2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League
1st season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1st season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.
 The Arena Kombëtare in Tirana hosted the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 6 July – 26 August 2021 Competition proper: 14 September 2021 – 25 May 2022 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 32+8 Total: 136+45 (from 54 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Roma (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Feyenoord |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 140 |
| Goals scored | 401 (2.86 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,978,850 (14,135 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Cyriel Dessers (Feyenoord) 10 goals |
| Best player(s) | Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)[1] |
| Best young player | Luis Sinisterra (Feyenoord)[2] |
2022–23 → | |
The final was played at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana, Albania,[3] with Roma defeating Feyenoord 1–0.[4][5] As winners, Roma automatically qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage, although they had already done so through their league position.[6]
This season was the first since 1999–2000 (the first season after the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) where three major European club competitions (UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League) took place.[7]
On 24 June 2021, UEFA approved the proposal to abolish the away goals rule in all UEFA club competitions, which had been used since 1965. Therefore, if in a two-legged tie, two teams scored the same number of aggregate goals, the winner was not decided by the number of away goals scored by each team, but always by 30 minutes of extra time, and if the two teams scored the same number of goals in extra time, the winner was decided by a penalty shoot-out.[8]
A total of 181 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League (the exception being Spain, as none of their teams finished third in the Europa League group stage). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[9]
For the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2020 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2015–16 to 2019–20.[12]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa Conference League, as noted below:
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The following is the access list for this season.[13] In the default access list, the title holders of the Europa Conference League qualify for the Europa League group stage. However, since this berth was vacant this season, the following changes to the access list were made:
As Villarreal, which otherwise would have qualified for the Europa Conference League play-off round via their domestic league, won the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, thereby earning an automatic spot in the Champions League group stage as the Europa League title holders, thus vacating a berth in the play-off round and not passed down to any other Spanish club. The following changes were confirmed by UEFA:[14]
Moreover, in the default access list, originally 17 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path). However, since the Champions League title holders, Chelsea, which were guaranteed a berth in the Champions League group stage, already qualified via their domestic league, only 16 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) after the Champions League access list was rebalanced. As a result, only 19 teams entered the Champions Path second qualifying round (one of the losers from the Champions League first qualifying round was drawn to receive a bye to the third qualifying round).
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League or Europa League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (66 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round (108 teams) |
Champions Path (18 teams) |
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| Main Path (90 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round (64 teams) |
Champions Path (10 teams) |
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| Main Path (54 teams) |
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| Play-off round (44 teams) |
Champions Path (10 teams) |
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| Main Path (34 teams) |
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| Group stage (32 teams) |
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| Preliminary knockout round (16 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (16 teams) |
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The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
CC: 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[16]
Three teams not playing in a national top division took part in the competition: Gagra (2nd tier), Sileks (2nd tier) and Vaduz (2nd tier).
Notes
The schedule of the competition was as follows.[26] Matches were scheduled for Thursdays apart from the final, which took place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally could take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts (especially featuring teams from countries where there were very few sufficient stadiums, such as Gibraltar and Wales). Scheduled kick-off times starting from the group stage were 18:45 (instead of 18:55 previously) and 21:00 CEST/CET, though exceptionally could take place at 16:30 due to geographical reasons.[27]
All draws started at 13:00 or 14:00 CEST/CET and were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. On 16 July 2021, UEFA announced that the group stage draw would be held in Istanbul, Turkey.[28]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 15 June 2021 | 8 July 2021 | 15 July 2021 |
