Wikipedia
2020–21 UEFA Europa League
The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League was the 50th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 12th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The Stadion Gdańsk in Gdańsk hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 18 August 2020 – 1 October 2020 Competition proper: 22 October 2020 – 26 May 2021 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 48+8 Total: 158+55 (from 55 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Villarreal (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Manchester United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 204 |
| Goals scored | 618 (3.03 per match) |
| Attendance | 108,617 (532 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Pizzi (Benfica) Borja Mayoral (Roma) Gerard Moreno (Villarreal) Yusuf Yazıcı (Lille) 7 goals each |
| Best player(s) | Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)[1] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the final, played at the Stadion Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland, 11–10 on penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time, winning the competition for the first time in club history.[2] Villarreal thus automatically qualified for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage and earned the right to play in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup. The stadium was originally appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final, but this was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in 2020.[3]
As the title holders of the Europa League, Sevilla qualified for the 2020–21 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 Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
Association team allocation edit
A total of 213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[4]
- Associations 1–50 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
- Associations 51–55 each had two teams qualify (starting from this season, with association 51 losing one spot and association 55 gaining one spot).[5]
- Liechtenstein had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league).
- Moreover, 55 teams eliminated from the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League (default number was 57, but two fewer teams competed in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League).
Association ranking edit
For the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2014–15 to 2018–19.[6]
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
|
|
|
Distribution edit
The following was the access list for this season.[7]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary round (16 teams) |
| |||
| First qualifying round (94 teams) |
|
| ||
| Second qualifying round | Champions Path (20 teams) |
| ||
| Main Path (72 teams) |
|
| ||
| Third qualifying round | Champions Path (18 teams) |
|
| |
| Main Path (52 teams) |
|
|
| |
| Play-off round | Champions Path (16 teams) |
|
| |
| Main Path (26 teams) |
| |||
| Group stage (48 teams) |
|
|
| |
| Knockout phase (32 teams) |
|
| ||
Changes were made to the default access list since the Champions League title holders, Bayern Munich, and the Europa League title holders, Sevilla, which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stage, already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning there were fewer teams transferred from the Champions League due to changes in the Champions League access list. However, as a result of schedule delays to both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 European seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019–20 European season. Therefore, the changes to the access list that should have been made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds had been played and/or their draws had been made. UEFA used "adaptive re-balancing" to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined, and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the title holders were determined would not be impacted (Regulations Article 3.07)[4] The following changes were made:
- Since the Champions League title holder berth in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage was vacated, only five losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), instead of the original six, were transferred to the Europa League play-off round (Champions Path). In this case, two losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by draw, received a bye to the play-off round (Champions Path) instead of entering the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
- At the time when the draws for the preliminary round and first qualifying round were held on 9 and 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage would be vacated as four of the quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen, Copenhagen and Basel, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. Therefore, these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which were played on 18–21 and 25–27 August 2020, were not changed even though after the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, which were played on 10–11 August 2020, it was confirmed all four semi-finalists, Sevilla, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues, meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated. As a result, only three losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (League Path), instead of the original four, were transferred to the Europa League group stage, and "adaptive re-balancing" started from the second qualifying round (Main Path), whose draw was held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list were made:
- The cup winners of association 13 (Czech Republic), entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round (Main Path).
- The cup winners of associations 18 (Cyprus) and 19 (Serbia), entered the third qualifying round (Main Path) instead of the second qualifying round (Main Path).
Redistribution rules edit
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:
- 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 moved 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 moved 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 edit
In early April 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice.[8] UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions.[9] After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020, UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions, although in some special cases where it was not possible, UEFA developed guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup.[10][11] After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020, UEFA announced that if a domestic competition was prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems, the national associations concerned were required to select their participating teams for the 2020–21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019–20 domestic competitions, and UEFA reserved the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deemed the termination of the competitions not legitimate, or the selection procedure not objective, transparent and non-discriminatory, or the team was perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly. A suspended domestic competition could also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit.[12][13] All leagues were initially to communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intended to restart their competitions,[14] but this deadline was later extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations had to enter their teams by 3 August 2020.[3] If a cup was abandoned or not completed by the UEFA registration deadline, the Europa League places were distributed by league positions only.
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- CW: Cup winners
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position of the previous season
- 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
- CH/LP PO: Losers from the play-off round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- PR: Losers from the preliminary round (F: final; SF: semi-finals)
- Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[15]
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
Notes
- ^ Champions Path (CH): Tirana and Ludogorets Razgrad, two of the ten losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), were determined by a draw held on 31 August 2020 after the Europa League second qualifying round draw,[16] to receive a bye to the play-off round.
- ^ Azerbaijan (AZE): The 2019–20 Azerbaijan Premier League and the 2019–20 Azerbaijan Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Neftçi, Keşla and Sumgayit, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, entering the first qualifying round.[17]
- ^ Belgium (BEL): The 2019–20 Belgian First Division A was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. The third-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Charleroi and Standard Liège, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Belgian Football Association, entering the third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively.[18]
- ^ Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH): The 2019–20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2019–20 Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Željezničar, Zrinjski Mostar and Borac Banja Luka, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entering the first qualifying round.[19]
- ^ Cyprus (CYP): The 2019–20 Cypriot First Division and the 2019–20 Cypriot Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Anorthosis, APOEL and Apollon Limassol, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Cyprus Football Association, entering the third qualifying round (second-placed team) and first qualifying round respectively.[20]
- ^ France (FRA): The 2019–20 Ligue 1 was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The fourth-placed, fifth-placed and sixth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Lille, Nice and Reims, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the French Football Federation, entering the group stage and second qualifying round (sixth-placed team) respectively.[21]
- ^ Gibraltar (GIB): The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League and the 2020 Rock Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gibraltar. The second-placed and third-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, St Joseph's and Lincoln Red Imps, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Gibraltar Football Association, entering the preliminary round.[22]
- ^ Greece (GRE):
- The 2019–20 Greek Football Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline. However, since both finalists, Olympiacos and AEK Athens, were in the top three of the 2019–20 Super League Greece, the result of the final would have no impact on qualification for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.
