2018–19 UEFA Europa League

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2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Baku Olympic Stadium panorama 1.JPG
The Olympic Stadium in Baku hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
26 June – 30 August 2018
Competition proper:
20 September 2018 – 29 May 2019
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 158+55 (from 55 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsEngland Chelsea (2nd title)
Runners-upEngland Arsenal
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored565 (2.76 per match)
Attendance5,038,109 (24,576 per match)
Top scorer(s)France Olivier Giroud (11 goals)
Best player(s)Belgium Eden Hazard (Chelsea)[1]

The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

The final was played at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan,[2] between English sides Chelsea and Arsenal – which was the first Europa League final to feature two teams from one city. Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4–1 and have earned the right to play against Liverpool, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. As winners, Chelsea would also have been qualified for the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage; however, since they had already qualified after finishing third in the Premier League, the berth reserved was given to the third-placed team of the 2018–19 Ligue 1 (Lyon) – the 5th-ranked association according to next season's access list.[3]

For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in the competition, where it was implemented in the final.[4]

As the title holders of the Europa League, Atlético Madrid qualified for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, although they had already qualified before the final through their league performance. They were unable to defend their title as they advanced to the Champions League knockout stage, and were eliminated by Juventus in the round of 16.

Format changes[]

On 9 December 2016, UEFA confirmed the reforming plan for the UEFA Champions League for the 2018–2021 cycle, which was announced on 26 August 2016.[5][6] As per the new regulations, all teams that are eliminated in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds will get a second chance in the Europa League.

Association team allocation[]

A total of 213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[7][8]

  • Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 52–54 each had two teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein and Kosovo (association 55) each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Kosovo as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[9]
  • Moreover, 55 teams eliminated from the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League (default number was 57, but 2 fewer teams competed in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League).

Association ranking[]

For the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2017 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2012–13 to 2016–17.[10]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:

  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
Association ranking for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1  Spain 104.998 3 +1 (UCL)
2  Germany 79.498
3  England 75.962
4  Italy 73.332 +2 (UCL)
5  France 56.665
6  Russia 50.532 +1 (UCL)
7  Portugal 49.332 +1 (UCL)
8  Ukraine 42.633 +2 (UCL)
9  Belgium 42.400 +2 (UCL)
10  Turkey 39.200 +2 (UCL)
11  Czech Republic 33.175 +2 (UCL)
12   Switzerland 32.075 +1 (UCL)
13  Netherlands 31.063
14  Greece 27.900 +1 (UCL)
15  Austria 25.350 +2 (UCL)
16  Croatia 25.250 +1 (UCL)
17  Romania 24.350 +1 (UCL)
18  Denmark 24.000 +1 (UCL)
19  Belarus 19.875 +1 (UCL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20  Poland 19.750 3 +1 (UCL)
21  Sweden 19.725 +1 (UCL)
22  Israel 19.375 +1 (UCL)
23  Scotland 18.925 +1 (UCL)
24  Cyprus 18.550 +1 (UCL)
25  Norway 18.325 +1 (UCL)
26  Azerbaijan 17.750 +1 (UCL)
27  Bulgaria 15.875 +1 (UCL)
28  Serbia 15.375
29  Kazakhstan 15.250 +1 (UCL)
30  Slovenia 13.125 +1 (UCL)
31  Slovakia 11.750 +1 (UCL)
32  Liechtenstein 11.000 1
33  Hungary 9.500 3 +1 (UCL)
34  Moldova 9.500 +1 (UCL)
35  Iceland 8.375 +1 (UCL)
36  Finland 7.650 +1 (UCL)
37  Albania 6.625 +1 (UCL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
38  Republic of Ireland 6.575 3 +1 (UCL)
39  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.500 +1 (UCL)
40  Georgia 6.375 +1 (UCL)
41  Latvia 6.125 +1 (UCL)
42  Macedonia 5.625 +1 (UCL)
43  Estonia 5.250 +1 (UCL)
44  Montenegro 5.250 +1 (UCL)
45  Armenia 5.125 +1 (UCL)
46  Luxembourg 4.875 +1 (UCL)
47  Northern Ireland 4.500 +1 (UCL)
48  Lithuania 4.125 +1 (UCL)
49  Malta 4.000 +1 (UCL)
50  Wales 3.875 +1 (UCL)
51  Faroe Islands 3.500 +1 (UCL)
52  Gibraltar 2.500 2 +1 (UCL)
53  Andorra 1.165 +1 (UCL)
54  San Marino 0.333 +1 (UCL)
55  Kosovo 0.000 1 +1 (UCL)

Distribution[]

In the default access list, originally 17 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa League second qualifying round (Champions Path).[11][7] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Champions League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. Therefore, only 19 teams entered the Champions Path second qualifying round (one of the losers from the Champions League first qualifying round would be drawn to receive a bye to the third qualifying round).[12]

In addition, originally three losers from the Champions League second qualifying round (League Path) were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).[11] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Europa League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. As a result, the following changes to the access list was made:[12]

  • The cup winners of association 18 (Denmark) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of association 25 (Norway) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of associations 50 and 51 (Wales and Faroe Islands) entered the first qualifying round instead of the preliminary round.
Access list for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions League
Preliminary round
(14 teams)
  • 4 domestic cup winners from associations 52–55
  • 6 domestic league runners-up from associations 49–54
  • 4 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 48–51
First qualifying round
(94 teams)
  • 26 domestic cup winners from associations 26–51
  • 30 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–48 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 31 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–47 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 7 winners from preliminary round
Second qualifying round Champions Path
(19 teams)
  • 16 losers from Champions League first qualifying round
  • 3 losers from Champions League preliminary round
Main Path
(74 teams)
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 19–25
  • 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17
  • 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 13–15
  • 9 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–15
  • 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 5–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 4 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–4 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 47 winners from first qualifying round
Third qualifying round Champions Path
(20 teams)
  • 10 winners from second qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 10 losers from Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(52 teams)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 13–18
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6
  • 37 winners from second qualifying round (Main Path)
  • 2 losers from Champions League second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off round Champions Path
(16 teams)
  • 10 winners from third qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(26 teams)
  • 26 winners from third qualifying round (Main Path)
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 12 domestic cup winners from associations 1–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 5
  • 4 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–4
  • 8 winners from play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 13 winners from play-off round (Main Path)
  • 4 losers from Champions League play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 losers from Champions League play-off round (League Path)
  • 4 losers from Champions League third qualifying round (League Path)
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage

Redistribution rules[]

A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the following rules:[8]

  • When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place".
  • When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moving up one "place" if possible.
  • For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for either the League Cup or end-of-season European competition play-offs winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions.

