2018–19 UEFA Europa League

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The 2018–19 UEFA Europa League was the 48th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 10th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

2018–19 UEFA Europa League
The Olympic Stadium in Baku hosted the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
26 June – 30 August 2018
Competition proper:
20 September 2018 – 29 May 2019
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 158+55 (from 55 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsEngland Chelsea (2nd title)
Runners-upEngland Arsenal
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored565 (2.76 per match)
Attendance5,038,109 (24,576 per match)
Top scorer(s)Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)
11 goals
Best player(s)Eden Hazard (Chelsea)[1]

The final was played at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan,[2] between English sides Chelsea and Arsenal – which was the first Europa League final to feature two teams from one city and was also the first time that 4 Premier League representatives (teams) were in both European finals. Chelsea defeated Arsenal 4–1 and earned the right to play against Liverpool, the winners of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. As winners, Chelsea would also have been qualified for the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage; however, since they had already qualified after finishing third in the Premier League, the berth reserved was given to the third-placed team of the 2018–19 Ligue 1 (Lyon) – the 5th-ranked association according to next season's access list.[3]

For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system was used in the competition, where it was implemented in the final.[4]

As the title holders of the Europa League, Atlético Madrid qualified for the 2018–19 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 Juventus in the round of 16.

Format changes

On 9 December 2016, UEFA confirmed the reforming plan for the UEFA Champions League for the 2018–2021 cycle, which was announced on 26 August 2016.[5][6] As per the new regulations, all teams that are eliminated in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds will get a second chance in the Europa League.

Association team allocation

213 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participated in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[7][8]

  • Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
  • Associations 52–54 each had two teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein and Kosovo (association 55) each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Kosovo as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[9]
  • Moreover, 55 teams eliminated from the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League (default number was 57, but 2 fewer teams competed in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League).

Association ranking

For the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2017 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2012–13 to 2016–17.[10]

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
Association ranking for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
1  Spain104.9983+1 (UCL)
2  Germany79.498
3  England75.962
4  Italy73.332+2 (UCL)
5  France56.665
6  Russia50.532+1 (UCL)
7  Portugal49.332+1 (UCL)
8  Ukraine42.633+2 (UCL)
9  Belgium42.400+2 (UCL)
10  Turkey39.200+2 (UCL)
11  Czech Republic33.175+2 (UCL)
12  Switzerland32.075+1 (UCL)
13  Netherlands31.063
14  Greece27.900+1 (UCL)
15  Austria25.350+2 (UCL)
16  Croatia25.250+1 (UCL)
17  Romania24.350+1 (UCL)
18  Denmark24.000+1 (UCL)
19  Belarus19.875+1 (UCL)
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
20  Poland19.7503+1 (UCL)
21  Sweden19.725+1 (UCL)
22  Israel19.375+1 (UCL)
23  Scotland18.925+1 (UCL)
24  Cyprus18.550+1 (UCL)
25  Norway18.325+1 (UCL)
26  Azerbaijan17.750+1 (UCL)
27  Bulgaria15.875+1 (UCL)
28  Serbia15.375
29  Kazakhstan15.250+1 (UCL)
30  Slovenia13.125+1 (UCL)
31  Slovakia11.750+1 (UCL)
32  Liechtenstein11.0001
33  Hungary9.5003+1 (UCL)
34  Moldova9.500+1 (UCL)
35  Iceland8.375+1 (UCL)
36  Finland7.650+1 (UCL)
37  Albania6.625+1 (UCL)
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
38  Republic of Ireland6.5753+1 (UCL)
39  Bosnia and Herzegovina6.500+1 (UCL)
40  Georgia6.375+1 (UCL)
41  Latvia6.125+1 (UCL)
42  Macedonia5.625+1 (UCL)
43  Estonia5.250+1 (UCL)
44  Montenegro5.250+1 (UCL)
45  Armenia5.125+1 (UCL)
46  Luxembourg4.875+1 (UCL)
47  Northern Ireland4.500+1 (UCL)
48  Lithuania4.125+1 (UCL)
49  Malta4.000+1 (UCL)
50  Wales3.875+1 (UCL)
51  Faroe Islands3.500+1 (UCL)
52  Gibraltar2.5002+1 (UCL)
53  Andorra1.165+1 (UCL)
54  San Marino0.333+1 (UCL)
55  Kosovo0.0001+1 (UCL)

