The UEFA Europa League is a national cup competition, normally held during May to June each year, which is also known as the UEFA Cup. The competition is a replacement for the now defunct Intertoto Cup, which was due to be replaced by the European Super Cup. The competition is composed of teams from all over Europe and has an approximate qualification procedure of three phases. The first phase of competition consists of teams who have made it through to the playoffs. After this stage, the competition becomes open to all teams who have reached the playoffs.
During the 2021/10 season, there will be six teams in the competition. These are automatic representatives which are made up of the first, second and third placed finishers from the respective leagues. Each team is also awarded three points for every game they win, so if a team wins four games in a row they will automatically win the competition and be rewarded with a place in the playoffs. If a team wins three games in a row they automatically win the competition and move on to the semi finals.
The competition is divided into two distinct phases, the group stage and the knockout phase. The group stage consists of twenty-four teams, which have all been qualified by way of their performance in the previous season’s competition. From this group stage the seeds for the knockouts will be selected. The knockout phase is much similar to the qualifying phase, with the only difference that teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs do not enter the competition. The knockout phase finishes with the final four teams in a four player competition.
At the start of the 2021/10 season, teams who finished in the group stage or the knockout stage will be automatically qualified for the competition. For teams who failed to make it through to the playoffs, then a playoff between the bottom two teams from each group will be arranged. The teams playing in this competition will be given an extra time penalty before the game starts, giving them thirty minutes to prepare for the game. This time will also be added onto the end of the game’s time. The winners of the playoff, along with the runners up will be presented with the coveted trophies.
The trophy is not the only recognition that the champions receive, the team could also be given an honourable mention inside the season book of the europa league. The best team finishes at the end of the season, but can still win the title if they are presented with a silver or golden statue. Other recognition such as this could come from the club manager, club captain, key player or coaching staff, depending on the rules governing the european cup.
In summary, to qualify for the EUROPA LEAGUE you must have finished within the top twelve clubs from your country or you must have finished in the top four groups from other countries. There are five groups to qualify from, which means that a club would have to finish in the top four groups of the english football league, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup and the EFL Cup. A club can only be eliminated in the last tournament of a tournament once, which is the knockout stage. If a club qualifies from one group then they are guaranteed a place in the next as well as winning their respective semi finals. This means that by qualifying from one group a club could potentially end up in the final, which could prove very difficult indeed.