- Panathinaikos, the fourth-placed team of the 2019–20 Super League Greece, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, but were banned from UEFA club competitions for the first season they would qualify between the 2018–19 and 2020–21 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 24 April 2018 due to overdue payables, which turned out to be the 2020–21 season since they did not qualify for either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 season.[23] As a result, OFI, the sixth-placed team, qualified for this berth.
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The 2019–20 Liechtenstein Cup was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein. The team remaining in the cup with the highest UEFA club coefficient, Vaduz, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Liechtenstein Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[24]
- ^ Luxembourg (LUX): The 2019–20 Luxembourg National Division and the 2019–20 Luxembourg Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Progrès Niederkorn, Differdange 03 and Union Titus Pétange, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Luxembourg Football Federation, entering the first qualifying round.[25]
- ^ Malta (MLT): The 2019–20 Maltese Premier League and the 2019–20 Maltese FA Trophy were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Valletta, Hibernians and Sirens, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Malta Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[26]
- ^ Montenegro (MNE): The 2019–20 Montenegrin First League and the 2019–20 Montenegrin Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montenegro. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Sutjeska Nikšić, Iskra Danilovgrad and Zeta, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Montenegro, entering the first qualifying round (second-placed team) and preliminary round respectively.[27]
- ^ Netherlands (NED): The 2019–20 Eredivisie and the 2019–20 KNVB Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The third-placed, fourth-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and Willem II, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Dutch Football Association, entering the group stage, third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively.[28]
- ^ North Macedonia (MKD): The 2019–20 Macedonian First Football League and the 2019–20 Macedonian Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia. The third-placed, fourth-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Shkëndija, Renova and Shkupi, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Federation of North Macedonia, entering the first qualifying round, as the second-placed team, Sileks, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League to replace the top team, Vardar, who failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[29]
- ^ Northern Ireland (NIR): The 2019–20 NIFL Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. The second-placed team of the league at the time of the abandonement, Coleraine, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Irish Football Association, entering the preliminary round.[30]
- ^ Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland but play in the Republic of Ireland's league system, and qualify for the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland.
- ^ Romania (ROU): Astra Giurgiu, the third-placed team of the 2019–20 Liga I, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[31] As a result, Botoșani, the fourth-placed team, qualified for this berth.
- ^ San Marino (SMR): The 2019–20 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio and the 2019–20 Coppa Titano were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino. The second-placed and third-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Folgore and Tre Penne, were originally selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the San Marino Football Federation, entering the preliminary round.[32] However, Folgore were banned by UEFA due to previous match-fixing, and were replaced by the fourth-placed team, La Fiorita.[33]
- ^ Scotland (SCO): The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned and the 2019–20 Scottish Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Rangers, Motherwell and Aberdeen, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Scottish Football Association, entering the second qualifying round (second-placed team) and first qualifying round respectively.[34]
- ^ Spain (ESP): The 2019–20 Copa del Rey was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. As a result, the seventh-placed team of the 2019–20 La Liga was selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, entering the second qualifying round, and the sixth-placed team of the league entered the group stage.[35]
- ^ Switzerland (SUI): The 2019–20 Swiss Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. As a result, the fourth-placed team of the 2019–20 Swiss Super League was selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Swiss Football Association, entering the first qualifying round, and the second-placed and third-placed teams of the league entered the third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively.[36]
- ^ Turkey (TUR): Trabzonspor, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[37] Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[38] but on 30 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld.[39] As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team, qualified for this berth instead of entering the Europa League group stage, Sivasspor, the fourth-placed team, entered the Europa League group stage instead of the third qualifying round, Alanyaspor, the fifth-placed team, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and Galatasaray, the sixth-placed team, qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.
- ^ Wales (WAL): The 2019–20 Cymru Premier and the 2019–20 Welsh Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, The New Saints, Bala Town and Barry Town United, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Wales, entering the first qualifying round and preliminary round (fourth-placed team) respectively.[40]
Schedule edit
The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).[41] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but was delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[42] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[43] All qualifying matches, including the play-off round, were played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw.[3][44]
The group stage draw was originally to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon.[45]
Note: Matches could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | |
| First qualifying round | 10 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 | ||
| Second qualifying round | 31 August 2020 | 17 September 2020 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 1 September 2020 | 24 September 2020 | ||
| Play-off | Play-off round | 18 September 2020 | 1 October 2020 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 2 October 2020 | 22 October 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 29 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 3 December 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Stadion Gdańsk, Gdańsk | |||
The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 June 2020 | 25 June 2020 | 2 July 2020 |
| First qualifying round | 16 June 2020 | 9 July 2020 | 16 July 2020 | |
| Second qualifying round | 17 June 2020 | 23 July 2020 | 30 July 2020 | |
| Third qualifying round | 20 July 2020 | 6 August 2020 | 13 August 2020 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 3 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2020 (Monaco) | 17 September 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 22 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville | |||
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic edit
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the following special rules were applicable to the competition:[46][47]
- If there were travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented the away team from entering the home team's country or returning to their own country, the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team's country that allowed the match to take place.
- If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place, they were considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place, both teams were disqualified.
- If a team had players and/or officials tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they were considered to have forfeited the match.
On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage onward, with a sixth allowed in extra time. However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time. Consequently, a maximum of twelve players could be listed on the substitute bench.[48]
All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors.[44] Following the partial return of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage onward could be played at 30% capacity if allowed by the local authorities.[49] Video assistant referees were not introduced for the group stage as planned (now to start in 2021–22), but were still used in the knockout phase.