Distribution

In the default access list, originally 17 losers from the Champions League first qualifying round were transferred to the Europa League second qualifying round (Champions Path).[11][7] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Champions League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. Therefore, only 19 teams entered the Champions Path second qualifying round (one of the losers from the Champions League first qualifying round would be drawn to receive a bye to the third qualifying round).[12]

In addition, originally three losers from the Champions League second qualifying round (League Path) were transferred to the Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path).[11] However, one fewer loser would be transferred since the Europa League title holders already qualified for the group stage via their domestic league. As a result, the following changes to the access list was made:[12]

  • The cup winners of association 18 (Denmark) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of association 25 (Norway) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of associations 50 (Wales) and 51 (Faroe Islands) entered the first qualifying round instead of the preliminary round.
Access list for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
Preliminary round
(14 teams)
  • 4 domestic cup winners from associations 52–55
  • 6 domestic league runners-up from associations 49–54
  • 4 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 48–51
First qualifying round
(94 teams)
  • 26 domestic cup winners from associations 26–51
  • 30 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–48 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 31 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–47 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 7 winners from preliminary round
Second qualifying roundChampions Path
(18 teams)
  • 15 losers from Champions League first qualifying round
  • 3 losers from Champions League preliminary round
Main Path
(74 teams)
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 19–25
  • 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 round
Third qualifying roundChampions Path
(20 teams)
  • 9 winners from second qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 10 losers from Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 1 losers from Champions League first qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(52 teams)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 13–18
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6
  • 37 winners from second qualifying round (Main Path)
  • 2 losers from Champions League second qualifying round (League Path)
Play-off roundChampions Path
(16 teams)
  • 10 winners from third qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 6 losers from Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(26 teams)
  • 26 winners from third qualifying round (Main Path)
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 12 domestic cup winners from associations 1–12
  • 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 losers from Champions League play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 2 losers from Champions League play-off round (League Path)
  • 4 losers 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 stage

Redistribution rules

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:[8]

  • 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 moving 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 moving 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

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[13]