Teams[]

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[13]

  • CW: Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • RW: Regular season winners
  • PW: End-of-season Europa League play-offs winners
  • UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
    • Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round
    • Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
    • PR: Losers from the preliminary round (SF: semi-finals; F: final)
Qualified teams for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League (by entry round)
Round of 32
Spain Valencia (UCL GS) Italy Napoli (UCL GS) Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (UCL GS) Turkey Galatasaray (UCL GS)
Italy Inter Milan (UCL GS) Portugal Benfica (UCL GS) Belgium Club Brugge (UCL GS) Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň (UCL GS)
Group stage
Spain Villarreal (5th) Italy Milan (6th)[Note ITA] Turkey Akhisarspor (CW) Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (UCL PO)
Spain Real Betis (6th) France Marseille (4th) Czech Republic Jablonec (3rd) Greece PAOK (UCL PO)
Germany Eintracht Frankfurt (CW) France Rennes (5th) Switzerland Zürich (CW) Russia Spartak Moscow (UCL Q3)
Germany Bayer Leverkusen (5th) Russia Krasnodar (4th)[Note RUS] Austria Red Bull Salzburg (UCL PO) Belgium Standard Liège (UCL Q3)
England Chelsea (CW) Portugal Sporting CP (3rd)[Note POR] Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (UCL PO) Turkey Fenerbahçe (UCL Q3)
England Arsenal (6th) Ukraine Vorskla Poltava (3rd) Belarus BATE Borisov (UCL PO) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (UCL Q3)
Italy Lazio (5th) Belgium Anderlecht (3rd) Hungary MOL Vidi (UCL PO)
Play-off round
Champions Path Main Path
Sweden Malmö FF (UCL Q3) Kazakhstan Astana (UCL Q3)
Scotland Celtic (UCL Q3) Slovakia Spartak Trnava (UCL Q3)
Azerbaijan Qarabağ (UCL Q3) North Macedonia Shkëndija (UCL Q3)
Third qualifying round
Champions Path Main Path
Romania CFR Cluj (UCL Q2) Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad (UCL Q2) Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg (5th)[Note RUS] Greece Atromitos (4th)
Denmark Midtjylland (UCL Q2) Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q2) Portugal Braga (4th)[Note POR] Austria Rapid Wien (3rd)
Poland Legia Warsaw (UCL Q2) Finland HJK (UCL Q2) Ukraine Zorya Luhansk (4th) Croatia Rijeka (2nd)
Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva (UCL Q2) Albania Kukësi (UCL Q2) Belgium Gent (4th) Romania Universitatea Craiova (CW)
Norway Rosenborg (UCL Q2) Lithuania Sūduva (UCL Q2) Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir (3rd) Denmark Brøndby (CW)
Republic of Ireland Cork City (UCL Q1)[Note UCL Q1] Czech Republic Sigma Olomouc (4th) Switzerland Basel (UCL Q2)
Switzerland Luzern (3rd) Austria Sturm Graz (UCL Q2)
Netherlands Feyenoord (CW)
Second qualifying round
Champions Path Main Path
Cyprus APOEL (UCL Q1) Luxembourg F91 Dudelange (UCL Q1) Spain Sevilla (7th) Greece Panathinaikos (5th)
Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana (UCL Q1) Northern Ireland Crusaders (UCL Q1) Germany RB Leipzig (6th)
Iceland Valur (UCL Q1) Malta Valletta (UCL Q1) England Burnley (7th) Austria LASK (4th)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar (UCL Q1) Wales The New Saints (UCL Q1) Italy Atalanta (7th) Austria Admira Wacker Mödling (5th)
Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi (UCL Q1) Faroe Islands Víkingur Gøta (UCL Q1) France Bordeaux (6th) Croatia Hajduk Split (3rd)
Latvia Spartaks Jūrmala (UCL Q1) Kosovo Drita (UCL Q1) Russia Ufa (6th)[Note RUS] Romania FCSB (2nd)
Estonia Flora Tallinn (UCL Q1) Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps (UCL PR F) Portugal Rio Ave (5th)[Note POR] Belarus Dynamo Brest (CW)
Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić (UCL Q1) Andorra FC Santa Coloma (UCL PR SF) Ukraine Mariupol (5th) Poland Jagiellonia Białystok (2nd)
Armenia Alashkert (UCL Q1) San Marino La Fiorita (UCL PR SF) Belgium Genk (PW) Sweden Djurgårdens IF (CW)
Turkey Beşiktaş (4th) Israel Hapoel Haifa (CW)
Czech Republic Sparta Prague (5th) Scotland Aberdeen (2nd)
Switzerland St. Gallen (5th) Cyprus AEK Larnaca (CW)
Netherlands AZ (3rd) Norway Lillestrøm (CW)
Netherlands Vitesse (PW)
First qualifying round
Croatia Osijek (4th) Bulgaria CSKA Sofia (2nd) Iceland Stjarnan (2nd) North Macedonia Shkupi (4th)
Romania Viitorul Constanța (4th) Bulgaria Levski Sofia (PW) Iceland FH (3rd) Estonia FCI Levadia (CW)
Denmark Nordsjælland (3rd) Serbia Partizan (CW) Finland KuPS (2nd) Estonia Nõmme Kalju (3rd)
Denmark Copenhagen (PW) Serbia Radnički Niš (3rd) Finland Ilves (3rd) Estonia Narva Trans (5th)[Note EST]
Belarus Dinamo Minsk (2nd) Serbia Spartak Subotica (4th) Finland Lahti (4th) Montenegro Titograd (CW)
Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk (3rd) Kazakhstan Kairat (CW) Albania Luftëtari (3rd) Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (2nd)
Poland Lech Poznań (3rd) Kazakhstan Irtysh Pavlodar (4th) Albania Laçi (4th) Montenegro Rudar Pljevlja (5th)[Note MNE]
Poland Górnik Zabrze (4th) Kazakhstan Tobol (5th)[Note KAZ] Albania Partizani (5th)[Note ALB] Armenia Gandzasar Kapan (CW)
Sweden AIK (2nd) Slovenia Maribor (2nd) Republic of Ireland Dundalk (2nd) Armenia Banants (2nd)
Sweden BK Häcken (4th) Slovenia Domžale (3rd) Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers (3rd) Armenia Pyunik (5th)[Note ARM]
Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv (2nd) Slovenia Rudar Velenje (4th) Republic of Ireland Derry City (4th)[Note IRL] Luxembourg Racing FC (CW)
Israel Beitar Jerusalem (3rd) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (CW) Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar (CW) Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn (2nd)
Scotland Rangers (3rd) Slovakia DAC Dunajská Streda (3rd) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo (3rd) Luxembourg Fola Esch (3rd)
Scotland Hibernian (4th) Slovakia Trenčín (PW) Bosnia and Herzegovina Široki Brijeg (4th) Northern Ireland Coleraine (CW)
Cyprus Apollon Limassol (2nd) Liechtenstein Vaduz (CW) Georgia (country) Chikhura Sachkhere (CW) Northern Ireland Glenavon (3rd)
Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta (3rd) Hungary Újpest (CW) Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi (2nd) Northern Ireland Cliftonville (PW)
Norway Molde (2nd) Hungary Ferencváros (2nd) Georgia (country) Samtredia (3rd) Lithuania Stumbras (CW)
Norway Sarpsborg 08 (3rd) Hungary Honvéd (4th) Latvia Liepāja (CW) Lithuania Žalgiris (2nd)
Azerbaijan Keşla (CW) Moldova Milsami Orhei (CW) Latvia Riga (3rd) Malta Balzan (2nd)
Azerbaijan Gabala (2nd) Moldova Petrocub Hîncești (3rd) Latvia Ventspils (4th) Wales Connah's Quay Nomads (CW)
Azerbaijan Neftçi Baku (3rd) Moldova Zaria Bălți (5th)[Note MDA] North Macedonia Vardar (2nd) Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík (CW)
Bulgaria Slavia Sofia (CW) Iceland ÍBV (CW) North Macedonia Rabotnički (3rd)
Preliminary round
Lithuania Trakai (3rd) Wales Cefn Druids (PW) Gibraltar St Joseph's (3rd) San Marino Tre Fiori (3rd)
Malta Gżira United (3rd) Faroe Islands KÍ Klaksvík (2nd) Andorra Engordany (2nd) Kosovo Prishtina (CW)
Malta Birkirkara (4th) Faroe Islands B36 Tórshavn (3rd) Andorra Sant Julià (3rd)
Wales Bala Town (4th)[Note WAL] Gibraltar Europa (CW) San Marino Folgore (2nd)