Qualifying rounds edit
Preliminary round edit
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 9 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[50] The matches were played on 18, 20 and 21 August 2020. The match between Lincoln Red Imps and Prishtina on 18 August was postponed due to the whole Prishtina team being put into quarantine after eight players had tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus. The game was rescheduled to 22 August, with Prishtina using UEFA regulations to sign on emergency loan players from rival Kosovar Superleague clubs Feronikel, Llapi, Trepca '89, Flamurtar, Ballkani, Drenica and Vushtrria in order to fulfil the fixture.[51] However the rearranged fixture also had to be cancelled after 7 more players tested positive for coronavirus, and Lincoln Red Imps were awarded a technical 3–0 win by UEFA.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Tre Penne | 1–3 | Gjilani |
| Lincoln Red Imps | 3–0 (awd.)[note 1] | Prishtina |
| FC Santa Coloma | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–4 p) | Iskra Danilovgrad |
| Engordany | 1–3 | Zeta |
| Glentoran | 1–0 | HB Tórshavn |
| St Joseph's | 1–2 | B36 Tórshavn |
| Coleraine | 1–0 | La Fiorita |
| NSÍ Runavík | 5–1 | Barry Town United |
First qualifying round edit
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[57] Most matches were played on 25, 26 and 27 August 2020, however two matches were postponed to 9 and 10 September 2020.
Second qualifying round edit
The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[16] The matches were played on 16, 17 and 18 September 2020.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Inter Club d'Escaldes | 0–1 | Dundalk |
| KuPS | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p) | Slovan Bratislava |
| Linfield | 0–1 | Floriana |
| Riga | 1–0 | Tre Fiori |
| Djurgårdens IF | 2–1 | Europa |
| Flora | 2–1 | KR |
| Sileks | 0–2 | Drita |
| Astana | 0–1 | Budućnost Podgorica |
| Ararat-Armenia | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Fola Esch |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | 0–1 | Dinamo Tbilisi |
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hammarby IF | 0–3 | Lech Poznań |
| Kaisar | 1–4 | APOEL |
| Mura | 3–0 | AGF |
| Maccabi Haifa | 2–1 | Kairat |
| Locomotive Tbilisi | 2–1 | Dynamo Moscow |
| Neftçi | 1–3 | Galatasaray |
| B36 Tórshavn | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | The New Saints |
| Coleraine | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (0–3 p) | Motherwell |
| IFK Göteborg | 1–2 | Copenhagen |
| TSC Bačka Topola | 6–6 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | FCSB |
| Teuta | 0–4 | Granada |
| OFI 2020, uefa, europa, league, 50th, season, europe, secondary, club, football, tournament, organised, uefa, 12th, season, since, renamed, from, uefa, uefa, europa, league, stadion, gdańsk, gdańsk, hosted, finaltournament, detailsdatesqualifying, august, 2020, oc. The 2020 21 UEFA Europa League was the 50th season of Europe s secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA and the 12th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League 2020 21 UEFA Europa LeagueThe Stadion Gdansk in Gdansk hosted the finalTournament detailsDatesQualifying 18 August 2020 1 October 2020Competition proper 22 October 2020 26 May 2021TeamsCompetition proper 48 8Total 158 55 from 55 associations Final positionsChampionsVillarreal 1st title Runners upManchester UnitedTournament statisticsMatches played204Goals scored618 3 03 per match Attendance108 617 532 per match Top scorer s Pizzi Benfica Borja Mayoral Roma Gerard Moreno Villarreal Yusuf Yazici Lille 7 goals eachBest player s Gerard Moreno Villarreal 1 2019 202021 22 Villarreal defeated Manchester United in the final played at the Stadion Gdansk in Gdansk Poland 11 10 on penalties following a 1 1 draw after extra time winning the competition for the first time in club history 2 Villarreal thus automatically qualified for the 2021 22 UEFA Champions League group stage and earned the right to play in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup The stadium was originally appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final but this was moved due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe in 2020 3 As the title holders of the Europa League Sevilla qualified for the 2020 21 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 Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16 Contents 1 Association team allocation 1 1 Association ranking 1 2 Distribution 1 2 1 Redistribution rules 1 3 Teams 2 Schedule 3 Effects of the COVID 19 pandemic 4 Qualifying rounds 4 1 Preliminary round 4 2 First qualifying round 4 3 Second qualifying round 4 4 Third qualifying round 5 Play off round 6 Group stage 6 1 Group A 6 2 Group B 6 3 Group C 6 4 Group D 6 5 Group E 6 6 Group F 6 7 Group G 6 8 Group H 6 9 Group I 6 10 Group J 6 11 Group K 6 12 Group L 7 Knockout phase 7 1 Bracket 7 2 Round of 32 7 3 Round of 16 7 4 Quarter finals 7 5 Semi finals 7 6 Final 8 Statistics 8 1 Top goalscorers 8 2 Top assists 8 3 Squad of the season 8 4 Player of the season 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksAssociation team allocation editA total of 213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association 4 Associations 1 50 except Liechtenstein each had three teams qualify Associations 51 55 each had two teams qualify starting from this season with association 51 losing one spot and association 55 gaining one spot 5 Liechtenstein had one team qualify Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league Moreover 55 teams eliminated from the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League default number was 57 but two fewer teams competed in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League Association ranking edit For the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League the associations were allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2014 15 to 2018 19 6 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 LeagueAssociation ranking for 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes1 nbsp Spain 103 569 32 nbsp England 85 462 1 UCL 3 nbsp Italy 74 7254 nbsp Germany 71 9275 nbsp France 58 4986 nbsp Russia 50 549 2 UCL 7 nbsp Portugal 48 232 1 UCL 8 nbsp Belgium 39 900 2 UCL 9 nbsp Ukraine 38 900 2 UCL 10 nbsp Turkey 34 600 1 UCL 11 nbsp Netherlands 32 433 2 UCL 12 nbsp Austria 31 250 2 UCL 13 nbsp Czech Republic 28 675 2 UCL 14 nbsp Greece 27 600 2 UCL 15 nbsp Croatia 27 375 2 UCL 