  • CW: Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • 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
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
    • Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round
    • Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
    • PR: Losers from the preliminary round (SF: semi-finals; F: final)
Qualified teams for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League (by entry round)
Round of 32
Valencia (UCL GS) Napoli (UCL GS) Shakhtar Donetsk (UCL GS) Galatasaray (UCL GS)
Inter Milan (UCL GS) Benfica (UCL GS) Club Brugge (UCL GS) Viktoria Plzeň (UCL GS)
Group stage
Villarreal (5th) Milan (6th)[Note ITA] Akhisarspor (CW) Dynamo Kyiv (UCL PO)
Real Betis (6th) Marseille (4th) Jablonec (3rd) PAOK (UCL PO)
Eintracht Frankfurt (CW) Rennes (5th) Zürich (CW) Spartak Moscow (UCL Q3)
Bayer Leverkusen (5th) Krasnodar (4th)[Note RUS] Red Bull Salzburg (UCL PO) Standard Liège (UCL Q3)
Chelsea (CW) Sporting CP (3rd)[Note POR] Dinamo Zagreb (UCL PO) Fenerbahçe (UCL Q3)
Arsenal (6th) Vorskla Poltava (3rd) BATE Borisov (UCL PO) Slavia Prague (UCL Q3)
Lazio (5th) Anderlecht (3rd) MOL Vidi (UCL PO)
Play-off round
Champions PathMain Path
Malmö FF (UCL Q3) Astana (UCL Q3)
Celtic (UCL Q3) Spartak Trnava (UCL Q3)
Qarabağ (UCL Q3) Shkëndija (UCL Q3)
Third qualifying round
Champions PathMain Path
CFR Cluj (UCL Q2) Ludogorets Razgrad (UCL Q2) Zenit Saint Petersburg (5th)[Note RUS] Olympiacos (3rd)
Midtjylland (UCL Q2) Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q2) Braga (4th)[Note POR] Rapid Wien (3rd)
Legia Warsaw (UCL Q2) HJK (UCL Q2) Zorya Luhansk (4th) Rijeka (2nd)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva (UCL Q2) Kukësi (UCL Q2) Gent (4th) Universitatea Craiova (CW)
Rosenborg (UCL Q2) Sūduva (UCL Q2) İstanbul Başakşehir (3rd) Brøndby (CW)
Cork City (UCL Q1)[Note UCL Q1] Sigma Olomouc (4th) Basel (UCL Q2)
Luzern (3rd) Sturm Graz (UCL Q2)
Feyenoord (CW)
Second qualifying round
Champions PathMain Path
APOEL (UCL Q1) F91 Dudelange (UCL Q1) Sevilla (7th) Atromitos (4th)
Olimpija Ljubljana (UCL Q1) Crusaders (UCL Q1) RB Leipzig (6th) Asteras Tripolis (5th)
Valur (UCL Q1) Valletta (UCL Q1) Burnley (7th) LASK (4th)
Zrinjski Mostar (UCL Q1) The New Saints (UCL Q1) Atalanta (7th) Admira Wacker Mödling (5th)
Torpedo Kutaisi (UCL Q1) Víkingur Gøta (UCL Q1) Bordeaux (6th) Hajduk Split (3rd)
Spartaks Jūrmala (UCL Q1) Drita (UCL Q1) Ufa (6th)[Note RUS] FCSB (2nd)
Flora Tallinn (UCL Q1) Lincoln Red Imps (UCL PR F) Rio Ave (5th)[Note POR] Dynamo Brest (CW)
Sutjeska Nikšić (UCL Q1) FC Santa Coloma (UCL PR SF) Mariupol (5th) Jagiellonia Białystok (2nd)
Alashkert (UCL Q1) La Fiorita (UCL PR SF) Genk (PW) Djurgårdens IF (CW)
Beşiktaş (4th) Hapoel Haifa (CW)
Sparta Prague (5th) Aberdeen (2nd)
St. Gallen (5th) AEK Larnaca (CW)
AZ (3rd) Lillestrøm (CW)
Vitesse (PW)
First qualifying round
Osijek (4th) CSKA Sofia (2nd) Stjarnan (2nd) Shkupi (4th)
Viitorul Constanța (4th) Levski Sofia (PW) FH (3rd) FCI Levadia (CW)
Nordsjælland (3rd) Partizan (CW) KuPS (2nd) Nõmme Kalju (3rd)
Copenhagen (PW) Radnički Niš (3rd) Ilves (3rd) Narva Trans (5th)[Note EST]
Dinamo Minsk (2nd) Spartak Subotica (4th) Lahti (4th) Titograd (CW)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk (3rd) Kairat (CW) Luftëtari (3rd) Budućnost Podgorica (2nd)
Lech Poznań (3rd) Irtysh Pavlodar (4th) Laçi (4th) Rudar Pljevlja (5th)[Note MNE]
Górnik Zabrze (4th) Tobol (5th)[Note KAZ] Partizani (5th)[Note ALB] Gandzasar Kapan (CW)
AIK (2nd) Maribor (2nd) Dundalk (2nd) Banants (2nd)
BK Häcken (4th) Domžale (3rd) Shamrock Rovers (3rd) Pyunik (5th)[Note ARM]
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2nd) Rudar Velenje (4th) Derry City (4th)[Note IRL] Racing FC (CW)
Beitar Jerusalem (3rd) Slovan Bratislava (CW) Željezničar (CW) Progrès Niederkorn (2nd)
Rangers (3rd) DAC Dunajská Streda (3rd) Sarajevo (3rd) Fola Esch (3rd)
Hibernian (4th) Trenčín (PW) Široki Brijeg (4th) Coleraine (CW)
Apollon Limassol (2nd) Vaduz (CW) Chikhura Sachkhere (CW) Glenavon (3rd)
Anorthosis Famagusta (3rd) Újpest (CW) Dinamo Tbilisi (2nd) Cliftonville (PW)
Molde (2nd) Ferencváros (2nd) Samtredia (3rd) Stumbras (CW)
Sarpsborg 08 (3rd) Honvéd (4th) Liepāja (CW) Žalgiris (2nd)
Keşla (CW) Milsami Orhei (CW) Riga (3rd) Balzan (2nd)
Gabala (2nd) Petrocub Hîncești (3rd) Ventspils (4th) Connah's Quay Nomads (CW)
Neftçi Baku (3rd) Zaria Bălți (5th)[Note MDA] Vardar (2nd) NSÍ Runavík (CW)
Slavia Sofia (CW) ÍBV (CW) Rabotnički (3rd)
Preliminary round
Trakai (3rd) Cefn Druids (PW) St Joseph's (3rd) Tre Fiori (3rd)
Gżira United (3rd) KÍ Klaksvík (2nd) Engordany (2nd) Prishtina (CW)
Birkirkara (4th) B36 Tórshavn (3rd) Sant Julià (3rd)
Bala Town (4th)[Note WAL] Europa (CW) Folgore (2nd)