Notably one team that was not playing a national top division took part in the competition; Vaduz (representing Liechtenstein) played in 2017–18 Swiss Challenge League, which is Switzerland's second tier.

Notes
  1. ^
    Albania (ALB): In March 2018, Skënderbeu was handed a 10-year ban from UEFA club competitions over match fixing.[14] Since they finished as champions of the 2017–18 Albanian Superliga, the runners-up of the league, Kukësi, entered the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League instead of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. As a result, their Europa League first qualifying round berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Partizani.
  2. ^
    Armenia (ARM): Shirak would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Armenian Premier League, but were penalized by the Football Federation of Armenia for match fixing,[15] and subsequently informed UEFA their withdrawal from competing in the Europa League.[16] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Pyunik.[citation needed]
  3. ^
    Estonia (EST): FCI Tallinn would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017 Meistriliiga, but were disbanded and merged with Levadia Tallinn after the season.[17] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Narva Trans.
  4. ^
    Italy (ITA): Milan qualified for the Europa League group stage as the sixth-placed team of the 2017–18 Serie A, but were originally banned by UEFA from European competition due to violations of Financial Fair Play regulations.[18] They appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the ban was overturned on 20 July 2018.[19][20]
  5. ^
    Kazakhstan (KAZ): Ordabasy would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the third-placed team of the 2017 Kazakhstan Premier League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[21] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Tobol.
  6. ^
    Moldova (MDA): Dacia Chișinău would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017 Moldovan National Division, but were disbanded after the season.[22] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Zaria Bălți.
  7. ^
    Montenegro (MNE): Grbalj would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round as the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Montenegrin First League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[23] As a result, the berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Rudar Pljevlja.
  8. ^
    Portugal (POR): Desportivo das Aves would have qualified for the Europa League group stage as the winners of the 2017–18 Taça de Portugal, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[24] As a result, the third-placed team of the 2017–18 Primeira Liga, Sporting CP, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round, the fourth-placed team of the league, Braga, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and the second qualifying round berth was given to the fifth-placed team of the league, Rio Ave.
  9. ^
    Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland, but participate in the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland (any coefficient points they earn count toward Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland).
  10. ^
    Russia (RUS): Tosno would have qualified for the Europa League group stage as the winners of the 2017–18 Russian Cup, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[25] As a result, the fourth-placed team of the 2017–18 Russian Premier League, Krasnodar, entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round, the fifth-placed team of the league, Zenit Saint Petersburg, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and the second qualifying round berth was given to the sixth-placed team of the league, Ufa.
  11. ^
    Wales (WAL): Bangor City would have qualified for the Europa League preliminary round as the runners-up of the 2017–18 Welsh Premier League, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[26] As a result, and because the third-placed team Connah's Quay Nomads were Welsh Cup winners, the berth was given to the fourth-placed team of the league, Bala Town.
  12. ^
    Champions League (UCL Q1): Cork City were drawn from the first qualifying round losers to receive a bye to the third qualifying round, as one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa League second qualifying round (Champions Path), due to a Champions League group stage berth vacated by the Champions League title holders.[27]

Round and draw dates[]

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[28]

Schedule for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying Preliminary round 12 June 2018 28 June 2018 5 July 2018
First qualifying round 19 June 2018 (Champions Path)
20 June 2018 (Main Path) 		12 July 2018 19 July 2018
Second qualifying round 26 July 2018 2 August 2018
Third qualifying round 23 July 2018 9 August 2018 16 August 2018
Play-off Play-off round 6 August 2018 23 August 2018 30 August 2018
Group stage Matchday 1 31 August 2018
(Monaco) 		20 September 2018
Matchday 2 4 October 2018
Matchday 3 25 October 2018
Matchday 4 8 November 2018
Matchday 5 29 November 2018
Matchday 6 13 December 2018
Knockout phase Round of 32 17 December 2018 14 February 2019 21 February 2019
Round of 16 22 February 2019 7 March 2019 14 March 2019
Quarter-finals 15 March 2019 11 April 2019 18 April 2019
Semi-finals 2 May 2019 9 May 2019
Final 29 May 2019 at Olympic Stadium, Baku