16 nbsp Denmark 27 02517 nbsp Switzerland 26 900 1 UCL 18 nbsp Cyprus 24 925 1 UCL 19 nbsp Serbia 22 250 1 UCL Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes20 nbsp Scotland 22 125 3 1 UCL 21 nbsp Belarus 21 875 1 UCL 22 nbsp Sweden 20 900 1 UCL 23 nbsp Norway 20 200 1 UCL 24 nbsp Kazakhstan 19 250 1 UCL 25 nbsp Poland 19 250 1 UCL 26 nbsp Azerbaijan 19 000 1 UCL 27 nbsp Israel 18 625 1 UCL 28 nbsp Bulgaria 17 500 1 UCL 29 nbsp Romania 15 950 1 UCL 30 nbsp Slovakia 15 625 1 UCL 31 nbsp Slovenia 15 000 1 UCL 32 nbsp Liechtenstein 13 500 133 nbsp Hungary 10 500 334 nbsp North Macedonia 8 000 1 UCL 35 nbsp Moldova 7 750 1 UCL 36 nbsp Albania 7 500 1 UCL 37 nbsp Republic of Ireland 7 450 1 UCL Rank Association Coeff Teams Notes38 nbsp Finland 7 275 3 1 UCL 39 nbsp Iceland 7 250 1 UCL 40 nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 125 1 UCL 41 nbsp Lithuania 6 750 1 UCL 42 nbsp Latvia 5 625 1 UCL 43 nbsp Luxembourg 5 500 1 UCL 44 nbsp Armenia 5 250 1 UCL 45 nbsp Malta 5 125 1 UCL 46 nbsp Estonia 5 000 1 UCL 47 nbsp Georgia 4 750 1 UCL 48 nbsp Wales 4 125 1 UCL 49 nbsp Montenegro 4 125 1 UCL 50 nbsp Faroe Islands 4 000 1 UCL 51 nbsp Gibraltar 4 000 2 1 UCL 52 nbsp Northern Ireland 3 875 1 UCL 53 nbsp Kosovo 2 500 1 UCL 54 nbsp Andorra 1 831 1 UCL 55 nbsp San Marino 0 666 1 UCL Distribution edit The following was the access list for this season 7 Access list for 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions LeaguePreliminary round 16 teams 6 domestic cup winners from associations 50 55 7 domestic league runners up from associations 49 55 3 domestic league third placed teams from associations 48 50First qualifying round 94 teams 25 domestic cup winners from associations 25 49 30 domestic league runners up from associations 18 48 except Liechtenstein 31 domestic league third placed teams from associations 16 47 except Liechtenstein 8 winners from preliminary roundSecond qualifying round Champions Path 20 teams 17 teams eliminated from Champions League first qualifying round 3 teams eliminated from Champions League preliminary roundMain Path 72 teams 5 domestic cup winners from associations 20 24 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 roundThird qualifying round Champions Path 18 teams 10 winners from second qualifying round Champions Path 8 teams eliminated from Champions League second qualifying round Champions Path Main Path 52 teams 6 domestic cup winners from associations 14 19 6 domestic league third placed teams from associations 7 12 1 domestic league fourth placed team from association 6 36 winners from second qualifying round Main Path 3 teams eliminated from Champions League second qualifying round League Path Play off round Champions Path 16 teams 9 winners from third qualifying round Champions Path 5 teams eliminated from Champions League third qualifying round Champions Path 2 teams eliminated from Champions League second qualifying round Champions Path Main Path 26 teams 26 winners from third qualifying round Main Path Group stage 48 teams 13 domestic cup winners from associations 1 13 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 teams eliminated from Champions League play off round Champions Path 2 teams eliminated from Champions League play off round League Path 3 teams eliminated 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 stageChanges were made to the default access list since the Champions League title holders Bayern Munich and the Europa League title holders Sevilla which were guaranteed berths in the Champions League group stage already qualified for the Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues meaning there were fewer teams transferred from the Champions League due to changes in the Champions League access list However as a result of schedule delays to both the 2019 20 and 2020 21 European seasons due to the COVID 19 pandemic the 2020 21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019 20 European season Therefore the changes to the access list that should have been made based on the Champions League and Europa League title holders could not be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds had been played and or their draws had been made UEFA used adaptive re balancing to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders were determined and rounds which had already been drawn or played by the time the title holders were determined would not be impacted Regulations Article 3 07 4 The following changes were made Since the Champions League title holder berth in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage was vacated only five losers of the Champions League third qualifying round Champions Path instead of the original six were transferred to the Europa League play off round Champions Path In this case two losers of Champions League second qualifying round Champions Path determined by draw received a bye to the play off round Champions Path instead of entering the third qualifying round Champions Path At the time when the draws for the preliminary round and first qualifying round were held on 9 and 10 August 2020 it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage would be vacated as four of the quarter finalists of the 2019 20 UEFA Europa League Wolverhampton Wanderers Bayer Leverkusen Copenhagen and Basel did not qualify for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues Therefore these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list and the matches drawn which were played on 18 21 and 25 27 August 2020 were not changed even though after the quarter finals of the 2019 20 UEFA Europa League which were played on 10 11 August 2020 it was confirmed all four semi finalists Sevilla Manchester United Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk already qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues meaning the Europa League title holder berth would be vacated As a result only three losers of the Champions League third qualifying round League Path instead of the original four were transferred to the Europa League group stage and adaptive re balancing started from the second qualifying round Main Path whose draw was held on 31 August 2020 and the following changes to the access list were made The cup winners of association 13 Czech Republic entered the group stage instead of the third qualifying round Main Path The cup winners of associations 18 Cyprus and 19 Serbia entered the third qualifying round Main Path instead of the second qualifying round Main Path Redistribution rules edit 