| Second qualifying round | 16 June 2021 | 22 July 2021 | 29 July 2021 | |
| Third qualifying round | 19 July 2021 | 5 August 2021 | 12 August 2021 | |
| Play-offs | Play-off round | 2 August 2021 | 19 August 2021 | 26 August 2021 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 27 August 2021 | 16 September 2021 | |
| Matchday 2 | 30 September 2021 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 21 October 2021 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 4 November 2021 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 25 November 2021 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 9 December 2021 | |||
| Knockout phase | Knockout round play-offs | 13 December 2021 | 17 February 2022 | 24 February 2022 |
| Round of 16 | 25 February 2022 | 10 March 2022 | 17 March 2022 | |
| Quarter-finals | 18 March 2022 | 7 April 2022 | 14 April 2022 | |
| Semi-finals | 28 April 2022 | 5 May 2022 | ||
| Final | 25 May 2022 at Arena Kombëtare, Tirana | |||
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 15 June 2021, 13:30 CEST.[29] The first legs were played on 6 and 8 July, and the second legs were played on 13 and 15 July 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the Main Path second qualifying round. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 16 June 2021, 13:30 CEST.[30] The first legs were played on 20, 21 and 22 July, and the second legs were played on 27 and 29 July 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Shamrock Rovers  |
Bye | N/A | — | — |
Teuta  |
3–2 |  Inter Club d'Escaldes |
0–2 | 3–0 (a.e.t.) |
Riga  |
3–0 |  Shkëndija |
2–0 | 1–0 |
Dinamo Tbilisi  |
2–7 |  Maccabi Haifa |
1–2 | 1–5 |
HB Tórshavn  |
6–0[A] |  Budućnost Podgorica |
4–0 | 2–0 |
Linfield  |
4–0 |  Borac Banja Luka |
4–0 | 0–0 |
Shakhtyor Soligorsk  |
1–3 |  Fola Esch |
1–2 | 0–1 |
Folgore  |
3–7 |  Hibernians |
1–3 | 2–4 |
Prishtina  |
6–5 |  Connah's Quay Nomads |
4–1 | 2–4 |
Valur  |
0–6 |  Bodø/Glimt |
0–3 | 0–3 |
The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 19 July 2021, 14:00 CEST.[31] The first legs were played on 3 and 5 August, and the second legs were played on 10 and 12 August 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maccabi Haifa |
7–3 | HB Tórshavn |
7–2 | 0–1 |
| Linfield |
2–4 | Fola Esch |
1–2 | 1–2 |
| Shamrock Rovers |
3–0 | Teuta |
1–0 | 2–0 |
| Riga |
4–2 | Hibernians |
0–1 | 4–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Prishtina |
2–3 | Bodø/Glimt |
2–1 | 0–2 |
The draw for the play-off round was held on 2 August 2021, 14:00 CEST.[32] The first legs were played on 19 August, and the second legs were played on 26 August 2021.
The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Žalgiris  |
2–3 | Bodø/Glimt |
2–2 | 0–1 |
Neftçi Baku  |
3–7 | Maccabi Haifa |
3–3 | 0–4 |
Flora  |
5–2 | Shamrock Rovers |
4–2 | 1–0 |
| Riga |
2–4 |  Lincoln Red Imps |
1–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Fola Esch |
2–7 |  Kairat |
1–4 | 1–3 |
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qarabağ |
4–1 |  Aberdeen |
1–0 | 3–1 |
Basel  |
4–4 (4–3 p) |  Hammarby IF |
3–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
Viktoria Plzeň  |
2–3 |  CSKA Sofia |
2–0 | 0–3 (a.e.t.) |
Paços de Ferreira  |
1–3 |  Tottenham Hotspur |
1–0 | 0–3 |
Rennes  |
5–1 | Rosenborg |
2–0 | 3–1 |
Anderlecht  |
4–5 | Vitesse |
3–3 | 1–2 |
LASK  |
3–1 | St Johnstone |
1–1 | 2–0 |
| Shakhter Karagandy |
1–4 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
1–2 | 0–2 |
PAOK  |
3–1 |  Rijeka |
1–1 | 2–0 |
KuPS  |
0–4 |  Union Berlin |
0–4 | 0–0 |
| Feyenoord |
6–3 | IF Elfsborg |
5–0 | 1–3 |
Raków Częstochowa  |
1–3 | Gent |
1–0 | 0–3 |
Sivasspor  |
1–7 |  Copenhagen |
1–2 | 0–5 |
| Santa Clara |
2–3 |  Partizan |
2–1 | 0–2 |
| Trabzonspor |
1–5 | Roma |
1–2 | 0–3 |
| Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
1–3 |  Anorthosis Famagusta |
0–0 | 1–3 |
| Jablonec |
8–1 |  Žilina |
5–1 | 3–0 |
Brown: Group A; 
Red: Group B; 
Orange: Group C; 
Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; 
Blue: Group F; 
Purple: Group G; 
Pink: Group H.The draw for the group stage was held on 27 August 2021, 13:30 CEST (14:30 TRT), in Istanbul, Turkey.[28][33] The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their 2021 UEFA club coefficients.[16] Teams from the same association, and due to political reasons, teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia, could not be drawn into the same group. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association, including those playing in the Europa League group stage (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams), based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would have different kick-off times.[34]
The matches were played on 14 and 16 September, 30 September, 21 October, 4 November, 25 November, and 9 December 2021. The winners of each group advanced to the round of 16, while the runners-up advanced to the knockout round play-offs. The third-placed and fourth-placed teams were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
All teams made their debut appearance in the group stage. Alashkert, Bodø/Glimt, Flora, Kairat, Lincoln Red Imps, Mura, Randers and Union Berlin made their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Alashkert, Flora and Lincoln Red Imps were the first teams from Armenia, Estonia and Gibraltar, respectively, to play in a UEFA competition group stage.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ROM | BOD | ZOR | CSS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 13 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–2 | 4–0 | 5–1 | |
| 2 | Bodø/Glimt |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 12 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 6–1 | — | 3–1 | 2–0 | |