Matches in the qualifying (including preliminary and play-off) and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

From this season, the kick-off times starting from the group stage were slightly changed to 18:55 CET and 21:00 CET. Kick-off times starting from the quarter-finals were 21:00 CEST.[11]

Preliminary round[]

Main article: 2018–19 UEFA Europa League preliminary round

In the preliminary round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients,[29] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. The draw for the preliminary round was held on 12 June 2018.[30] The first legs were played on 26 and 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 July 2018.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Europa Gibraltar 1–6 Kosovo Prishtina 1–1 0–5
Sant Julià Andorra 1–4 Malta Gżira United 0–2 1–2
Engordany Andorra 3–2 San Marino Folgore 2–1 1–1
B36 Tórshavn Faroe Islands 2–2 (4–2 p) Gibraltar St Joseph's 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Birkirkara Malta 2–3 Faroe Islands KÍ Klaksvík 1–1 1–2
Tre Fiori San Marino 3–1 Wales Bala Town 3–0 0–1
Cefn Druids Wales 1–2 Lithuania Trakai 1–1 0–1

Qualifying rounds[]

Main article: 2018–19 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds

In the qualifying and play-off rounds, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients (for Main Path),[29] or based on which round they qualified from (for Champions Path), and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties.

First qualifying round[]

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 20 June 2018.[31] The first legs were played on 10, 11 and 12 July, and the second legs were played on 17, 18 and 19 July 2018.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Stjarnan Iceland 3–1 Estonia Nõmme Kalju 3–0 0–1
Ilves Finland 1–3 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia 0–1 1–2
KÍ Klaksvík Faroe Islands 2–3 Lithuania Žalgiris 1–2 1–1
Fola Esch Luxembourg 0–0 (5–4 p) Kosovo Prishtina 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Glenavon Northern Ireland 3–6 Norway Molde 2–1 1–5
DAC Dunajská Streda Slovakia 3–2 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 1–1 2–1
Stumbras Lithuania 1–2 Cyprus Apollon Limassol 1–0 0–2
Široki Brijeg Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–3 (a) Slovenia Domžale 2–2 1–1
Rangers Scotland 2–0 North Macedonia Shkupi 2–0 0–0
Gabala Azerbaijan 1–2[A] Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn 0–2 1–0
Racing FC Luxembourg 0–2 Romania Viitorul Constanța 0–2 0–0
Samtredia Georgia (country) 0–3 Kazakhstan Tobol 0–1 0–2
Partizani Albania 0–3 Slovenia Maribor 0–1 0–2
Neftçi Baku Azerbaijan 3–5 Hungary Újpest 3–1 0–4
Budućnost Podgorica Montenegro 1–3 Slovakia Trenčín 0–2 1–1
Derry City Republic of Ireland 2–3 Belarus Dinamo Minsk 0–2 2–1
B36 Tórshavn Faroe Islands 2–1 Montenegro Titograd Podgorica 0–0 2–1
Górnik Zabrze Poland 2–1[A] Moldova Zaria Bǎlți 1–0 1–1
Spartak Subotica Serbia 3–1 Northern Ireland Coleraine 1–1 2–0
Pyunik Armenia 3–0 North Macedonia Vardar 1–0 2–0
Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland 1–2 Sweden AIK 0–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Connah's Quay Nomads Wales 1–5 Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–3 0–2
Lahti Finland 0–3 Iceland FH 0–3 0–0
Ventspils Latvia 8–3 Albania Luftëtari 5–0 3–3
Cliftonville Northern Ireland 1–3 Denmark Nordsjælland 0–1 1–2
Banants Armenia 1–5 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 1–2 0–3
Engordany Andorra 1–10 Kazakhstan Kairat 0–3 1–7
Petrocub Hîncești Moldova 2–3 Croatia Osijek 1–1 1–2
Anorthosis Famagusta Cyprus 2–2 (a) Albania Laçi 2–1 0–1
Ferencváros Hungary 1–2 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–1 0–1
Balzan Malta 5–3 Azerbaijan Keşla 4–1 1–2
Rabotnički North Macedonia 2–5[A] Hungary Honvéd 2–1 0–4
Rudar Pljevlja Montenegro 0–6 Serbia Partizan 0–3 0–3
CSKA Sofia Bulgaria 1–1 (5–3 p) Latvia Riga 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Milsami Orhei Moldova 2–9 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 2–4 0–5
Radnički Niš Serbia 5–0 Malta Gżira United 4–0 1–0
Lech Poznań Poland 3–2 Armenia Gandzasar Kapan 2–0 1–2
Chikhura Sachkhere Georgia (country) 2–1 Israel Beitar Jerusalem 0–0 2–1
Vaduz Liechtenstein 3–3 (a) Bulgaria Levski Sofia 1–0 2–3
Narva Trans Estonia 1–5[A] Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 0–2 1–3
Trakai Lithuania 1–0 Kazakhstan Irtysh Pavlodar 0–0 1–0
Hibernian Scotland 12–5 Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík 6–1 6–4
Rudar Velenje Slovenia 10–0 San Marino Tre Fiori 7–0 3–0
FCI Levadia Estonia 1–3 Republic of Ireland Dundalk 0–1 1–2
ÍBV Iceland 0–6 Norway Sarpsborg 08 0–4 0–2
KuPS Finland 1–2[A] Denmark Copenhagen 0–1 1–1
Liepāja Latvia 2–4 Sweden BK Häcken 0–3 2–1

Notes

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Second qualifying round[]