Notably one team that was not playing a national top division took part in the competition; Vaduz (representing Liechtenstein) played in 2017–18 Swiss Challenge League, which is Switzerland's second tier.

Notes

Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[29]

Schedule for 2018–19 UEFA Europa League
PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingPreliminary round12 June 201828 June 20185 July 2018
First qualifying round19 June 2018 (Champions Path)
20 June 2018 (Main Path)
12 July 201819 July 2018
Second qualifying round26 July 20182 August 2018
Third qualifying round23 July 20189 August 201816 August 2018
Play-offPlay-off round6 August 201823 August 201830 August 2018
Group stageMatchday 131 August 2018
(Monaco)
20 September 2018
Matchday 24 October 2018
Matchday 325 October 2018
Matchday 48 November 2018
Matchday 529 November 2018
Matchday 613 December 2018
Knockout phaseRound of 3217 December 201814 February 201921 February 2019
Round of 1622 February 20197 March 201914 March 2019
Quarter-finals15 March 201911 April 201918 April 2019
Semi-finals2 May 20199 May 2019
Final29 May 2019 at Olympic Stadium, Baku

Matches in the qualifying (including preliminary and play-off) and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

From this season, the kick-off times starting from the group stage were slightly changed to 18:55 CET and 21:00 CET. Kick-off times starting from the quarter-finals were 21:00 CEST.[11]

Qualifying rounds

In the qualifying and play-off rounds, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients (for Main Path),[30] or based on which round they qualified from (for Champions Path), and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties.

Preliminary round

In the preliminary round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients,[30] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. The draw for the preliminary round was held on 12 June 2018.[31] The first legs were played on 26 and 28 June, and the second legs were played on 5 July 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Europa 1–6 Prishtina1–10–5
Sant Julià 1–4 Gżira United0–21–2
Engordany 3–2 Folgore2–11–1
B36 Tórshavn 2–2 (4–2 p) St Joseph's1–11–1 (a.e.t.)
Birkirkara 2–3 KÍ Klaksvík1–11–2
Tre Fiori 3–1 Bala Town3–00–1
Cefn Druids 1–2 Trakai1–10–1

