- The history of the Europa League: how it began
- The early years: two-legged finals and English success
- The history of the Europa League: the rebrand
- Sevilla: the kings of the competition
- The history of the Europa League: the new league phase
- Recent finals: Atalanta, Tottenham and Aston Villa
- The most successful clubs
- The history of the Europa League: why it matters
- Frequently asked questions about the history of the Europa League
- When did the Europa League begin?
- Which club has won the Europa League the most times?
- Who won the most recent Europa League?
- What do the winners get?
- Did the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup count as part of the Europa League?
- How does the league phase work?
- Conclusion
The history of the Europa League starts in 1971, when UEFA launched a new club competition called the UEFA Cup. Over more than 50 years, the tournament has grown into one of the biggest prizes in European football. In fact, it sits below the Champions League and above the Conference League, and it has produced great finals, famous winners and one dominant club: Sevilla, with seven titles. This guide follows the competition from the first final in 1972 to Aston Villa’s win in 2026. It covers the early years, the rebrand, the record winners and the great finals of the 2020s.
Last updated: November 2026
Quick Answer
- The history of the Europa League began in 1971, when UEFA launched the UEFA Cup.
- Sevilla lead the winners list with seven titles, including three in a row from 2014 to 2016.
- The first final in 1972 was an all-English tie, with Tottenham Hotspur beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate.
- Since the 2024-25 season, the competition uses a 36-team league phase, and the winners qualify for the Champions League.
- Aston Villa won the most recent final, beating SC Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on 20 May 2026.
The history of the Europa League: how it began
UEFA created the UEFA Cup in 1971 to replace the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The Fairs Cup had run from 1955 to 1971, but UEFA does not recognise it as one of its official club competitions. As a result, the Fairs Cup winners do not appear in the Europa League’s record books, and the story of this competition starts in 1971.
Tottenham Hotspur won the first final in 1972. They beat fellow English club Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate, with a 2-1 win at Molineux and a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane. In those early years, the two finalists played home and away, with the winner decided on aggregate. That format lasted for more than 25 years. After that, in 1998, the competition moved to a single-match final, and Inter Milan beat Lazio 3-0 in Paris in the first one.
The early years: two-legged finals and English success
English and Italian clubs dominated the early decades in the history of the Europa League. Liverpool lifted the trophy in 1973 and again in 1976, and Juventus won it in 1977. Later, Tottenham added a second title in 1984, and Liverpool completed their set of three in 2001. In those years, the two-legged final gave the competition a different feel from the Champions League. Each finalist hosted one leg, so two home crowds saw their team play for the trophy.
The format also gave smaller clubs a real chance. A team could win its home leg in front of its own fans and then defend the lead away from home. For that reason, the early finals often produced tense second legs, and the away-goals rule added extra drama. However, UEFA later decided that a single final at a neutral venue would make a bigger occasion, and the change came in 1998.
The history of the Europa League: the rebrand
UEFA rebranded the competition as the UEFA Europa League from the 2009-10 season. At the same time, UEFA introduced a group stage, which gave the tournament a clearer shape. As a result, the new name and the new format helped the competition grow, and the finals became bigger occasions. For example, Atlético Madrid won the first final under the new name in 2010, and they won it again in 2012 and 2018.
The rebrand also gave the competition a stronger identity. In the past, many fans saw the UEFA Cup as a lesser prize, but the Europa League built its own story. In fact, the new format brought more big clubs into the tournament, because teams that finished third in their Champions League groups dropped into the Europa League. As a result, the knockout rounds often featured famous names, and the standard of the finals rose.
Sevilla: the kings of the competition
No club has shaped the history of the Europa League like Sevilla. The Spanish club has won it seven times: in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2023. They stand alone at the top of the winners list. In addition, Sevilla are the only club to win the trophy three seasons in a row, from 2014 to 2016. Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur are the only clubs to win the competition in three different decades.