The second qualifying round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the second qualifying round (Champions Path) was held on 19 June,[27] and the draw for the second qualifying round (Main Path) was held on 20 June 2018.[31] The first legs were played on 26 July, and the second legs were played on 31 July, 1 and 2 August 2018.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Cork City Republic of Ireland Bye N/A N/A N/A
The New Saints Wales 3–2 Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 2–1 1–1
Torpedo Kutaisi Georgia (country) 7–0 Faroe Islands Víkingur Gøta 3–0 4–0
Zrinjski Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–2 Malta Valletta 1–1 2–1
FC Santa Coloma Andorra 1–3 Iceland Valur 1–0 0–3
Sutjeska Nikšić Montenegro 0–1 Armenia Alashkert 0–1 0–0
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg 3–2 Kosovo Drita 2–1 1–1
Spartaks Jūrmala Latvia 9–0 San Marino La Fiorita 6–0 3–0
APOEL Cyprus 5–2 Estonia Flora Tallinn 5–0 0–2
Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenia 6–2 Northern Ireland Crusaders 5–1 1–1
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Molde Norway 5–0 Albania Laçi 3–0 2–0
Atalanta Italy 10–2[A] Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 2–2 8–0
Žalgiris Lithuania 2–1 Liechtenstein Vaduz 1–0 1–1
Kairat Kazakhstan 3–2 Netherlands AZ 2–0 1–2
Aberdeen Scotland 2–4 England Burnley 1–1 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Partizan Serbia 2–1 Lithuania Trakai 1–0 1–1
Balzan Malta 3–4 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 2–1 1–3
Nordsjælland Denmark 2–0 Sweden AIK 1–0 1–0
Rudar Velenje Slovenia 0–6 Romania FCSB 0–2 0–4
Hapoel Haifa Israel 2–1 Iceland FH 1–1 1–0
Dundalk Republic of Ireland 0–4 Cyprus AEK Larnaca 0–0 0–4
Górnik Zabrze Poland 1–5 Slovakia Trenčín 0–1 1–4
Maccabi Tel Aviv Israel 4–2 Serbia Radnički Niš 2–0 2–2
CSKA Sofia Bulgaria 6–1 Austria Admira Wacker Mödling 3–0 3–1
Spartak Subotica Serbia 3–2 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 2–0 1–2
RB Leipzig Germany 5–1 Sweden BK Häcken 4–0 1–1
Stjarnan Iceland 0–7 Denmark Copenhagen 0–2 0–5
Ufa Russia 1–1 (a) Slovenia Domžale 0–0 1–1
Tobol Kazakhstan 2–2 (a) Armenia Pyunik 2–1 0–1
Jagiellonia Białystok Poland 5–4 Portugal Rio Ave 1–0 4–4
LASK Austria 6–1 Norway Lillestrøm 4–0 2–1
Honvéd Hungary 1–2 Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn 1–0 0–2
Osijek Croatia 1–2 Scotland Rangers 0–1 1–1
B36 Tórshavn Faroe Islands 0–8 Turkey Beşiktaş 0–2 0–6
DAC Dunajská Streda Slovakia 2–7 Belarus Dinamo Minsk 1–3 1–4
Ventspils Latvia 1–3 France Bordeaux 0–1 1–2
Željezničar Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–5 Cyprus Apollon Limassol 1–2 1–3
Viitorul Constanța Romania 3–5 Netherlands Vitesse 2–2 1–3
St. Gallen Switzerland 2–2 (a) Norway Sarpsborg 08 2–1 0–1
Dynamo Brest Belarus 5–4 Greece Atromitos 4–3 1–1
Sevilla Spain 7–1 Hungary Újpest 4–0 3–1
Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus 2–4 Poland Lech Poznań 1–1 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Hibernian Scotland 4–3 Greece Asteras Tripolis 3–2 1–1
Chikhura Sachkhere Georgia (country) 0–2 Slovenia Maribor 0–0 0–2
Genk Belgium 9–1 Luxembourg Fola Esch 5–0 4–1
Djurgårdens IF Sweden 2–3 Ukraine Mariupol 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Hajduk Split Croatia 4–2 Bulgaria Slavia Sofia 1–0 3–2

Notes

  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Third qualifying round[]

The third qualifying round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 23 July 2018.[32] The first legs were played on 7 and 9 August, and the second legs were played on 16 August 2018.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria 2–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar 1–0 1–1
Legia Warsaw Poland 3–4 Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 1–2 2–2
Alashkert Armenia 0–7 Romania CFR Cluj 0–2 0–5
Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenia 7–1 Finland HJK 3–0 4–1
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 2–2 (a) Iceland Valur 1–0 1–2
Cork City Republic of Ireland 0–5 Norway Rosenborg 0–2 0–3
Spartaks Jūrmala Latvia 0–1 Lithuania Sūduva Marijampolė 0–1 0–0
The New Saints Wales 1–5 Denmark Midtjylland 0–2 1–3
Hapoel Be'er Sheva Israel 3–5 Cyprus APOEL 2–2 1–3
Torpedo Kutaisi Georgia (country) 5–4 Albania Kukësi 5–2 0–2
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Pyunik Armenia 1–2 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–0 1–2
Dinamo Minsk Belarus 5–8 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 4–0 1–8 (a.e.t.)
Sturm Graz Austria 0–7 Cyprus AEK Larnaca 0–2 0–5
Sarpsborg 08 Norway 2–1 Croatia Rijeka 1–1 1–0
İstanbul Başakşehir Turkey 0–1 England Burnley 0–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Zorya Luhansk Ukraine 3–3 (a) Portugal Braga 1–1 2–2
Hapoel Haifa Israel 1–6 Italy Atalanta 1–4 0–2
Genk Belgium 4–1 Poland Lech Poznań 2–0 2–1
Vitesse Netherlands 0–2 Switzerland Basel 0–1 0–1
Nordsjælland Denmark 3–5 Serbia Partizan 1–2 2–3
Hibernian Scotland 0–3 Norway Molde 0–0 0–3
Hajduk Split Croatia 1–2 Romania FCSB 0–0 1–2
Sevilla Spain 6–0 Lithuania Žalgiris 1–0 5–0
Sigma Olomouc Czech Republic 4–1 Kazakhstan Kairat 2–0 2–1
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 2–5 Austria Rapid Wien 2–1 0–4
Mariupol Ukraine 2–5 France Bordeaux 1–3 1–2
CSKA Sofia Bulgaria 2–4 Denmark Copenhagen 1–2 1–2
Olympiacos Greece 7–1 Switzerland Luzern 4–0 3–1
Rangers Scotland 3–1 Slovenia Maribor 3–1 0–0
Trenčín Slovakia 5–1 Netherlands Feyenoord 4–0 1–1
Jagiellonia Białystok Poland 1–4 Belgium Gent 0–1 1–3
Spartak Subotica Serbia 1–4 Denmark Brøndby 0–2 1–2
Ufa Russia 4–3 Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn 2–1 2–2
Beşiktaş Turkey 2–2 (a) Austria LASK 1–0 1–2
Apollon Limassol Cyprus 4–1 Belarus Dynamo Brest 4–0 0–1
RB Leipzig Germany 4–2 Romania Universitatea Craiova 3–1 1–1

Play-off round[]

