History of the Europa Conference League Explained

The history of the Europa Conference League is short, but it already holds first trophies, famous finals and a format change. In fact, UEFA launched its third club competition in 2021 to give more clubs from more countries a real run in Europe. Five finals later, it has produced first-time winners, a Greek first and a Chelsea clean sweep.

Last updated: November 2026

Quick Answer

• The UEFA Conference League is UEFA’s third-tier club competition, below the Champions League and the Europa League.
• The history of the Europa Conference League began in 2021-22, and UEFA renamed it UEFA Conference League from 2024-25.
• Five finals have been played so far.
• The winner earns a Europa League league-phase place.
• The 2026-27 season is the sixth edition.

The History of the Europa Conference League Begins

In short, the UEFA Conference League is UEFA’s third-tier club competition. It sits below the Champions League and the Europa League, and UEFA organises all three. In addition, matches are played on Thursdays, with kick-offs at 18:45 and 21:00 CET. In total, 184 clubs take part across qualifying and the competition proper in each season.

The history of the Europa Conference League began on 2 December 2018, when UEFA announced the new competition. At the time, the working title was “Europa League 2”, or “UEL2”. Next, UEFA confirmed the official name on 24 September 2019. Finally, the first season kicked off in 2021-22.

Why UEFA Created the Competition

In fact, UEFA had considered a third-tier competition since at least 2015. Clubs from lower-ranked countries kept falling at the first hurdle. As a result, a bottom-level tournament would give them a longer run in Europe.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said at the launch: “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.”

In fact, the numbers backed the case. For example, only 29% of UEFA’s member associations had a team in the 2019/20 Champions League group stage. In addition, 59.3% of those teams came from just five nations. As a result, UEFA created the new tournament and cut the Europa League from 48 group teams to 32.

The First Three Seasons in the History of the Europa Conference League

The original format ran from 2021-22 to 2023-24. First, the group stage held 32 teams in eight groups of four. Next, each team played six matches. As a result, the eight group winners reached the round of 16. In contrast, the eight runners-up faced the eight third-placed teams from the Europa League group stage in a play-off. The winners joined them in the round of 16. Next, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a one-off final followed. The competition proper held 141 matches.

No club qualified directly. Instead, teams came through three qualifying rounds and a play-off round. They split into a Champions Path and a Main Path. In total, the 32 group-stage places came from 17 Main Path winners, five Champions Path winners and ten teams eliminated from the Europa League play-off round. Finally, the winner qualified for the following season’s Europa League group stage, unless it had already qualified for the Champions League through its domestic league.

The Format Change of 2024

The biggest change in the history of the Europa Conference League came with the 2024-25 season. First, UEFA announced on 28 June 2023 that the competition would drop the word “Europa” from its name. From 2024-25, it became the UEFA Conference League. At the same time, the 32-team group stage gave way to a 36-team league phase.

All 36 clubs sit in one league table. Each club plays six matches against six different opponents, three at home and three away. First, the top eight go straight to the round of 16. Next, teams finishing 9th to 24th contest two-legged play-offs for the remaining places, while teams finishing 25th to 36th go out. In total, the competition proper rose from 141 to 153 matches.

The change also ended transfers between competitions. Moreover, teams can no longer drop from the Europa League into the Conference League. As a result, the Conference League winner cannot defend its title. Olympiacos, the 2023-24 winners, could not defend in 2024-25 for that reason. The winner still qualifies for the following season’s Europa League league phase. However, if the winner has already qualified through its domestic league, UEFA does not pass the berth down.

The History of the Europa Conference League Finals

Five finals have decided the first five seasons. Next, the table lists them all, and the stories behind them follow.

Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Date
2021-22	Roma	1-0	Feyenoord	Arena Kombëtare, Tirana	25 May 2022
2022-23	West Ham United	2-1	Fiorentina	Eden Arena, Prague	7 June 2023
2023-24	Olympiacos	1-0 (a.e.t.)	Fiorentina	Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens	29 May 2024
2024-25	Chelsea	4-1	Real Betis	Stadion Wrocław, Wrocław	28 May 2025
2025-26	Crystal Palace	1-0	Rayo Vallecano	Red Bull Arena, Leipzig	27 May 2026

2022: Roma 1-0 Feyenoord. Nicolò Zaniolo scored the only goal in the 32nd minute, chesting down a Gianluca Mancini pass and clipping it over goalkeeper Justin Bijlow. As a result, Roma won their first major UEFA club competition title. In addition, José Mourinho became the first coach to win all three current men’s UEFA club competitions.