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 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 moved 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 moved 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 edit In early April 2020 UEFA announced that due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice 8 UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions 9 After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020 UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions although in some special cases where it was not possible UEFA developed guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup 10 11 After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020 UEFA announced that if a domestic competition was prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems the national associations concerned were required to select their participating teams for the 2020 21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019 20 domestic competitions and UEFA reserved the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deemed the termination of the competitions not legitimate or the selection procedure not objective transparent and non discriminatory or the team was perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly A suspended domestic competition could also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit 12 13 All leagues were initially to communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intended to restart their competitions 14 but this deadline was later extended On 17 June 2020 UEFA announced that associations had to enter their teams by 3 August 2020 3 If a cup was abandoned or not completed by the UEFA registration deadline the Europa League places were distributed by league positions only The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round CW Cup winners 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th etc League position of the previous season 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 CH LP PO Losers from the play off round Champions League Path CH LP Q3 Losers from the third qualifying round Champions League Path CH LP Q2 Losers from the second qualifying round Champions League Path Q1 Losers from the first qualifying round PR Losers from the preliminary round F final SF semi finals Abd League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association all teams were subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID 19 pandemic 15 The second qualifying round third qualifying round and play off round were divided into Champions Path CH and Main Path MP Qualified teams for 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Entry round TeamsR32 nbsp Red Bull Salzburg UCL GS nbsp Olympiacos UCL GS nbsp Krasnodar UCL GS nbsp Dynamo Kyiv UCL GS nbsp Shakhtar Donetsk UCL GS nbsp Ajax UCL GS nbsp Club Brugge UCL GS nbsp Manchester United UCL GS GS nbsp Villarreal 5th nbsp 1899 Hoffenheim 6th nbsp Sivasspor 4th Note TUR nbsp Maccabi Tel Aviv UCL CH PO nbsp Real Sociedad CW nbsp Lille Abd 4th Note FRA nbsp Feyenoord Abd 3rd Note NED nbsp Gent UCL LP PO nbsp Arsenal CW nbsp Nice Abd 5th Note FRA nbsp Wolfsberger AC 3rd nbsp PAOK UCL LP PO nbsp Leicester City 5th nbsp CSKA Moscow 4th nbsp Sparta Prague CW nbsp Benfica UCL LP Q3 nbsp Napoli CW nbsp Braga 3rd nbsp Slavia Prague UCL CH PO nbsp AZ UCL LP Q3 nbsp Roma 5th nbsp Antwerp CW nbsp Omonia UCL CH PO nbsp Rapid Wien UCL LP Q3 nbsp Bayer Leverkusen 5th nbsp Zorya Luhansk 3rd nbsp Molde UCL CH PO PO CH nbsp Dinamo Zagreb UCL CH Q3 nbsp Young Boys UCL CH Q3 nbsp Red Star Belgrade UCL CH Q3 nbsp Dynamo Brest UCL CH Q3 nbsp Qarabag UCL CH Q3 nbsp Ludogorets Razgrad UCL CH Q2 Note CH Q2 nbsp Tirana UCL CH Q2 Note CH Q2 Q3 CH nbsp Celtic UCL CH Q2 nbsp Legia Warsaw UCL CH Q2 nbsp CFR Cluj UCL CH Q2 nbsp Celje UCL CH Q2 nbsp Sheriff Tiraspol UCL CH Q2 nbsp Sarajevo UCL CH Q2 nbsp Suduva UCL CH Q2 nbsp KI UCL CH Q2 MP nbsp Rostov 5th nbsp Sporting CP 4th nbsp Charleroi Abd 3rd Note BEL nbsp Desna Chernihiv 4th nbsp Alanyaspor 5th Note TUR nbsp PSV Eindhoven Abd 4th Note NED nbsp LASK 4th nbsp AEK Athens 3rd Note GRE nbsp Rijeka CW nbsp SonderjyskE CW nbsp St Gallen 2nd Note SUI nbsp Anorthosis Abd 2nd Note CYP nbsp Vojvodina CW nbsp Besiktas UCL LP Q2 nbsp Viktoria Plzen UCL LP Q2 nbsp Lokomotiva UCL LP Q2 Q2 CH nbsp Djurgardens IF UCL Q1 nbsp Astana UCL Q1 nbsp Slovan Bratislava UCL Q1 nbsp Sileks UCL Q1 nbsp Dundalk UCL Q1 nbsp KuPS UCL Q1 nbsp KR UCL Q1 nbsp Riga UCL Q1 nbsp Fola Esch UCL Q1 nbsp Ararat Armenia UCL Q1 nbsp Floriana UCL Q1 nbsp Flora UCL Q1 nbsp Dinamo Tbilisi UCL Q1 nbsp Connah s Quay Nomads UCL Q1 nbsp Buducnost Podgorica UCL Q1 nbsp Europa UCL Q1 nbsp Linfield UCL Q1 nbsp Drita UCL PR F nbsp Inter Club d Escaldes UCL PR SF nbsp Tre Fiori UCL PR SF MP nbsp Granada 7th Note ESP nbsp Tottenham Hotspur 6th nbsp Milan 6th nbsp VfL Wolfsburg 7th nbsp Reims Abd 6th Note FRA nbsp Dynamo Moscow 6th nbsp Rio Ave 5th nbsp Standard Liege Abd 5th Note BEL nbsp Kolos Kovalivka PW nbsp Galatasaray 6th Note TUR nbsp Willem II Abd 5th Note NED nbsp Hartberg PW nbsp Jablonec 4th nbsp Slovan Liberec PW nbsp Aris 5th nbsp OFI 6th Note GRE nbsp Osijek 4th nbsp Hajduk Split 5th nbsp Copenhagen 2nd nbsp Basel 3rd Note SUI nbsp Rangers Abd 2nd Note SCO nbsp BATE Borisov CW nbsp IFK Goteborg CW nbsp Viking CW nbsp Kaisar CW Q1 nbsp AGF PW nbsp Servette 4th Note SUI nbsp APOEL Abd 3rd Note CYP nbsp Apollon Limassol Abd 4th Note CYP nbsp Partizan 2nd nbsp TSC Backa Topola 4th nbsp Motherwell Abd 3rd Note SCO nbsp Aberdeen Abd 4th Note SCO nbsp Shakhtyor Soligorsk 3rd nbsp Dinamo Minsk 4th nbsp Malmo FF 2nd nbsp Hammarby IF 3rd nbsp Bodo Glimt 2nd nbsp Rosenborg 3rd nbsp Kairat 2nd nbsp Ordabasy 3rd nbsp Cracovia CW nbsp Lech Poznan 2nd nbsp Piast Gliwice 3rd nbsp Neftci Abd 2nd Note AZE nbsp Kesla Abd 3rd Note AZE nbsp Sumgayit Abd 4th Note AZE nbsp Hapoel Be er Sheva CW nbsp Maccabi Haifa 2nd nbsp Beitar Jerusalem 3rd nbsp Lokomotiv Plovdiv CW nbsp CSKA Sofia 2nd nbsp Slavia Sofia PW nbsp FCSB CW nbsp Universitatea Craiova 2nd nbsp Botoșani 4th Note ROU nbsp Zilina 2nd nbsp DAC Dunajska Streda 3rd nbsp Ruzomberok PW nbsp Mura CW nbsp Maribor 2nd nbsp Olimpija 3rd nbsp Vaduz Abd Cup Note LIE nbsp Honved CW nbsp Fehervar 2nd nbsp Puskas Akademia 3rd nbsp Shkendija Abd 3rd Note MKD nbsp Renova Abd 4th Note MKD nbsp Shkupi Abd 5th Note MKD nbsp Petrocub Hincești CW nbsp Sfantul Gheorghe 2nd nbsp Dinamo Auto 4th nbsp Teuta CW nbsp Kukesi 2nd nbsp Laci 3rd nbsp Shamrock Rovers CW nbsp Bohemians 3rd nbsp Derry City 4th Note