UEFA Conference League
European association football tournament
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Key Takeaways
- The UEFA Conference League ( UECL ), usually known simply as the Conference League , is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs.
- The competition was initially intended as the bottom level of the UEFA Europa League and was originally named the UEFA Europa League 2 as a working title.
- Teams from lower-ranked UEFA member associations primarily contest the competition.
- No teams qualify directly for the league phase: instead the teams eliminated in the Europa League play-off round qualify, with the rest coming from the Conference League qualifying and play-off rounds.
- In that event, the Conference League champion has the right to choose which competition it wishes to enter.
The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the third-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the second-tier UEFA Europa League, and the first-tier UEFA Champions League.
The competition was initially intended as the bottom level of the UEFA Europa League and was originally named the UEFA Europa League 2 as a working title. It was then renamed to the UEFA Europa Conference League before its current name was adopted. Teams from lower-ranked UEFA member associations primarily contest the competition. From the 2024–25 season, the competition was rebranded to the UEFA Conference League, and the group stage was replaced with an expanded league phase of 36 teams. No teams qualify directly for the league phase: instead the teams eliminated in the Europa League play-off round qualify, with the rest coming from the Conference League qualifying and play-off rounds.
The winner of the competition qualifies for the following season's UEFA Europa League league phase, unless they also qualify for the Champions League via their domestic league position. In that event, the Conference League champion has the right to choose which competition it wishes to enter. In a 2025 story, ESPN journalist Dale Johnson said about this clause,
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