Main article: 2018–19 UEFA Europa League play-off round

The play-off round is split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the play-off round was held on 6 August 2018.[33] The first legs were played on 23 August, and the second legs were played on 30 August 2018.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenia 1–3 Slovakia Spartak Trnava 0–2 1–1
APOEL Cyprus 1–1 (1–2 p) Kazakhstan Astana 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Rosenborg Norway 5–1 North Macedonia Shkëndija 3–1 2–0
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg 5–2 Romania CFR Cluj 2–0 3–2
Sūduva Marijampolė Lithuania 1–4 Scotland Celtic 1–1 0–3
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 1–3 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 1–0 0–3
Malmö FF Sweden 4–2 Denmark Midtjylland 2–2 2–0
Torpedo Kutaisi Georgia (country) 0–5 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 0–1 0–4
Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Sigma Olomouc Czech Republic 0–4 Spain Sevilla 0–1 0–3
Sarpsborg 08 Norway 4–3 Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–1 1–2
Gent Belgium 0–2 France Bordeaux 0–0 0–2
Partizan Serbia 1–4 Turkey Beşiktaş 1–1 0–3
Rapid Wien Austria 4–3 Romania FCSB 3–1 1–2
Basel Switzerland 3–3 (a)[A] Cyprus Apollon Limassol 3–2 0–1
Rangers Scotland 2–1 Russia Ufa 1–0 1–1
Atalanta Italy 0–0 (3–4 p) Denmark Copenhagen 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia 4–3 Norway Molde 3–1 1–2
Trenčín Slovakia 1–4 Cyprus AEK Larnaca 1–1 0–3
Genk Belgium 9–4 Denmark Brøndby 5–2 4–2
Olympiacos Greece 4–2 England Burnley 3–1 1–1
Zorya Luhansk Ukraine 2–3 Germany RB Leipzig 0–0 2–3

Notes

  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Group stage[]

Main article: 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage
2018–19 UEFA Europa League is located in Europe
Rapid
Rapid
Salzburg
Salzburg
Qarabağ
BATE
BATE
Anderlecht
Anderlecht
Genk
Genk
Standard
Ludogorets
Ludogorets
Dinamo Z.
Dinamo Z.
AEK
AEK
Apollon
Apollon
Jablonec
Jablonec
Slavia
Slavia
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
London
London
Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Marseille
Marseille
Rennes
Rennes
Leverkusen
Leverkusen
Eintracht
Eintracht
Leipzig
Olympiacos
Olympiacos
PAOK
PAOK
Vidi
Vidi
Lazio
Lazio
Milan
Milan
Astana (not on map)
Astana
(not on map)
2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Dudelange
Dudelange
Rosenborg
Rosenborg
Sarpsborg
Sarpsborg
Sporting
Krasnodar
Spartak M.
Spartak M.
Zenit
Zenit
Glasgow
Glasgow
Spartak T.
Spartak T.
Seville
Seville
Villarreal
Malmö
Zürich
Akhisarspor
Akhisarspor
Istanbul
Istanbul
Dynamo K.
Dynamo K.
Vorskla
Vorskla
Glasgow teams Celtic Rangers Istanbul teams Beşiktaş Fenerbahçe London teams Arsenal Chelsea Seville teams Real Betis Sevilla
  • Glasgow teams
  • Green pog.svg Celtic
  • Blue pog.svg Rangers


  • London teams
  • Red pog.svg Arsenal
  • Orange pog.svg Chelsea

  • Seville teams
  • Cyan pog.svg Real Betis
  • Turquoise pog.svg Sevilla
Location of teams of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Brown pog.svg Brown: Group A; Green pog.svg Green: Group B; DeepPink pog.svg Deep Pink: Group C; Yellow pog.svg Yellow: Group D;
Red pog.svg Red: Group E; Cyan pog.svg Cyan: Group F; Blue pog.svg Blue: Group G; Purple pog.svg Purple: Group H;
Pink pog.svg Pink: Group I; Turquoise pog.svg Turquoise: Group J; SpringGreen pog.svg Spring Green: Group K; Orange pog.svg Orange: Group L.

The draw for the group stage was held on 31 August 2018 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[34] The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams are seeded into four pots based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients.[29]

In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 32 where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage. The matchdays are 20 September, 4 October, 25 October, 8 November, 29 November, and 13 December 2018.

A total of 27 national associations were represented in the group stage. Akhisarspor, Chelsea, F91 Dudelange, Jablonec, Rangers, RB Leipzig, Sarpsborg 08, Spartak Moscow and Spartak Trnava made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (although Chelsea, Rangers, RB Leipzig and Spartak Moscow had already competed in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase after a third place in the UEFA Champions League group stage, while Rangers and Spartak Moscow had appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage). Akhisarspor and Sarpsborg 08 made their debuts in any European football. F91 Dudelange were the first team from Luxembourg to play in either the Champions League or Europa League group stage.[35]

Group A[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LEV ZUR AKL LUD
1 Germany Bayer Leverkusen 6 4 1 1 16 9 +7 13 Advance to knockout phase — 1–0 4–2 1–1
2 Switzerland Zürich 6 3 1 2 7 6 +1 10 3–2 — 1–2 1–0
3 Cyprus AEK Larnaca 6 1 2 3 6 12 −6 5 1–5 0–1 — 1–1
4 Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad 6 0 4 2 5 7 −2 4 2–3 1–1 0–0 —
Source: UEFA

Group B[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SAL CEL RBL ROS
1 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 6 6 0 0 17 6 +11 18 Advance to knockout phase — 3–1 1–0 3–0
2 Scotland Celtic 6 3 0 3 6 8 −2 9 1–2 — 2–1 1–0
3 Germany RB Leipzig 6 2 1 3 9 8 +1 7 2–3 2–0 — 1–1
4 Norway Rosenborg 6 0 1 5 4 14 −10 1 2–5 0–1 1–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group C[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ZEN SLP BOR KOB
1 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 3 2 1 6 5 +1 11 Advance to knockout phase — 1–0 2–1 1–0
2 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 6 3 1 2 4 3 +1 10 2–0 — 1–0 0–0
3 France Bordeaux 6 2 1 3 6 6 0 7 1–1 2–0 — 1–2
4 Denmark Copenhagen 6 1 2 3 3 5 −2 5 1–1 0–1 0–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group D[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DZG FEN SPT AND
1 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 6 4 2 0 11 3 +8 14 Advance to knockout phase — 4–1 3–1 0–0
2 Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 0–0 — 2–0 2–0
3 Slovakia Spartak Trnava 6 2 1 3 4 7 −3 7 1–2 1–0 — 1–0
4 Belgium Anderlecht 6 0 3 3 2 7 −5 3 0–2 2–2 0–0 —
Source: UEFA

Group E[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ARS SPO VOR QRB
1 England Arsenal 6 5 1 0 12 2 +10 16 Advance to knockout phase — 0–0 4–2 1–0
2 Portugal Sporting CP 6 4 1 1 13 3 +10 13 0–1 — 3–0 2–0
3 Ukraine Vorskla Poltava 6 1 0 5 4 13 −9 3[a] 0–3 1–2 — 0–1
4 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 6 1 0 5 2 13 −11 3[a] 0–3 1–6 0–1 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Goal difference in all group matches: Vorskla Poltava –9, Qarabağ –11.