IRL nbsp Ilves CW nbsp Inter Turku 2nd nbsp Honka PW nbsp Vikingur Reykjavik CW nbsp Breidablik 2nd nbsp FH 3rd nbsp Zeljeznicar Abd 2nd Note BIH nbsp Zrinjski Mostar Abd 3rd Note BIH nbsp Borac Banja Luka Abd 4th Note BIH nbsp Zalgiris 2nd nbsp Riteriai 3rd nbsp Kauno Zalgiris 4th nbsp RFS CW nbsp Ventspils 3rd nbsp Valmiera 4th nbsp Progres Niederkorn Abd 2nd Note LUX nbsp Differdange 03 Abd 3rd Note LUX nbsp Union Titus Petange Abd 4th Note LUX nbsp Noah CW nbsp Alashkert 3rd nbsp Shirak 4th nbsp Valletta Abd 2nd Note MLT nbsp Hibernians Abd 3rd Note MLT nbsp Sirens Abd 4th Note MLT nbsp FCI Levadia 2nd nbsp Nomme Kalju 3rd nbsp Paide Linnameeskond 4th nbsp Saburtalo Tbilisi CW nbsp Dinamo Batumi 2nd nbsp Locomotive Tbilisi 4th nbsp The New Saints Abd 2nd Note WAL nbsp Bala Town Abd 3rd Note WAL nbsp Sutjeska Niksic Abd 2nd Note MNE PR nbsp Barry Town United Abd 4th Note WAL nbsp Iskra Danilovgrad Abd 3rd Note MNE nbsp Zeta Abd 4th Note MNE nbsp HB Torshavn CW nbsp B36 Torshavn 2nd nbsp NSI Runavik 3rd nbsp St Joseph s Abd 2nd Note GIB nbsp Lincoln Red Imps Abd 3rd Note GIB nbsp Glentoran CW nbsp Coleraine Abd 2nd Note NIR nbsp Prishtina CW nbsp Gjilani 2nd nbsp FC Santa Coloma 2nd nbsp Engordany 3rd nbsp Tre Penne Abd 3rd Note SMR nbsp La Fiorita Abd 4th Note SMR Notes Champions Path CH Tirana and Ludogorets Razgrad two of the ten losers of 2020 21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round Champions Path were determined by a draw held on 31 August 2020 after the Europa League second qualifying round draw 16 to receive a bye to the play off round Azerbaijan AZE The 2019 20 Azerbaijan Premier League and the 2019 20 Azerbaijan Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Azerbaijan The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Neftci Kesla and Sumgayit were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan entering the first qualifying round 17 Belgium BEL The 2019 20 Belgian First Division A was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Belgium The third placed and fifth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Charleroi and Standard Liege were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Belgian Football Association entering the third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively 18 Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH The 2019 20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2019 20 Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Zeljeznicar Zrinjski Mostar and Borac Banja Luka were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina entering the first qualifying round 19 Cyprus CYP The 2019 20 Cypriot First Division and the 2019 20 Cypriot Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Cyprus The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Anorthosis APOEL and Apollon Limassol were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Cyprus Football Association entering the third qualifying round second placed team and first qualifying round respectively 20 France FRA The 2019 20 Ligue 1 was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in France The fourth placed fifth placed and sixth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team Lille Nice and Reims were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the French Football Federation entering the group stage and second qualifying round sixth placed team respectively 21 Gibraltar GIB The 2019 20 Gibraltar National League and the 2020 Rock Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Gibraltar The second placed and third placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment St Joseph s and Lincoln Red Imps were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Gibraltar Football Association entering the preliminary round 22 Greece GRE The 2019 20 Greek Football Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline However since both finalists Olympiacos and AEK Athens were in the top three of the 2019 20 Super League Greece the result of the final would have no impact on qualification for the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Panathinaikos the fourth placed team of the 2019 20 Super League Greece would have qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round but were banned from UEFA club competitions for the first season they would qualify between the 2018 19 and 2020 21 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 24 April 2018 due to overdue payables which turned out to be the 2020 21 season since they did not qualify for either the 2018 19 or 2019 20 season 23 As a result OFI the sixth placed team qualified for this berth Liechtenstein LIE The 2019 20 Liechtenstein Cup was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Liechtenstein The team remaining in the cup with the highest UEFA club coefficient Vaduz were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Liechtenstein Football Association entering the first qualifying round 24 Luxembourg LUX The 2019 20 Luxembourg National Division and the 2019 20 Luxembourg Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Luxembourg The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Progres Niederkorn Differdange 03 and Union Titus Petange were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Luxembourg Football Federation entering the first qualifying round 25 Malta MLT The 2019 20 Maltese Premier League and the 2019 20 Maltese FA Trophy were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Malta The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Valletta Hibernians and Sirens were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Malta Football Association entering the first qualifying round 26 Montenegro MNE The 2019 20 Montenegrin First League and the 2019 20 Montenegrin Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Montenegro The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Sutjeska Niksic Iskra Danilovgrad and Zeta were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Montenegro entering the first qualifying round second placed team and preliminary round respectively 27 Netherlands NED The 2019 20 Eredivisie and the 2019 20 KNVB Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in the Netherlands The third placed fourth placed and fifth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Feyenoord PSV Eindhoven and Willem II were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Dutch Football Association entering the group stage third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively 28 North Macedonia MKD The 2019 20 Macedonian First Football League and the 2019 20 Macedonian Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in North Macedonia The third placed fourth placed and fifth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Shkendija Renova and Shkupi were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Federation of North Macedonia entering the first qualifying round as the second placed team Sileks were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League to replace the top team Vardar who failed to obtain a UEFA licence 29 Northern Ireland NIR The 2019 20 NIFL Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Northern Ireland The second placed team of the league at the time of the abandonement Coleraine were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Irish Football Association entering the preliminary round 30 Republic of Ireland IRL Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland but play in the Republic of Ireland s league system and qualify for the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland Romania ROU Astra Giurgiu the third placed team of the 2019 20 Liga I would have qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round but failed to obtain a UEFA licence 31 As a result Botoșani the fourth placed team qualified for this berth San Marino SMR The 2019 20 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio and the 2019 20 Coppa Titano were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in San Marino The second placed and third placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment Folgore and Tre Penne were originally selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the San Marino Football Federation entering the preliminary round 32 However Folgore were banned by UEFA due to previous match fixing and were replaced by the fourth placed team La Fiorita 33 Scotland SCO The 2019 20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned and the 2019 20 Scottish Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Scotland The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team Rangers Motherwell and Aberdeen were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Scottish Football Association entering the second qualifying round second placed team and first qualifying round respectively 34 Spain ESP The 2019 20 Copa del Rey was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Spain As a result the seventh placed team of the 2019 20 La Liga was selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Spanish Football Federation entering the second qualifying round and the sixth placed team of the league entered the group stage 35 Switzerland SUI The 2019 20 Swiss Cup was not completed by the UEFA registration deadline due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Switzerland As a result the fourth placed team of the 2019 20 Swiss Super League was selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Swiss Football Association entering the first qualifying round and the second placed and third placed teams of the league entered the third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively 36 Turkey TUR Trabzonspor the second placed team of the 2019 20 Super Lig would have qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020 21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations 37 Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport 38 but on 30 July 2020 it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld 39 As a result Besiktas the third placed team qualified for this berth instead of entering the Europa League group stage Sivasspor the fourth placed team entered the Europa League group stage instead of the third qualifying round Alanyaspor the fifth placed team entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round and Galatasaray the sixth placed team qualified for the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round Wales WAL The 2019 20 Cymru Premier and the 2019 20 Welsh Cup were abandoned due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Wales The second placed third placed and fourth placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team The New Saints Bala Town and Barry Town United were selected to play in the 2020 21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Wales entering the first qualifying round and preliminary round fourth placed team respectively 40 Schedule editThe schedule of the competition was as follows all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland 41 The tournament would originally have started in June 2020 but was delayed to August due to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe 42 The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020 43 All qualifying matches including the play off round were played as single leg matches hosted by one of the teams decided by draw 3 44 The group stage draw was originally to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens Greece but UEFA announced on 9 September 2020 that it would be relocated to Nyon 45 Note Matches could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts Schedule for 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second legQualifying Preliminary round 9 August 2020 20 August 2020First qualifying round 10 August 2020 27 August 2020Second qualifying round 31 August 2020 17 September 2020Third qualifying round 1 September 2020 24 September 2020Play off Play off round 18 September 2020 1 October 2020Group stage Matchday 1 2 October 2020 22 October 2020Matchday 2 29 October 2020Matchday 3 5 November 2020Matchday 4 26 November 2020Matchday 5 3 December 2020Matchday 6 10 December 2020Knockout phase Round of 32 14 December 2020 18 February 2021 25 February 2021Round of 16 26 February 2021 11 March 2021 18 March 2021Quarter finals 19 March 2021 8 April 2021 15 April 2021Semi finals 29 April 2021 6 May 2021Final 26 May 2021 at Stadion Gdansk GdanskThe original schedule of the competition as planned before the pandemic was as follows all draws were to be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon Switzerland unless stated otherwise Original schedule for 2020 21 UEFA Europa League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second legQualifying Preliminary round 9 June 2020 25 June 2020 2 July 2020First qualifying round 16 June 2020 9 July 2020 16 July 2020Second qualifying round 17 June 2020 23 July 2020 30 July 2020Third qualifying round 20 July 2020 6 August 2020 13 August 2020Play off Play off round 3 August 2020 20 August 2020 27 August 