| 3 |  Zorya Luhansk |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 7 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | CSKA Sofia |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FEY | SLA | UNI | MHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feyenoord |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 14 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Slavia Prague |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Union Berlin |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Maccabi Haifa |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 4 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COP | PAO | SLO | LIN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 15 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | PAOK |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| 3 | Slovan Bratislava |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | 1–3 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Lincoln Red Imps |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 0 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–4 | — |
In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:
| Knockout round play-offs | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leicester City | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leicester City | 4 | 3 | 7 | Rennes | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leicester City | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Randers | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 1 | 2 | Copenhagen | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leicester City | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roma | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bodø/Glimt (a.e.t.) | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Celtic | 1 | 0 | 1 | AZ | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bodø/Glimt | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bodø/Glimt | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roma | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vitesse | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 May – Tirana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rapid Wien | 2 | 0 | 2 | Roma | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roma | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vitesse | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feyenoord | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partizan | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sparta Prague | 0 | 1 | 1 | Feyenoord | 5 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feyenoord | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partizan | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slavia Prague | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slavia Prague | 4 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fenerbahçe | 2 | 2 | 4 | LASK | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feyenoord | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slavia Prague | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marseille | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marseille | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marseille | 3 | 3 | 6 | Basel | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marseille | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Qarabağ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PAOK | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PAOK | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Midtjylland | 1 | 1 | 2 (3) | Gent | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PAOK (p) | 0 | 2 | 2 (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The draw for the knockout round play-offs was held on 13 December 2021, 14:00 CET.[36] The first legs were played on 17 February, and the second legs were played on 24 February 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marseille |
6–1 | Qarabağ |
3–1 | 3–0 |
| PSV Eindhoven |
2–1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
1–0 | 1–1 |
| Fenerbahçe |
4–6 | Slavia Prague |
2–3 | 2–3 |
| Midtjylland |
2–2 (3–5 p) | PAOK |
1–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Leicester City |
7–2 | Randers |
4–1 | 3–1 |
| Celtic |
1–5 | Bodø/Glimt |
1–3 | 0–2 |
| Sparta Prague |
1–3 | Partizan |
0–1 | 1–2 |
| Rapid Wien |
2–3 | Vitesse |
2–1 | 0–2 |
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 25 February 2022, 13:00 CET.[37] The first legs were played on 10 March, and the second legs were played on 17 March 2022.
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 15:00 CET.[38] The first legs were played on 7 April, and the second legs were played on 14 April 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodø/Glimt |
2–5 | Roma |
2–1 | 0–4 |
| Feyenoord |
6–4 | Slavia Prague |
3–3 | 3–1 |
| Marseille |
3–1 | PAOK |
2–1 | 1–0 |
| Leicester City |
2–1 | PSV Eindhoven |
0–0 | 2–1 |
The draw for the semi-finals was held on 18 March 2022, 15:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[38] The first legs were played on 28 April, and the second legs were played on 5 May 2022.
The final was played on 25 May 2022 at the Arena Kombëtare in Tirana. A draw was held on 18 March 2022, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[38]
Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.
| Rank[40] | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cyriel Dessers |
Feyenoord |
10 | 761 |
| 2 | Tammy Abraham |
Roma |
9 | 919 |
| 3 | Yira Sor |
Slavia Prague |
6 | 509 |
| Ola Solbakken |
Bodø/Glimt |
983 | ||
 Luis Sinisterra |
Feyenoord |
1016 | ||
| 6 | Gaëtan Laborde |
Rennes |
5 | 463 |
 Arthur Cabral |
Basel |
492 | ||
| Nicolò Zaniolo |
Roma |
601 | ||
| Amahl Pellegrino |
Bodø/Glimt |
925 |
The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[41]
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