2023: West Ham United 2-1 Fiorentina. Saïd Benrahma scored a 62nd-minute penalty for West Ham. Giacomo Bonaventura levelled in the 67th minute, but Jarrod Bowen won it in the 90th minute from a Lucas Paquetá through ball. In the end, West Ham claimed their first major trophy in 43 years after going unbeaten, with 14 wins and one draw.

2024: Olympiacos 1-0 Fiorentina (after extra time). The final stayed goalless for 90 minutes. Finally, Ayoub El Kaabi headed the winner in the 116th minute from a Santiago Hezze cross. Consequently, Olympiacos became the first Greek club ever to win a European trophy. El Kaabi finished as the season’s top scorer with 11 goals.

2025: Chelsea 4-1 Real Betis. Abdessamad Ezzalzouli gave Real Betis a 9th-minute lead. However, Chelsea hit back with four goals, from Enzo Fernández (65th), Nicolas Jackson (70th), Jadon Sancho (83rd) and Moisés Caicedo (added time). Chelsea became the first club to win all three UEFA men’s club competitions, ending a long run of Spanish success in European finals.

2026: Crystal Palace 1-0 Rayo Vallecano. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal in the 51st minute, turning in a rebound after Augusto Batalla parried an Adam Wharton shot. As a result, Crystal Palace won their first European trophy, in manager Oliver Glasner’s final match in charge. Finally, as winners, they qualified for the 2026-27 Europa League league phase.

The Trophy and the Prize Money

The trophy stands 57.5 cm tall and weighs 11 kg. It consists of 32 hexagonal spines that twist upwards from the base, in a shape inspired by a football in flight. The spines were originally designed to represent the 32 group-stage teams.

For example, in the 2024-25 season, UEFA paid €3,170,000 for league-phase participation, €400,000 per win and €133,000 per draw. The winners took €7,000,000 and the runners-up €4,000,000. In practice, Chelsea earned €21.8 million from UEFA for winning in 2024-25. For scale, Sturm Graz earned €28 million for finishing 30th in the 2024-25 Champions League.

Records and Firsts in the History of the Europa Conference League

Overall, the history of the Europa Conference League holds some striking firsts. In fact, the first goal came in qualifying: Christ Ememe Evo of Mosta scored it on 6 July 2021, in a 3-2 win over Spartak Trnava. Next, Stipe Perica scored the first group-stage goal on 14 September 2021, for Maccabi Tel Aviv against Alashkert. Finally, Harry Kane scored the first hat-trick, for Tottenham Hotspur against Mura on 30 September 2021.

Chelsea’s 8-0 defeat of Noah on 7 November 2024 is the biggest win so far. In addition, Chelsea scored a record 26 goals in the 2024-25 league phase.

First, Cyriel Dessers scored 10 goals to top the 2021-22 charts. Next, Zeki Amdouni and Arthur Cabral shared the 2022-23 honour with seven each. Ayoub El Kaabi scored 11 in 2023-24, Afimico Pululu eight in 2024-25 and Ismaïla Sarr nine in 2025-26. Finally, as of November 2026, Dessers and Mikael Ishak lead the all-time charts with 13 goals each, ahead of Cabral on 12.

The History of the Europa Conference League Continues

The 2026-27 season is the sixth edition. Qualifying began on 9 July 2026. Meanwhile, you can follow each round in our football news coverage and check live scores during the league phase.

Next, the 2027 final is scheduled for Wednesday 2 June 2027 at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye. The Turkish Football Federation has discussed moving it to the New Ankara Stadium, so treat Istanbul as scheduled rather than certain.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Europa Conference League start?

The first season was 2021-22, and Roma won the first final on 25 May 2022.

Who won the first final in the history of the Europa Conference League?

Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0 on 25 May 2022 at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana. Nicolò Zaniolo scored the only goal.

Why did UEFA rename the Europa Conference League?

UEFA dropped the word “Europa” on 28 June 2023. From 2024-25, it became the UEFA Conference League.

What does the Conference League winner get?

The winner lifts the trophy and qualifies for the following season’s Europa League league phase. In 2024-25, UEFA paid the winners €7,000,000.

Can the Conference League winner defend its title?

No. Winning earns a Europa League place instead, so the winner cannot defend. Olympiacos could not defend in 2024-25 for that reason.

The Bottom Line

The history of the Europa Conference League covers only five seasons, but it already has a clear identity. UEFA built it for the clubs that used to leave Europe early. The trophy has five different winners. Meanwhile, the sixth season is under way, and the next chapter is already being written.