2020Group stage Matchday 1 28 August 2020 Monaco 17 September 2020Matchday 2 1 October 2020Matchday 3 22 October 2020Matchday 4 5 November 2020Matchday 5 26 November 2020Matchday 6 10 December 2020Knockout phase Round of 32 14 December 2020 18 February 2021 25 February 2021Round of 16 26 February 2021 11 March 2021 18 March 2021Quarter finals 19 March 2021 8 April 2021 15 April 2021Semi finals 29 April 2021 6 May 2021Final 26 May 2021 at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan SevilleEffects of the COVID 19 pandemic editDue to the COVID 19 pandemic in Europe the following special rules were applicable to the competition 46 47 If there were travel restrictions related to the COVID 19 pandemic that prevented the away team from entering the home team s country or returning to their own country the match could be played at a neutral country or the away team s country that allowed the match to take place If a team refused to play or was considered responsible for a match not taking place they were considered to have forfeited the match If both teams refused to play or were considered responsible for a match not taking place both teams were disqualified If a team had players and or officials tested positive for SARS 2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA they were considered to have forfeited the match On 24 September 2020 UEFA announced that five substitutions would be permitted from the group stage onward with a sixth allowed in extra time However each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions during matches with a fourth opportunity in extra time excluding substitutions made at half time before the start of extra time and at half time in extra time Consequently a maximum of twelve players could be listed on the substitute bench 48 All qualifying matches were played behind closed doors 44 Following the partial return of fans at the 2020 UEFA Super Cup UEFA announced on 1 October 2020 that matches from the group stage onward could be played at 30 capacity if allowed by the local authorities 49 Video assistant referees were not introduced for the group stage as planned now to start in 2021 22 but were still used in the knockout phase Qualifying rounds editMain article 2020 21 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds Preliminary round edit The draw for the preliminary round was held on 9 August 2020 13 00 CEST 50 The matches were played on 18 20 and 21 August 2020 The match between Lincoln Red Imps and Prishtina on 18 August was postponed due to the whole Prishtina team being put into quarantine after eight players had tested positive for SARS 2 coronavirus The game was rescheduled to 22 August with Prishtina using UEFA regulations to sign on emergency loan players from rival Kosovar Superleague clubs Feronikel Llapi Trepca 89 Flamurtar Ballkani Drenica and Vushtrria in order to fulfil the fixture 51 However the rearranged fixture also had to be cancelled after 7 more players tested positive for coronavirus and Lincoln Red Imps were awarded a technical 3 0 win by UEFA Team 1 Score Team 2Tre Penne nbsp 1 3 nbsp GjilaniLincoln Red Imps nbsp 3 0 awd note 1 nbsp PrishtinaFC Santa Coloma nbsp 0 0 a e t 3 4 p nbsp Iskra DanilovgradEngordany nbsp 1 3 nbsp ZetaGlentoran nbsp 1 0 nbsp HB TorshavnSt Joseph s nbsp 1 2 nbsp B36 TorshavnColeraine nbsp 1 0 nbsp La FioritaNSI Runavik nbsp 5 1 nbsp Barry Town United First qualifying round edit The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020 13 00 CEST 57 Most matches were played on 25 26 and 27 August 2020 however two matches were postponed to 9 and 10 September 2020 Team 1 Score Team 2Maribor nbsp 1 1 a e t 4 5 p nbsp ColeraineOlimpija nbsp 2 1 a e t nbsp Vikingur ReykjavikB36 Torshavn nbsp 4 3 a e t nbsp FCI LevadiaRiteriai nbsp 3 2 a e t nbsp Derry CityZalgiris nbsp 2 0 nbsp Paide LinnameeskondHonved nbsp 2 1 a e t nbsp Inter TurkuZrinjski Mostar nbsp 3 0 nbsp Differdange 03Valletta nbsp 0 1 nbsp Bala TownLincoln Red Imps nbsp 2 0 nbsp Union Titus PetangeRosenborg nbsp 4 2 nbsp BreidablikAberdeen nbsp 6 0 nbsp NSI RunavikMotherwell nbsp 5 1 nbsp GlentoranHammarby IF nbsp 3 0 nbsp Puskas AkademiaMalmo FF nbsp 2 0 nbsp CracoviaKukesi nbsp 2 1 nbsp Slavia SofiaVentspils nbsp 2 1 nbsp Dinamo AutoShakhtyor Soligorsk nbsp 0 0 a e t 1 4 p nbsp Sfantul GheorgheDinamo Minsk nbsp 0 2 nbsp Piast GliwiceAGF nbsp 5 2 nbsp HonkaShamrock Rovers nbsp 2 2 a e t 12 11 p nbsp IlvesFH nbsp 0 2 nbsp DAC Dunajska StredaThe New Saints nbsp 3 1 a e t nbsp ZilinaVaduz nbsp 0 2 nbsp HiberniansServette nbsp 3 0 nbsp RuzomberokNeftci nbsp 2 1 nbsp ShkupiKesla nbsp 0 0 a e t 4 5 p nbsp LaciHapoel Be er Sheva nbsp 3 0 nbsp Dinamo BatumiNomme Kalju nbsp 0 4 nbsp MuraBodo Glimt nbsp 6 1 nbsp Kauno ZalgirisFehervar nbsp 1 1 a e t 4 2 p nbsp BohemiansApollon Limassol nbsp 5 1 nbsp Saburtalo TbilisiMaccabi Haifa nbsp 3 1 nbsp ZeljeznicarAlashkert nbsp 0 1 nbsp RenovaPartizan nbsp 1 0 nbsp RFSLech Poznan nbsp 3 0 nbsp ValmieraOrdabasy nbsp 1 2 nbsp BotoșaniFCSB nbsp 3 0 nbsp ShirakProgres Niederkorn nbsp 3 0 nbsp ZetaCSKA Sofia nbsp 2 1 nbsp SirensPetrocub Hincești nbsp 0 2 nbsp TSC Backa TopolaSumgayit nbsp 0 2 nbsp ShkendijaKairat nbsp 4 1 nbsp NoahLocomotive Tbilisi nbsp 2 1 nbsp Universitatea CraiovaTeuta nbsp 2 0 nbsp Beitar JerusalemBorac Banja Luka nbsp 1 0 nbsp Sutjeska NiksicIskra Danilovgrad nbsp 0 1 nbsp Lokomotiv PlovdivGjilani nbsp 0 2 a e t nbsp APOELSecond qualifying round edit The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 31 August 2020 13 00 CEST 16 The matches were played on 16 17 and 18 September 2020 Team 1 Score Team 2Champions Path Inter Club d Escaldes nbsp 0 1 nbsp DundalkKuPS nbsp 1 1 a e t 4 3 p nbsp Slovan BratislavaLinfield nbsp 0 1 nbsp FlorianaRiga nbsp 1 0 nbsp Tre FioriDjurgardens IF nbsp 2 1 nbsp EuropaFlora nbsp 2 1 nbsp KRSileks nbsp 0 2 nbsp DritaAstana nbsp 0 1 nbsp Buducnost PodgoricaArarat Armenia nbsp 4 3 a e t nbsp Fola EschConnah s Quay Nomads nbsp 0 1 nbsp Dinamo TbilisiTeam 1 Score Team 2Main Path Hammarby IF nbsp 0 3 nbsp Lech PoznanKaisar nbsp 1 4 nbsp APOELMura nbsp 3 0 nbsp AGFMaccabi Haifa nbsp 2 1 nbsp KairatLocomotive Tbilisi nbsp 2 1 nbsp Dynamo MoscowNeftci nbsp 1 3 nbsp GalatasarayB36 Torshavn nbsp 2 2 a e t 5 4 p nbsp The New SaintsColeraine nbsp 2 2 a e t 0 3 p nbsp MotherwellIFK Goteborg nbsp 1 2 nbsp CopenhagenTSC Backa Topola nbsp 6 6 a e t 4 5 p nbsp FCSBTeuta nbsp 0 4 nbsp GranadaOFI span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library, article, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games. |