively, to play in a major UEFA competition group or league stage.[note 1]
A total of 29 national associations were represented in the league phase.
Table
The top eight ranked teams received a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th were eliminated from the competition.
Results
Remove ads
Knockout phase
In the knockout phase, teams will play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The bracket structure for the knockout phase is partially fixed in advance using seeding, with teams' positions in the bracket determined by the final standings in the league phase. In the knockout phase, there is no country protection, with teams from the same association able to face each other in any round. Teams can also face opponents they played during the league phase.
The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:[8]
- In the draw for the knockout phase play-offs, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 9–16 were seeded, and the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 17–24 were unseeded. The draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
- In the draw for the round of 16, the eight teams finishing the league phase in positions 1–8 were seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs were unseeded. Again, the draw was split into four sections based on the predetermined bracket, with the seeded teams in each section drawn against one of their two possible unseeded opponents. The seeded teams hosted the second leg.
- In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the exact match pairings were predetermined based on the tournament bracket. A draw was conducted only to determine which team played the first leg at home. The winner of semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).
Bracket
| Knockout phase play-offs | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 |  Gent | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 |  Real Betis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | Real Betis | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 |  Vitória de Guimarães | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Real Betis | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 |  TSC | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 |  Jagiellonia Białystok | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Cercle Brugge | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Real Betis (a.e.t.) | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 |  Celje | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 |  Fiorentina | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 |  APOEL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 21 | Celje (p) | 1 | 4 | 5 (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 |  Lugano | 0 | 5 | 5 (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | Celje | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 |  Víkingur Reykjavík | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Fiorentina | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 |  Panathinaikos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | Panathinaikos | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 May – Wrocław | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Fiorentina | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Real Betis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | Omonia | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  Chelsea | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Pafos | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | Pafos | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 |  Djurgårdens IF | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Djurgårdens IF (a.e.t.) | 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 |  Borac Banja Luka | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 |  Rapid Wien | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Olimpija Ljubljana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | Borac Banja Luka | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Rapid Wien (a.e.t.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Djurgårdens IF | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 |  Molde (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Chelsea | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 |  Shamrock Rovers | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | 23 | Molde | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Legia Warsaw (a.e.t.) | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Legia Warsaw | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 |  Copenhagen (a.e.t.) | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 |  1. FC Heidenheim | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | Copenhagen | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Chelsea | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Knockout phase play-offs
The draw for the knockout phase play-offs was held on 20 December 2024, 13:00 CET.[24][25] The first legs were played on 13 February, and the second legs were played on 20 February 2025.
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 21 February 2025, 14:00 CET.[26] The first legs were played on 6 March, and the second legs were played on 13 March 2025.
Quarter-finals
The draw for the order of the quarter-final legs was held on 21 February 2025, 14:00 CET, after the round of 16 draw.[26] The first legs were played on 10 April, and the second legs were played on 17 April 2025.
Notes:
- Order of legs reversed in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Europa League's Tottenham Hotspur v Eintracht Frankfurt match in the same city.[27]
Semi-finals
The draw for the order of the semi-final legs was held on 21 February 2025, 14:00 CET, after the round of 16 and quarter-final draws.[26] The first legs were played on 1 May, and the second legs were played on 8 May 2025.
Notes:
- Order of legs reversed in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Europa League's Tottenham Hotspur v Bodø/Glimt match in the same city.[27]
Final
The final was played on 28 May 2025 at the Wrocław Stadium in Wrocław. The winner of semi-final 1 was designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.
Remove ads
Statistics
Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.
Top goalscorers
Team of the Season
The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[30]
Player of the Season
Young Player of the Season
Remove ads
See also
Notes
- Swansea City, a Wales-based club playing in the English football league system, had previously qualified via one of England's berths. The New Saints are in fact an England-based club but play in the Welsh football league system and qualified via one of Wales' berths.
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads