In olden days the UEFA Europa League was renamed as the UEFA cup, this is the annual men's association football club championship. Since 1971, it was conducted by UEFA for qualified European football clubs. It is treated as the second most significant international competition league for European football clubs, after the UEFA champion league. Based on clubs performance in national league and cup competitions only clubs will qualify for the competition. By the change in format, this tournament has been called as UEFA Europa League from 2009.
For the purpose of UEFA footballing records, the UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League are treated as the same competition, with the change of name being simply rebranding. The title has been won by 27 different clubs, in which 12 of them have won the title more than one time. The most successful clubs in the competition are:
Whenever the competition changed name and structure, no one of the club has successive wins. In 2013, English side Chelsea team members are the current champions defeating Benfica 2–1 in the Final match.
The UEFA Cup was guided by the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which was a European football tournament. This competition was played in between 1955 and 1971 and develops from 11 teams during the first cup (1955–58) to the last cup (1970–71) total 64 teams was played. This tournament becomes more essential on the European football scene that in the end. It was controlled by UEFA and again launched the following season as the UEFA Cup.
In 1999, the competition was usually open to the runners up of private leagues, but it was combined with UEFA's previous second-tier European competition. Hence the winners of domestic cup competitions have also entered the UEFA Cup and those clubs ignored in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The third placed teams will participate in the UEFA Cup at the end of the group phase. Three Fair Play members and winners of some selected private League Cup competitions are introduced to the UEFA competition. The winners preserve their trophy for a year before giving it to UEFA.
In UEFA Europa league major stages are qualifying phase, group stage and knockout stage. In all stages every team will play with their opponent team in two legs expect Europa league final match. The team which scored more goals in aggregated in the two legs that team will moves to next level. If sores were tie then apply away goals rule (teams which makes high number of goals away from home in two matches).
UEFA Europa league qualifying phase clubs play 3 qualifying rounds and one playoff. Home and away base each team play two legs with their opponent and winning club forward to next stage.
The teams which won in playoffs rounds will join in group stage matches. Total 48 teams divide into 12 groups. Each group has 4 teams. Each team will play with other 3 opponents two legs in the group. Winner of the match get 3 points, match draws then each team allocated 1 point. From each group 2 teams will qualify for next level which will be the top of the points table.
From this knockout phase teams will be out of the European league season for which team scores fewer goals than opponent team.
Round 32
32 teams will join in this round. In these 32 teams, 8 teams will qualify form 3rd position of group stage in UEFA Champions league and reaming 24 teams qualify from Europa league group stage 1st and 2nd place. High number of goals scored team in the two legs qualifies for next stage round 16.
Round 16
16 teams from the round 32 knockout stage will play round 16 and their opponents choose from draw. Each team play two legs in home and away with their opponents. Most number of goals scored team will qualify for quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
Winners of round 16 will play quarter finals and selects the opponent from the draw. In quarter finals also each team plays two legs with opponent. Winner of this round will qualify for semi-final.
Semi-final
Semifinal matches will be held between the winners of quarter finals and the opponent pair chose from draw. Qualify team will play with their opponent team in two legs. Winner of this round will qualify for final.
Winners of UEFA Europa league semifinals will play final in neutral venue a single match. Winner of Europa league qualify for UEFA Super Cup will play with winner of UEFA Champions League.
| Dates | 30 June – 27 August 2015 (qualifying) 17 September 2015 – 18 May 2016 (competition proper) |
| Teams | 48+8 (competition proper) 158+33 (expected) (total) (from 54 associations) |
The league anthem song was composed by Frenchman Yohann Zveig and the album is done in early 2009 by Paris Opera. The song for redesigned UEFA Cup Championship was first legally reviled at the Grimaldi Forum on 28 August 2009 before the 2009–10 season group stage draw. The theme song is played earlier when any of the game is going to host at the stadium and also before the broadcast of a Europa League game in every television it can be played as a musical element of the league opening ceremony.