Group F[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BET OLY MIL DUD
1 Spain Real Betis 6 3 3 0 7 2 +5 12 Advance to knockout phase — 1–0 1–1 3–0
2 Greece Olympiacos 6 3 1 2 11 6 +5 10[a] 0–0 — 3–1 5–1
3 Italy Milan 6 3 1 2 12 9 +3 10[a] 1–2 3–1 — 5–2
4 Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 6 0 1 5 3 16 −13 1 0–0 0–2 0–1 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Goal difference in all group matches: Olympiacos +5, Milan +3.

Group G[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification VIL RW RAN SPM
1 Spain Villarreal 6 2 4 0 12 5 +7 10[a] Advance to knockout phase — 5–0 2–2 2–0
2 Austria Rapid Wien 6 3 1 2 6 9 −3 10[a] 0–0 — 1–0 2–0
3 Scotland Rangers 6 1 3 2 8 8 0 6 0–0 3–1 — 0–0
4 Russia Spartak Moscow 6 1 2 3 8 12 −4 5 3–3 1–2 4–3 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Head-to-head points: Villarreal 4, Rapid Wien 1.

Group H[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FRA LAZ APL MAR
1 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 6 6 0 0 17 5 +12 18 Advance to knockout phase — 4–1 2–0 4–0
2 Italy Lazio 6 3 0 3 9 11 −2 9 1–2 — 2–1 2–1
3 Cyprus Apollon Limassol 6 2 1 3 10 10 0 7 2–3 2–0 — 2–2
4 France Marseille 6 0 1 5 6 16 −10 1 1–2 1–3 1–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group I[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GNK MAL BES SRP
1 Belgium Genk 6 3 2 1 14 8 +6 11 Advance to knockout phase — 2–0 1–1 4–0
2 Sweden Malmö FF 6 2 3 1 7 6 +1 9 2–2 — 2–0 1–1
3 Turkey Beşiktaş 6 2 1 3 9 11 −2 7 2–4 0–1 — 3–1
4 Norway Sarpsborg 08 6 1 2 3 8 13 −5 5 3–1 1–1 2–3 —
Source: UEFA

Group J[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEV KRA STL AKH
1 Spain Sevilla 6 4 0 2 18 6 +12 12[a] Advance to knockout phase — 3–0 5–1 6–0
2 Russia Krasnodar 6 4 0 2 8 8 0 12[a] 2–1 — 2–1 2–1
3 Belgium Standard Liège 6 3 1 2 7 9 −2 10 1–0 2–1 — 2–1
4 Turkey Akhisarspor 6 0 1 5 4 14 −10 1 2–3 0–1 0–0 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Head-to-head goal difference: Sevilla +2, Krasnodar –2.

Group K[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DKV REN AST JAB
1 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 3 2 1 10 7 +3 11 Advance to knockout phase — 3–1 2–2 0–1
2 France Rennes 6 3 0 3 7 8 −1 9 1–2 — 2–0 2–1
3 Kazakhstan Astana 6 2 2 2 7 7 0 8 0–1 2–0 — 2–1
4 Czech Republic Jablonec 6 1 2 3 6 8 −2 5 2–2 0–1 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group L[]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CHL BATE VID PAOK
1 England Chelsea 6 5 1 0 12 3 +9 16 Advance to knockout phase — 3–1 1–0 4–0
2 Belarus BATE Borisov 6 3 0 3 9 9 0 9 0–1 — 2–0 1–4
3 Hungary Vidi 6 2 1 3 5 7 −2 7 2–2 0–2 — 1–0
4 Greece PAOK 6 1 0 5 5 12 −7 3 0–1 1–3 0–2 —
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase[]

Main article: 2018–19 UEFA Europa League knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams play 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 is as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records are seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage are unseeded. The seeded teams are drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association can be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals are held together before the quarter-finals are played, the identity of the quarter-final winners is not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw is also held to determine which semi-final winner is designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it is played at a neutral venue).

Bracket[]

Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 2 0 2
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1 3 4 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1 0 1
Turkey Galatasaray 1 0 1 Portugal Benfica (a.e.t.) 0 3 3
Portugal Benfica 2 0 2 Portugal Benfica 4 0 4
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 2 1 3 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt (a) 2 2 4
Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 2 4 6 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 0 1 1
Austria Rapid Wien 0 0 0 Italy Inter Milan 0 0 0
Italy Inter Milan 1 4 5 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 1 1 2 (3)
Italy Lazio 0 0 0 England Chelsea (p) 1 1 2 (4)
Spain Sevilla 1 2 3 Spain Sevilla 2 3 5
Czech Republic Slavia Prague 0 4 4 Czech Republic Slavia Prague (a.e.t.) 2 4 6
Belgium Genk 0 1 1 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 0 3 3
Sweden Malmö FF 1 0 1 England Chelsea 1 4 5
England Chelsea 2 3 5 England Chelsea 3 5 8
Greece Olympiacos 2 0 2 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0 0 0
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2 1 3 England Chelsea 4
France Rennes 3 3 6 England Arsenal 1
Spain Real Betis 3 1 4 France Rennes 3 0 3
Belarus BATE Borisov 1 0 1 England Arsenal 1 3 4
England Arsenal 0 3 3 England Arsenal 2 1 3
Switzerland Zürich 1 0 1 Italy Napoli 0 0 0
Italy Napoli 3 2 5 Italy Napoli 3 1 4
Belgium Club Brugge 2 0 2 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 0 3 3
Austria Red Bull Salzburg 1 4 5 England Arsenal 3 4 7
Turkey Fenerbahçe 1 1 2 Spain Valencia 1 2 3
Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 0 3 3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 1 1 2
Portugal Sporting CP 0 1 1 Spain Villarreal 3 2 5
Spain Villarreal 1 1 2 Spain Villarreal 1 0 1
Scotland Celtic 0 0 0 Spain Valencia 3 2 5
Spain Valencia 2 1 3 Spain Valencia 2 1 3
Russia Krasnodar (a) 0 1 1 Russia Krasnodar 1 1 2
Germany Bayer Leverkusen 0 1 1

