The 2026-27 UEFA Europa League marks the 56th season of Europe’s secondary club football tournament organized by UEFA and the 18th edition since its rebranding from the UEFA Cup. It is also the third consecutive season operating under the expanded 36-team Swiss-system league phase.
Featuring 36 top European clubs, the tournament offers high-stakes competition across 8 league matchdays, with teams fighting for automatic qualification into the Round of 16 or crucial play-off spots.
The tournament runs from July 2026 through May 2027, culminating in the prestigious final at Stadion Frankfurt (Waldstadion) in Frankfurt, Germany on 26 May 2027.
Aston Villa are the defending champions, having claimed their first-ever UEFA Europa League title in the 2025-26 season with a 3–0 victory over SC Freiburg in the final.
2026-27 UEFA Europa League Tournament Format
The 36-team single-table league format replaces traditional group stages, ensuring fluid dynamics and eliminating early dead-rubber matches. Every match and goal directly influences table ranking right up to the final matchday.
League Phase Structure (September 2026 – January 2027)
- 36 Teams competing in a unified league table standings.
- Each team plays 8 matches (4 home, 4 away) against 8 different opponents.
- Teams are split into four seeding pots based on UEFA club coefficients, playing two opponents from each pot.
- Top 8 teams advance directly to the Round of 16.
- Teams ranked 9–24 enter the two-legged Knockout Phase Play-offs.
- Teams ranked 25–36 are eliminated from all European competitions (no drop-down to Conference League).
Knockout Stages (February – May 2027)
| Stage | Dates | Format |
|---|---|---|
| League Phase | 16 Sept 2026 – 28 Jan 2027 | 8 matchdays, single table |
| Knockout Play-offs | 18 & 25 Feb 2027 | Two-leg ties (seeded vs unseeded) |
| Round of 16 | 11 & 18 March 2027 | Two-leg ties |
| Quarter-finals | 8 & 15 April 2027 | Two-leg ties |
| Semi-finals | 29 April & 6 May 2027 | Two-leg ties |
| Final | 26 May 2027 | Single match at Stadion Frankfurt, Germany |
2026-27 UEFA Europa League Schedule
Here is the complete official key date calendar for the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League campaign:
| Phase / Matchday | Date(s) |
|---|---|
| First Qualifying Round | 9 & 16 July 2026 |
| Second Qualifying Round | 23 & 30 July 2026 |
| Third Qualifying Round | 6 & 13 August 2026 |
| Play-off Round | 20 & 27 August 2026 |
| League Phase Draw | 28 August 2026 |
| Matchday 1 | 16–17 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 15 October 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | 22 October 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | 5 November 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | 26 November 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | 21 January 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | 28 January 2027 |
| Knockout Play-offs | 18 & 25 February 2027 |
| Round of 16 | 11 & 18 March 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | 8 & 15 April 2027 |
| Semi-finals | 29 April & 6 May 2027 |
| Final (Frankfurt) | 26 May 2027 |
Qualified Teams for the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League
League Phase (Qualified)
- Crystal Palace (England) – FA Cup Winners
- Bournemouth (England) – Premier League (6th)
- Sunderland (England) – Premier League (7th)
- AC Milan (Italy) – Serie A (5th)
- Juventus (Italy) – Serie A (6th)
- Real Sociedad (Spain) – Copa del Rey Winners
- Celta Vigo (Spain) – La Liga (6th)
- Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) – Bundesliga (6th)
- TSG Hoffenheim (Germany) – Bundesliga (5th)
- Marseille (France) – Ligue 1 (5th)
- Rennes (France) – Ligue 1 (6th)
- AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) – KNVB Cup Winners
- Torreense (Portugal) – Taça de Portugal Winners
- + UEFA Champions League qualifying losers (to be confirmed)
Play-off Round Entrants
- Sint-Truiden (Belgium)
- Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic)
- Trabzonspor (Türkiye)
- Lillestrøm (Norway)
- OFI Crete (Greece)
- Additional UEFA Champions League qualifying losers (to be confirmed)
Third Qualifying Round
- Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
- Rangers (Scotland)
- Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland)
- Additional UEFA Champions League qualifying losers (to be confirmed)
Second Qualifying Round
- Twente (Netherlands)
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Anderlecht (Belgium)
- Hradec Králové (Czech Republic)
- Beşiktaş (Türkiye)
- Tromsø (Norway)
- PAOK (Greece)
- Midtjylland (Denmark)
- St. Gallen (Switzerland)
- Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
- Pafos (Cyprus)
- Hammarby IF (Sweden)
First Qualifying Round
- Hajduk Split (Croatia)
- Vojvodina (Serbia)
- Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)
- Ferencváros (Hungary)
- Universitatea Cluj (Romania)
- Žilina (Slovakia)
- Aluminij (Slovenia)
- CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)
- Qarabağ (Azerbaijan)
- Derry City (Republic of Ireland)
- Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova)
- Vestri (Iceland)
Note: Some places in the league phase, play-off round, and qualifying rounds will be filled by clubs eliminated from the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds under UEFA’s access.