First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 20 June 2018.[32] The first legs were played on 10, 11 and 12 July, and the second legs were played on 17, 18 and 19 July 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Stjarnan 3–1 Nõmme Kalju3–00–1
Ilves 1–3 Slavia Sofia0–11–2
KÍ Klaksvík 2–3 Žalgiris1–21–1
Fola Esch 0–0 (5–4 p) Prishtina0–00–0 (a.e.t.)
Glenavon 3–6 Molde2–11–5
DAC Dunajská Streda 3–2 Dinamo Tbilisi1–12–1
Stumbras 1–2 Apollon Limassol1–00–2
Široki Brijeg 3–3 (a) Domžale2–21–1
Rangers 2–0 Shkupi2–00–0
Gabala 1–2[A] Progrès Niederkorn0–21–0
Racing FC 0–2 Viitorul Constanța0–20–0
Samtredia 0–3 Tobol0–10–2
Partizani 0–3 Maribor0–10–2
Neftçi Baku 3–5 Újpest3–10–4
Budućnost Podgorica 1–3 Trenčín0–21–1
Derry City 2–3 Dinamo Minsk0–22–1
B36 Tórshavn 2–1 Titograd Podgorica0–02–1
Górnik Zabrze 2–1[A] Zaria Bălți1–01–1
Spartak Subotica 3–1 Coleraine1–12–0
Pyunik 3–0 Vardar1–02–0
Shamrock Rovers 1–2 AIK0–11–1 (a.e.t.)
Connah's Quay Nomads 1–5 Shakhtyor Soligorsk1–30–2
Lahti 0–3 FH0–30–0
Ventspils 8–3 Luftëtari5–03–3
Cliftonville 1–3 Nordsjælland0–11–2
Banants 1–5 Sarajevo1–20–3
Engordany 1–10 Kairat0–31–7
Petrocub Hîncești 2–3 Osijek1–11–2
Anorthosis Famagusta 2–2 (a) Laçi2–10–1
Ferencváros 1–2 Maccabi Tel Aviv1–10–1
Balzan 5–3 Keşla4–11–2
Rabotnički 2–5[A] Honvéd2–10–4
Rudar Pljevlja 0–6 Partizan0–30–3
CSKA Sofia 1–1 (5–3 p) Riga1–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Milsami Orhei 2–9 Slovan Bratislava2–40–5
Radnički Niš 5–0 Gżira United4–01–0
Lech Poznań 3–2 Gandzasar Kapan2–01–2
Chikhura Sachkhere 2–1 Beitar Jerusalem0–02–1
Vaduz 3–3 (a) Levski Sofia1–02–3
Narva Trans 1–5[A] Željezničar0–21–3
Trakai 1–0 Irtysh Pavlodar0–01–0
Hibernian 12–5 NSÍ Runavík6–16–4
Rudar Velenje 10–0 Tre Fiori7–03–0
FCI Levadia 1–3 Dundalk0–11–2
ÍBV 0–6 Sarpsborg 080–40–2
KuPS 1–2[A] Copenhagen0–11–1
Liepāja 2–4 BK Häcken0–32–1