Round of 32[]

The draw for the round of 32 was held on 17 December 2018.[36] The first legs were played on 12 and 14 February, and the second legs were played on 20 and 21 February 2019.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Viktoria Plzeň Czech Republic 2–4 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 0–3
Club Brugge Belgium 2–5 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 2–1 0–4
Rapid Wien Austria 0–5 Italy Inter Milan 0–1 0–4
Slavia Prague Czech Republic 4–1 Belgium Genk 0–0 4–1
Krasnodar Russia 1–1 (a) Germany Bayer Leverkusen 0–0 1–1
Zürich Switzerland 1–5 Italy Napoli 1–3 0–2
Malmö FF Sweden 1–5 England Chelsea 1–2 0–3
Shakhtar Donetsk Ukraine 3–6 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 2–2 1–4
Celtic Scotland 0–3 Spain Valencia 0–2 0–1
Rennes France 6–4 Spain Real Betis 3–3 3–1
Olympiacos Greece 2–3 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2–2 0–1
Lazio Italy 0–3 Spain Sevilla 0–1 0–2
Fenerbahçe Turkey 2–3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 1–0 1–3
Sporting CP Portugal 1–2 Spain Villarreal 0–1 1–1
BATE Borisov Belarus 1–3 England Arsenal 1–0 0–3
Galatasaray Turkey 1–2 Portugal Benfica 1–2 0–0

Round of 16[]

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 22 February 2019.[37] The first legs were played on 7 March, and the second legs were played on 14 March 2019.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea England 8–0 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 3–0 5–0
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany 1–0 Italy Inter Milan 0–0 1–0
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia 1–3 Portugal Benfica 1–0 0–3 (a.e.t.)
Napoli Italy 4–3 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 3–0 1–3
Valencia Spain 3–2 Russia Krasnodar 2–1 1–1
Sevilla Spain 5–6 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 2–2 3–4 (a.e.t.)
Rennes France 3–4[A] England Arsenal 3–1 0–3
Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia 2–5 Spain Villarreal 1–3 1–2

Notes

  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw, in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv match in the same city.

Quarter-finals[]

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 15 March 2019.[38] The first legs were played on 11 April, the second legs were played on 18 April 2019.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal England 3–0[A] Italy Napoli 2–0 1–0
Villarreal Spain 1–5 Spain Valencia 1–3 0–2
Benfica Portugal 4–4 (a) Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 4–2 0–2
Slavia Prague Czech Republic 3–5 England Chelsea 0–1 3–4

Notes

  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw, in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the Chelsea v Slavia Prague match in the same city.

Semi-finals[]

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 15 March 2019 (after the quarter-final draw).[38] The first legs were played on 2 May, and the second legs were played on 9 May 2019.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal England 7–3 Spain Valencia 3–1 4–2
Eintracht Frankfurt Germany 2–2 (3–4 p) England Chelsea 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)

Final[]

Main article: 2019 UEFA Europa League Final

The final was held on 29 May 2019 at the Olympic Stadium in Baku. The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws.[38]

Chelsea England4–1England Arsenal
  • Giroud Goal 49'
  • Pedro Goal 60'
  • Hazard Goal 65' (pen.), 72'
 Report
Olympic Stadium, Baku
Attendance: 51,370[39]
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)

Statistics[]

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers[]

Rank[40] Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 France Olivier Giroud England Chelsea 11 1124
2 Serbia Luka Jović Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 10 953
3 France Wissam Ben Yedder Spain Sevilla 8 621
Israel Mu'nas Dabbur Austria Red Bull Salzburg 856
Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang England Arsenal 934
6 Norway Fredrik Gulbrandsen Austria Red Bull Salzburg 5 429
Argentina Giovani Lo Celso Spain Real Betis 563
France Alexandre Lacazette England Arsenal 651
France Sébastien Haller Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 770
Spain Pedro England Chelsea 944

Top assists[]

Rank[40] Player Team Assists Minutes played
1 Belarus Ihar Stasevich Belarus BATE Borisov 7 704
Brazil Willian England Chelsea 899
3 Serbia Mijat Gaćinović Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 6 1126
4 Austria Andreas Ulmer Austria Red Bull Salzburg 5 900
France Olivier Giroud England Chelsea 1124
6 Ukraine Viktor Tsyhankov Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 4 804
Spain Pedro England Chelsea 944
8 24 players 3 N/A

Squad of the season[]

The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament.[41]

Pos. Player Team
GK Germany Kevin Trapp Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Spain Kepa Arrizabalaga England Chelsea
DF Spain Álex Grimaldo Portugal Benfica
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sead Kolašinac England Arsenal
France Laurent Koscielny England Arsenal
Brazil David Luiz England Chelsea
Spain César Azpilicueta England Chelsea
Germany Danny da Costa Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
MF Japan Makoto Hasebe Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Serbia Filip Kostić Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Italy Jorginho England Chelsea
France N'Golo Kanté England Chelsea
FW Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang England Arsenal
France Olivier Giroud England Chelsea
Serbia Luka Jović Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
Portugal João Félix Portugal Benfica
Spain Pedro England Chelsea
Belgium Eden Hazard England Chelsea

Player of the season[]

Votes were cast by coaches of the 48 teams in the group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA's member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams. Jury members selected their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The shortlist of the top three players was announced on 8 August 2019.[42] The award winner was announced during the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Monaco on 30 August 2019.

Rank Player Team Points
Shortlist of top three
1 Belgium Eden Hazard[1] England Chelsea 340
2 France Olivier Giroud England Chelsea 119
3 Serbia Luka Jović Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 94
Players ranked 4–10
4 Gabon Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang England Arsenal 65
5 France Alexandre Lacazette England Arsenal 19
6 France N'Golo Kanté England Chelsea 16
7 Portugal João Félix Portugal Benfica 12
8 Brazil Willian England Chelsea 11
9 France Sébastien Haller Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 9
Spain Pedro England Chelsea

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

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