Being of theme song it became a striking part of UEFA Champions League, there is no lyrics of the UEFA Europa League anthem, but the composer of the theme Zveig states the piece of believe still stands to the success in its aim to "stay true to football's tradition, while capturing the event's explosive energy". He added: the anthem "From the smallest football stadium to the large prestigious stadium, and I felt that the UEFA Europa League theme song is the perfect musical track for an amazing show."
It is also quiet similar as UEFA Champions League, whatever the prize money has received by the clubs is divided basing on the fixed payments for the players of participation and results, and the amounts that based on the ratings of their TV market.
Prior to 1997, the Champions League/European Cup finals were taken part in two legs. On 3 May 1972, first leg final was played at Wolverhampton and second leg final on 17 May 1972 in London. The first leg finals played between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur which won 2–1 by Tottenham Hotspur and second leg finals played between two teams resulted as 1-1 draw, therefore Tottenham Hotspur became first winner of UEFA Cup.
1998, final Europe League Single Match is selected for playing at neutral venue.For two occasions the finals were played at finalist’s home ground: In 2002, Feyenoord defeated Borussia Dortmund at De Kuip stadium, Rotterdam, Netherlands. In 2005, Sporting CP defeated CSKA Moscow at José Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon.
On 20 May 2009, UEFA Cup final winner was Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine national football team beat Werder Bremen of Germany 2–1 at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey.
After the UEFA Cup's rebranding as the Europa League Atlético Madrid was first winner, who beat Fulham of England 2–1 with extra time.
Country Records
Club Records
Goal Records
| Rank | Association | Coeff. | Teams | Notes |
| 1 | Spain | 97.713 | 3 | −1(EL) |
| 2 | England | 84.748 | +1(FP) | |
| 3 | Germany | 81.641 | ||
| 4 | Italy | 66.938 | ||
| 5 | Portugal | 62.299 | ||
| 6 | France | 56.500 | ||
| 7 | Russia | 46.998 | ||
| 8 | Netherlands | 44.312 | +1(FP) | |
| 9 | Ukraine | 40.966 | ||
| 10 | Belgium | 36.300 | ||
| 11 | Turkey | 34.200 | ||
| 12 | Greece | 33.600 | ||
| 13 | Switzerland | 33.225 | ||
| 14 | Austria | 30.925 | ||
| 15 | Czech Republic | 29.350 | ||
| 16 | Romania | 27.257 | ||
| 17 | Israel | 26.875 | ||
| 18 | Cyprus | 23.250 | ||
| 19 | Denmark | 21.300 | 3 | |
| 20 | Croatia | 19.625 | ||
| 21 | Poland | 18.875 | ||
| 22 | Belarus | 18.625 | ||
| 23 | Scotland | 16.566 | ||
| 24 | Sweden | 16.325 | ||
| 25 | Bulgaria | 15.625 | ||
| 26 | Norway | 14.275 | ||
| 27 | Serbia | 14.125 | ||
| 28 | Hungary | 11.625 | ||
| 29 | Slovenia | 11.000 | ||
| 30 | Slovakia | 11.000 | ||
| 31 | Moldova | 10.375 | ||
| 32 | Azerbaijan | 10.375 | ||
| 33 | Georgia | 9.875 | ||
| 34 | Kazakhstan | 8.250 | ||
| 35 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.500 | ||
| 36 | Finland | 7.175 | ||
| 37 | Iceland | 6.750 | 3 | |
| 38 | Latvia | 6.250 | ||
| 39 | Montenegro | 6.000 | ||
| 40 | Albania | 5.500 | ||
| 41 | Lithuania | 5.250 | ||
| 42 | Macedonia | 5.250 | ||
| 43 | Republic of Ireland | 5.125 | +1(FP) | |
| 44 | Luxembourg | 4.875 | ||
| 45 | Malta | 4.833 | ||
| 46 | Liechtenstein | 4.500 | 1 | |
| 47 | Northern Ireland | 3.625 | 3 | |
| 48 | Wales | 3.000 | ||
| 49 | Armenia | 2.875 | ||
| 50 | Estonia | 2.875 | ||
| 51 | Faroe Islands | 2.125 | ||
| 52 | San Marino | 0.999 | 2 | |
| 53 | Andorra | 0.833 | ||
| 54 | Gibraltar | 0.000 | 1 |