We’re all about kung fu, but given the Shaolin Soccer connection, we’re making an ode to good ole footy!
So, the third tier competition of the UEFA league competition saw a sensational debut in the Europa Conference League, as Jose Mourinho made history by leading AS Roma to the title. The Portuguese trainer led his team to a 1 – 0 win over Feyenoord in the final, meaning that Jose Mourinho had won every club European trophy he has been involved in.
But what exactly is the Europa Conference League, and how does the qualification work? In this article, we’ll take a look at things you need to know about the Conference League. However, in the meantime, you can find more accurate news, predictions, betting tips and odds at liontips.com/tips/conference-league.
Overview of The Europa Conference League
Inaugurated in 2021, the Europa Conference League is UEFA’s third-tier European competition. Giving more clubs from more nations the opportunity to play in Europe is the concept behind it. The competition has a group stage and a knockout round similar to the Champions League and Europa League.
At the time of inauguration, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated that “The new UEFA club competition makes UEFA’s club competitions more inclusive than ever before. There will be more matches for more clubs, with more associations represented in the group stages.”
Which Premier League Team Qualified For The Conference League?
One spot in the Europa Conference League has been allocated to the Premier League team which wins the Carabao Cup. If the Carabao Cup winner has qualified for Europe by finishing in the top six, the slot is given to the seventh place team in the league. Last season’s Carabao Cup winner, Liverpool has already qualified for the UEFA Champions League by finishing second, hence the Conference League slot goes to David Moyes’ Westham who finished seventh.
If the Hammers had surpassed Manchester United’s result on the final day, they would have clinched a Europa League spot. However, they finished below the Red Devils as they fell to a poor defeat to Brighton.
Other Teams Who Can Qualify for The Conference League
The Europa League has been reduced in size to enable more teams to play in the Conference League. All clubs from countries placed below 15 in the UEFA Coefficients will compete in the Europa Conference League rather than the Europa League, while the league champions of each country will have the opportunity to qualify for the Champions League.
Teams ousted from the preliminary and first qualifying rounds of the Champions League, as well as the third-place finishers in the group stage of the Europa League, will all move on to the Conference League. The Conference League will also feature third-placed teams from the Europa League group stage following the winter break in European football, which is how Leicester advanced to the 2022 semi-final.
How Conference League Introduction Has Affected The Europa League
The former 48 clubs in the Europa League group stage have been decreased to 32. Now, only the group winners proceed to the tournament’s round of 16, while the runners-up must compete in a preliminary knockout round against the third-place Champions League clubs. The champion of the Europa Conference League is eligible for further competitions.
The winner of the Europa Conference League will earn a spot in the Europa League the following season.
