UEL and UECL Season 2025-2026
Source: https://www.instagram.com/europaleague/ https://www.instagram.com/conferenceleague/
The main difference between the UEFA Europa League (UEL) and the UEFA Conference League (UECL) is their hierarchy: the Europa League is the “second tier” of European club football, while the Conference League is the “third tier,” designed to give more teams from more countries the chance to play in Europe.
Following the 2024 revamp, both competitions now use a similar League Phase format rather than traditional groups, but they still differ in several key ways.
Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | Europa League (Tier 2) | Conference League (Tier 3) |
| Number of Teams | 36 Teams | 36 Teams |
| Matches in League Phase | 8 matches (4 home, 4 away) | 6 matches (3 home, 3 away) |
| Prize for Winner | Spot in next year’s Champions League | Spot in next year’s Europa League |
| Participants | Winners of domestic cups and high-placed league teams. | Mid-table league teams and clubs from smaller nations. |
| Game Days | Thursday nights | Thursday nights |
1. Level of Competition
The Europa League typically features famous “giants” that missed out on the Champions League (e.g., Manchester United, Roma, Porto). The Conference League was created to be more inclusive, allowing clubs from smaller leagues (like those in Iceland, Armenia, or Ireland) to experience continental football.
2. The Rewards
The stakes are significantly higher in the Europa League:
- The Big Prize: Winning the Europa League grants an automatic ticket to the Champions Leagueβthe most prestigious and lucrative competition in the world.
- The Conference Prize: Winning the Conference League grants a ticket to the Europa League.
- Money: Europa League participants receive roughly double the prize money of those in the Conference League. For example, qualifying for the Europa League league phase is worth roughly β¬4.3m, whereas the Conference League is worth about β¬3.1m.
3. League Phase Format
Under the new “Swiss-style” format introduced for the 2024/25 season:
- Europa League: Every team plays 8 different opponents (4 at home, 4 away).
- Conference League: Every team plays 6 different opponents (3 at home, 3 away).
4. Promotion and Relegation
Previously, teams that finished 3rd in their Europa League group would “drop down” into the Conference League mid-season. As of the 2024/25 season, this has changed. Teams are no longer transferred between competitions once the League Phase begins. If you are eliminated from the Europa League league phase, you are out of Europe entirely.
The Europa League is currently in its final week of the league phase, meaning all 18 matches happen this Thursday. The Conference League has finished its league phase and won’t return until the knockout playoffs in late February.
Here are the schedules for the upcoming matches in both competitions.
UEFA Europa League: Matchday 8
To ensure fair play for the final standings, all matches kick off at the same time.
To ensure competitive fairness, all 18 matches for the final round of the Europa League league phase are scheduled for the same night and time.
UEFA Europa League: Matchday 8 (The Final Round)
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Kick-off Time: 21:00 CET / 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET
| Home Team | vs. | Away Team | Venue |
| FC Porto | vs | Rangers FC | EstΓ‘dio do DragΓ£o, Porto |
| Aston Villa | vs | Red Bull Salzburg | Villa Park, Birmingham |
| Real Betis | vs | Feyenoord | Estadio Benito VillamarΓn, Seville |
| Nottingham Forest | vs | FerencvΓ‘ros | City Ground, Nottingham |
| VfB Stuttgart | vs | Young Boys | MHPArena, Stuttgart |
| Olympique Lyonnais | vs | PAOK FC | Groupama Stadium, Lyon |
| Lille OSC | vs | SC Freiburg | Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille |
| Celtic FC | vs | FC Utrecht | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Panathinaikos | vs | AS Roma | Olympic Stadium, Athens |
| Maccabi Tel-Aviv | vs | Bologna | Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv |
| FCSB | vs | FenerbahΓ§e | Arena NaΘionalΔ, Bucharest |
| FC Basel | vs | Viktoria PlzeΕ | St. Jakob-Park, Basel |
| FK Crvena zvezda | vs | RC Celta de Vigo | Rajko MitiΔ Stadium, Belgrade |
| Sturm Graz | vs | SK Brann | Merkur Arena, Graz |
| FC Midtjylland | vs | GNK Dinamo Zagreb | MCH Arena, Herning |
| KRC Genk | vs | MalmΓΆ FF | Cegeka Arena, Genk |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | vs | OGC Nice | Huvepharma Arena, Razgrad |
| Go Ahead Eagles | vs | Sporting Braga | De Adelaarshorst, Deventer |
What happens after these games?