Sevilla’s 2023 win showed their special link with this trophy. They beat Roma on penalties in Budapest after a 1-1 draw in extra time, and they won the shootout 4-1. It was their seventh title, and it came 17 years after their first. Other clubs have tried to catch them, but no other team has won the competition more than three times.
The history of the Europa League: the new league phase
UEFA changed the format again from the 2024-25 season. The group stage gave way to a 36-team league phase. Each club plays a set of league-phase matches, and the top eight teams go straight through to the round of 16. Meanwhile, the teams placed 9th to 24th play knockout play-offs for the remaining places. The change brought the Europa League in line with the Champions League, which adopted the same style. One prize stayed the same: the winners qualify for the following season’s Champions League.
In addition, the new format gives every club more big matches, and it keeps more teams in the race for longer. As of November 2026, the 2026-27 Europa League is under way.
Recent finals: Atalanta, Tottenham and Aston Villa
Recent finals have produced some of the most memorable nights in the history of the Europa League. In 2024, Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin on 22 May. Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick, with goals in the 12th, 26th and 75th minutes. The win ended Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run, and it gave Atalanta their first European trophy. In fact, it was only their second major trophy in 61 years.
Tottenham Hotspur won the 2025 final in Bilbao on 21 May, beating Manchester United 1-0. The win gave Tottenham their third title in the competition, after 1972 and 1984. After that, Aston Villa won the 2026 final in Istanbul on 20 May, beating SC Freiburg 3-0 at Beşiktaş Stadium. Youri Tielemans scored in the 41st minute, Emiliano Buendía added a second in first-half stoppage time (45+3), and Morgan Rogers made it 3-0 in the 58th minute.
It was Villa’s first Europa League title, their first trophy in 30 years and their first continental title since the 1982 European Cup. Unai Emery won the competition for a fifth time, after three wins with Sevilla and one with Villarreal. He became the first manager to win it with three different clubs.
The most successful clubs
Sevilla lead the winners list by a clear margin. Five clubs share second place with three titles each. In total, 31 clubs have won the competition, and 14 of them have won it more than once. Spain lead the way by country with 14 wins, ahead of England with 11, Italy with 10 and Germany with 7.
| Club | Europa League titles |
|---|---|
| Sevilla | 7 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Liverpool | 3 |
| Juventus | 3 |
| Inter Milan | 3 |
| Atlético Madrid | 3 |
The recent winners show how open the competition has become. Four different clubs have won the last four finals.
| Final | Winners |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Sevilla |
| 2024 | Atalanta |
| 2025 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2026 | Aston Villa |
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The history of the Europa League: why it matters
The Europa League matters for two reasons. First, it gives clubs outside the Champions League elite a real route to a European trophy. Second, it offers a place in the following season’s Champions League, so the winners gain a huge prize. For that reason, big clubs take the competition seriously, and the finals draw huge crowds. To follow the top tier, read our guide to the history of the Champions League.
Frequently asked questions about the history of the Europa League
These are the questions fans ask most about the competition.
When did the Europa League begin?
In 1971, as the UEFA Cup. UEFA rebranded it as the Europa League from the 2009-10 season.
Which club has won the Europa League the most times?
Sevilla, with seven titles. No other club has won it more than three times.
Who won the most recent Europa League?
Aston Villa, who beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the 2026 final in Istanbul on 20 May 2026.
What do the winners get?
They qualify for the following season’s Champions League.
Did the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup count as part of the Europa League?
No. UEFA does not recognise the Fairs Cup as an official competition, so its winners do not appear in the Europa League records.
How does the league phase work?
Since the 2024-25 season, 36 teams play a league phase. The top eight go straight to the round of 16, and the teams placed 9th to 24th play knockout play-offs.
Conclusion
The history of the Europa League runs from Tottenham’s first win in 1972 to Aston Villa’s triumph in 2026. Sevilla’s seven titles set the standard, and the recent finals have shown that new winners can still break through. Overall, from the two-legged finals of the early years to the 36-team league phase, the competition has kept changing, and it keeps producing great nights. For more football stories, visit our Sports News page. For the English cup story, read our guide to the history of the FA Cup.
