2 offers The 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League is the second installment of the competition. The tournament was a rousing success last campaign as Roma went the distance to claim the first ever UECL trophy.
This season's tournament is bound to be just as exciting as teams outside the regular clubs in the Champions League and Europa League battle for European glory.
Europa Conference League Betting Odds
Although the UECL features plenty of teams outside of the usual suspects, bookies are backing some of the competition's biggest clubs to win the trophy in 2022-23. Here is a look at the latest Europa Conference League odds:
- Villarreal 11/2
- West Ham 13/2
- Fiorentina 10/1
- Koln 14/1
- Nice 14/1
- AZ Alkmaar 20/1
- FC Basel 25/1
- Istanbul Basaksehir 33/1
- Anderlecht 33/1
- Slavia Prague 33/1
- Gent 40/1
- Partizan 50/1
- Cluj 50/1
- Molde 66/1
- Austria Vienna 66/1
- Djurgardens 66/1
- FCSB 80/1
- Slovan Bratislava 80/1
- Sivasspor 100/1
- Hapoel Be'er Sheva 125/1
- Silkeborg 125/1
- Lech Poznan 125/1
- Apollon Limassol 150/1
- Hearts 150/1
- Shamrock Rovers 150/1
- Slovacko 150/1
- Dnipro 150/1
- Zalgiris 200/1
- Vaduz 200/1
- Rigas 250/1
- Pyunik 250/1
- Ballkani 250/1
Who are the favourites?
Teams from the top five leagues in Europe are seen as the favourites. Unai Emery won the UEFA Europa League just two seasons ago with Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine's manager knows how to win UEFA tournaments and bookies have them as the favourite to win.
West Ham are another favourite and will go into the tournament believing they can win it. The Hammers reached the Europa League semifinals last term.
Dark Horses
It may sound silly, but Belgium's Anderlecht could go the distance. The UEFA Europa Conference League was created for teams just like Anderlecht. This is a former UEFA giant of the 1970s and 1980s, and a serial winner of silverware domestically.
Long Shots
Nice should be handled lightly. After losing coach Christophe Galtier to Paris Saint Germain, Nice have started the new season very poorly in Ligue 1. This is a side that should struggle this season, but could make a run in the Conference League.
Europa Conference League Teams
Thirty-two teams will contest the Europa Conference League. The tournament will feature eight groups with four teams each. The teams competing in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League are:
- Istanbul Basaksehir
- Fiorentina
- Hearts
- RFS
- West Ham
- FCSB
- Anderlecht
- Silkeborg
- Villarreal
- Hapoel Be'er Sheva
- Austria Wien
- Lech Poznan
- Partizan
- Koln
- Nice
- Slovacko
- AZ Alkmaar
- Limassol
- Vaduz
- Dnipro
- Gent
- Molde
- Shamrock Rovers
- Djurgardens
- Slavia Prague
- Cluj
- Sivasspor
- Ballkani
- FC Basel
- Slovan Bratislava
- Zalgiris
- Pyunik
Europa Conference League Format
The Europa Conference League format is similar to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The tournament features 32 teams split into eight groups of four each.
At the end of the group stage, the group winner moves on to the round of 16. Meanwhile, the second place teams play a two legged playoff with the third place teams in the groups from the Europa League.
The winner of these matches will progress to the round of 16 in the Europa Conference League.
Do teams from the Champions League and Europa League drop into the Europa Conference League?
Teams can start the Champions League qualifying stage and drop all the way to the Europa Conference League. The same goes for teams from the Europa League as they can drop into the Conference League.
The teams that finish third in the Europa League groups will move to the Europa Conference League last 16 knockout playoffs. Teams in the Champions League group stage cannot be demoted to the Conference League.
Europa Conference League Dates
The Europa Conference League group stage begins on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Like the Champions League and Europa League, the tournament's games will be compressed into a short timeframe due to the winter World Cup. Here is a look at the dates for this year's Conference League.
- Group stage: September 8 to November 3
- Knockout playoff round: February 16 to February 23
- Last 16: March 9 to March 16
- Quarterfinals: April 13 to April 20
- Semifinals: May 11 to May 18
- Final: June 7
When is the Europa Conference League Final?
The Europa Conference League Final will be played on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Where is the Europa Conference League Final?
This season's UEFA Europa Conference League Final will be held at the 20,800 capacity Fortuna Arena in Prague.
Who Won the Europa Conference League Last Season?
The 2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League was won by Jose Mourinho's Roma. The Italians defeated Dutch club Feyenoord 1-0.
What is the Europa Conference League?
The Europa Conference League is UEFA's third tier cup competition after the Champions League and Europa League.
It is a competition that gives teams outside of the major players in Europe the chance to win a piece of European silverware.
Why was the Europa Conference League Created?
Until the end of the 1990s, UEFA had a third cup competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, but decided to eliminate it due to revamping the Champions League.
A need for a third competition was decided and it now gives more teams the chance to play in Europe and compete for silverware.
What is the benefit to the Europa Conference League?
The winner of the Europa Conference League receives automatic entry into the following season's Europa League. it also gives teams that may not regularly play in Europe the chance to compete for a trophy.
Moreover, the Conference League allows the teams from smaller football associations across Europe the chance to play in the group stage of a European competition. The hope is that these teams will benefit and group stronger.
Are Russian Teams Taking Part in the Europa Conference League?
Like in the Champions League and Europa League, Russian teams have been banned this season from competing in the Conference League.
