Europe

Leicester City will compete in the UEFA Europa League in 2021/22 - the first time the Club has featured in consecutive European campaigns

Changes

The competition undergoes major changes in its 51st season, the 13th since it was rebranded from UEFA Cup to UEFA Europa League. It is scheduled to run from 5 August 2021 to 18 May 2022. As previously, the eventual winners will earn an automatic place in the following season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

What are the big changes?
The Europa League's group stage is set to be reduced from 48 to 32 teams, featuring eight groups of four teams. As has previously been the case, the eight group winners will progress to the knockout stage, but now head straight into the Round of 16.

An additional knockout round, prior to the Round of 16, will see eight group runners-up face eight third-ranked teams in the UEFA Champions League. Third-ranked teams in the Europa League groups, on the other hand, will join the newly-formed Europa Conference League.
Matches will continue to be played on Thursday (apart from the final) alongside Europa Conference League games.

The matches of the two competitions will in principle be equally split between the two time slots: 18:45 CET (no longer 18:55) and 21:00 CET.

Who's in the Competition & how qualifying works

Who will be in the group stage?
12 automatic qualifiers
10 UEFA Europa League play-off winners
10 sides transferring from the UEFA Champions League play-offs and third qualifying round

ENG 2 teams
ESP 2 teams / GER 2 teams
ITA 2 teams / FRA 2 teams
POR 1 team / RUS 1 team

Although reduced to 32 teams, the Foxes will nevertheless still join 11 other automatic qualifiers for the group stage, including two sides each from England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy. One team also joins from Portugal and Russia respectively.

Another 10 Europa League play-off winners and 10 sides transferring from the Champions League play-offs and third qualifying round complete the list. This list is subject to final confirmation from UEFA. This list is subject to final confirmation from UEFA

How does qualifying work?
Qualifying is much-changed, featuring 27 teams across two rounds: the third qualifying round and play-offs. It starts later than previously, in August.

The majority of teams involved in qualifying will have transferred from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League though some teams (in principle cup winners) from top 15-ranked associations begin directly in UEFA Europa League qualifying.

Full details of who enters when, and how eliminated clubs transfer to the UEFA Europa Conference League, can be found on the Access List.

When will matches and draws take place?

Qualifying
5 & 12 August 2021: Third qualifying round
19 & 26 August 2021: Play-offs

Group stage
16 September 2021: Matchday 1
30 September 2021: Matchday 2
21 October 2021: Matchday 3
4 November 2021: Matchday 4
25 November 2021: Matchday 5
9 December 2021: Matchday 6

Knockout stages

17 & 24 February 2022: Knockout round play-offs
10 & 17 March 2022: Round of 16
7 & 14 April 2022: Quarter-finals
28 May & 5 May 2022: Semi-finals
18 May 2022: Final

Draws
19 July 2021, 13:30 CET: Third qualifying round
2 August 2021, 13:30 CET: Play-off round
27 August 2021, 13:00 CET: Group stage
13 December 2021, 13:30 CET: Knockout round play-offs
25 February 2022, 13:00 CET: Round of 16
18 March 2022, 13:30 CET: Quarter-finals & Semi-finals

The Final

Where will the final take place?

The final will take place at Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. It was originally scheduled to be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest but, due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final, appointed final hosts were shifted back a year.

Home to six-time UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup winners Sevilla, the venue opened in 1958 and hosted the 1986 European Cup final, when Steaua stunned Barcelona. The Spanish national team have never lost at the stadium.