- Top 8 Teams: Advance directly to the Round of 16 (skipping the February matches).
- 9th to 24th Place: Enter a Knockout Play-off round (two legs in February) to earn a spot in the Round of 16.
- 25th to 36th Place: Eliminated from all European competitions.
UEFA Conference League: Knockout Play-offs
The next games are the first legs of the knockout round. These games feature teams that finished between 9th and 24th in the league phase.
| Date | Time (CET) | Home Team | Away Team |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 14:00 | FC Noah | AZ Alkmaar |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 16:00 | KuPS Kuopio | Lech PoznaΕ |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 17:00 | HSK Zrinjski | Crystal Palace |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 17:00 | Jagiellonia BiaΕystok | Fiorentina |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 17:00 | Drita | NK Celje |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 17:00 | KF ShkΓ«ndija | Samsunspor |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 17:00 | Sigma Olomouc | Lausanne-Sport |
| Thursday, Feb 19 | 18:45 | Omonia Nicosia | Rijeka |
Important Dates to Watch
- January 30, 2026: The Europa League knockout playoff draw (to decide who plays in February).
- February 26, 2026: Second leg matches for the Conference League playoffs.
- February 27, 2026: Round of 16 draw for both competitions, where the top 8 teams from the league phase (who have a “bye” right now) find out their opponents.
As of today, January 26, 2026, the UEFA Conference League is in a mid-winter break. The League Phase (the first stage of the competition) concluded on December 18, 2025.
The next action begins with the Knockout Play-offs in February. Below are the final standings from the league phase and the upcoming schedule.
Final League Phase Results (Top 24 Teams)
These teams have successfully advanced to the knockout stages. The Top 8 earned a direct ticket to the Round of 16, while teams 9β24 must play in the February play-offs.
| Rank | Team | Points | Status |
| 1 | Strasbourg (FRA) | 16 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 2 | RakΓ³w CzΔstochowa (POL) | 14 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 3 | AEK Athens (GRE) | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 4 | Sparta Prague (CZE) | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 5 | Rayo Vallecano (ESP) | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 7 | Mainz 05 (GER) | 13 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 8 | AEK Larnaca (CYP) | 12 | Advance to Round of 16 |
| 9β16 | Seeded Teams (e.g., Crystal Palace, Fiorentina) | 9β11 | Advance to Play-offs |
| 17β24 | Unseeded Teams (e.g., Omonia, FC Noah) | 7β9 | Advance to Play-offs |
Upcoming Knockout Play-offs (Feb 2026)
The draw for this round was held on January 16, 2026. Since the first leg hasn’t happened yet, there are no scores to report.
| Matchup | First Leg (Feb 19) | Second Leg (Feb 26) |
| FC Noah vs. AZ Alkmaar | 18:45 CET | 21:00 CET |
| KuPS Kuopio vs. Lech PoznaΕ | 18:45 CET | 21:00 CET |
| Zrinjski Mostar vs. Crystal Palace | 18:45 CET | 21:00 CET |
| Jagiellonia BiaΕystok vs. Fiorentina | 21:00 CET | 18:45 CET |
| KF ShkΓ«ndija vs. Samsunspor | 21:00 CET | 18:45 CET |
| Drita vs. NK Celje | 21:00 CET | 18:45 CET |
| Sigma Olomouc vs. Lausanne-Sport | 21:00 CET | 18:45 CET |
| Omonia Nicosia vs. Rijeka | 21:00 CET | 18:45 CET |
Key Highlights of the Season So Far
- Biggest Surprise: Strasbourg finished the league phase unbeaten (5 wins, 1 draw), securing the #1 seed.
- Top Scorers: Three players are currently tied for the lead with 5 goals each: Franko KovaΔeviΔ (Celje), Mikael Ishak (Lech PoznaΕ), and Nardin MulahusejnoviΔ (Noah).
- Eliminations: Notable clubs like Aberdeen and Rapid Wien finished in the bottom 12 and have been eliminated from the competition.