Qualifying rounds
First qualifying round
| Winner | Aggregate | Eliminated Team | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇦 Dynamo Kyiv | 4–2 (P) | 🇷🇴 Universitatea Cluj | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| 🇦🇿 Qarabağ | 6–0 | 🇮🇸 Vestri | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| 🇭🇷 Hajduk Split | 3–2 | 🇸🇰 Žilina | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| 🇧🇬 CSKA Sofia | 5–3 | 🇮🇪 Derry City | 3–2 | 2–1 |
| 🇲🇩 Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–0 | 🇸🇮 Aluminij | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| 🇭🇺 Ferencváros | 5–1 | 🇷🇸 Vojvodina | 2–1 | 3–0 |
Qualified for the Second Qualifying Round: Dynamo Kyiv, Qarabağ, Hajduk Split, CSKA Sofia, Sheriff Tiraspol, and Ferencváros.
Second qualifying round
| Match | Home Team | Away Team | First Leg | Second Leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | 🇸🇪 Hammarby IF | 🇧🇪 Anderlecht | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 2 | 🇦🇿 Qarabağ | 🇧🇬 CSKA Sofia | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 3 | 🇳🇴 Tromsø | 🇨🇿 Hradec Králové | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 4 | 🇳🇱 Twente | 🇭🇺 Ferencváros | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 5 | 🇹🇷 Beşiktaş | 🇩🇰 Midtjylland | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 6 | 🇭🇷 Hajduk Split | 🇨🇾 Pafos | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 7 | 🇲🇩 Sheriff Tiraspol | 🇮🇱 Maccabi Tel Aviv | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 8 | 🇨🇭 St. Gallen | 🇵🇹 Benfica | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
| Match 9 | 🇺🇦 Dynamo Kyiv | 🇬🇷 PAOK | 23 July 2026 | 30 July 2026 |
Note: The first-leg matches of the 2026–27 UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round will be played on 23 July 2026, with the return legs scheduled for 30 July 2026. The aggregate winners will advance to the Third Qualifying Round.
Prize Money & Rewards
Participating clubs receive guaranteed earnings alongside merit bonuses throughout the campaign:
- League Phase Base Fee: €4.31 million per club
- Performance Bonuses: €450,000 per win | €150,000 per draw
- League Ranking Bonus: Additional payouts based on final position in the 36-team table
- Round of 16 Qualification: €1.75 million
- Quarter-finals: €2.5 million
- Semi-finals: €4.2 million
- Finalist: €7 million
- Winner Bonus: €6 million
Grand Prize: Beyond financial compensation, the 2026-27 UEFA Europa League winner guarantees direct entry into the 2027-28 UEFA Champions League League Phase and earns a spot in the 2027 UEFA Super Cup.
Final Venue: Stadion Frankfurt
The 2027 UEFA Europa League showpiece will take place at Stadion Frankfurt (Waldstadion) in Frankfurt, Germany on Wednesday, 26 May 2027.
- Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Capacity: ~58,000
- Home Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
- Historical Significance: Hosted matches at UEFA EURO 2024, 2006 FIFA World Cup, and 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.