Notes

Second qualifying round

The second qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the second qualifying round (Champions Path) was held on 19 June,[28] and the draw for the second qualifying round (Main Path) was held on 20 June 2018.[32] The first legs were played on 26 July, and the second legs were played on 31 July, 1 and 2 August 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Cork City ByeN/AN/AN/A
The New Saints 3–2 Lincoln Red Imps2–11–1
Torpedo Kutaisi 7–0 Víkingur Gøta3–04–0
Zrinjski Mostar 3–2 Valletta1–12–1
FC Santa Coloma 1–3 Valur1–00–3
Sutjeska Nikšić 0–1 Alashkert0–10–0
F91 Dudelange 3–2 Drita2–11–1
Spartaks Jūrmala 9–0 La Fiorita6–03–0
APOEL 5–2 Flora Tallinn5–00–2
Olimpija Ljubljana 6–2 Crusaders5–11–1
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Main Path
Molde 5–0 Laçi3–02–0
Atalanta 10–2[A] Sarajevo2–28–0
Žalgiris 2–1 Vaduz1–01–1
Kairat 3–2 AZ2–01–2
Aberdeen 2–4 Burnley1–11–3 (a.e.t.)
Partizan 2–1 Trakai1–01–1
Balzan 3–4 Slovan Bratislava2–11–3
Nordsjælland 2–0 AIK1–01–0
Rudar Velenje 0–6 FCSB0–20–4
Hapoel Haifa 2–1 FH1–11–0
Dundalk 0–4 AEK Larnaca0–00–4
Górnik Zabrze 1–5 Trenčín0–11–4
Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–2 Radnički Niš2–02–2
CSKA Sofia 6–1 Admira Wacker Mödling3–03–1
Spartak Subotica 3–2 Sparta Prague2–01–2
RB Leipzig 5–1 BK Häcken4–01–1
Stjarnan 0–7 Copenhagen0–20–5
Ufa 1–1 (a) Domžale0–01–1
Tobol 2–2 (a) Pyunik2–10–1
Jagiellonia Białystok 5–4 Rio Ave1–04–4
LASK 6–1 Lillestrøm4–02–1
Honvéd 1–2 Progrès Niederkorn1–00–2
Osijek 1–2 Rangers0–11–1
B36 Tórshavn 0–8 Beşiktaş0–20–6
DAC Dunajská Streda 2–7 Dinamo Minsk1–31–4
Ventspils 1–3 Bordeaux0–11–2
Željezničar 2–5 Apollon Limassol1–21–3
Viitorul Constanța 3–5 Vitesse2–21–3
St. Gallen 2–2 (a) Sarpsborg 082–10–1
Dynamo Brest 5–4 Atromitos4–31–1
Sevilla 7–1 Újpest4–03–1
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2–4 Lech Poznań1–11–3 (a.e.t.)
Hibernian 4–3 Asteras Tripolis3–21–1
Chikhura Sachkhere 0–2 Maribor0–00–2
Genk 9–1 Fola Esch5–04–1
Djurgårdens IF 2–3 Mariupol1–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Hajduk Split 4–2 Slavia Sofia1–03–2

Notes

Third qualifying round

The third qualifying round was split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 23 July 2018.[33] The first legs were played on 7 and 9 August, and the second legs were played on 16 August 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Ludogorets Razgrad 2–1 Zrinjski Mostar1–01–1
Legia Warsaw 3–4 F91 Dudelange1–22–2
Alashkert 0–7 CFR Cluj0–20–5
Olimpija Ljubljana 7–1 HJK3–04–1
Sheriff Tiraspol 2–2 (a) Valur1–01–2
Cork City 0–5 Rosenborg0–20–3
Spartaks Jūrmala 0–1 Sūduva Marijampolė0–10–0
The New Saints 1–5 Midtjylland0–21–3
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 3–5 APOEL2–21–3
Torpedo Kutaisi 5–4 Kukësi5–20–2
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Main Path
Pyunik 1–2 Maccabi Tel Aviv0–01–2
Dinamo Minsk 5–8 Zenit Saint Petersburg4–01–8 (a.e.t.)
Sturm Graz 0–7 AEK Larnaca0–20–5
Sarpsborg 08 2–1 Rijeka1–11–0
İstanbul Başakşehir 0–1 Burnley0–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Zorya Luhansk 3–3 (a) Braga1–12–2
Hapoel Haifa 1–6 Atalanta1–40–2
Genk 4–1 Lech Poznań2–02–1
Vitesse 0–2 Basel0–10–1
Nordsjælland 3–5 Partizan1–22–3
Hibernian 0–3 Molde0–00–3
Hajduk Split 1–2 FCSB0–01–2
Sevilla 6–0 Žalgiris1–05–0
Sigma Olomouc 4–1 Kairat2–02–1
Slovan Bratislava 2–5 Rapid Wien2–10–4
Mariupol 2–5 Bordeaux1–31–2
CSKA Sofia 2–4 Copenhagen1–21–2
Olympiacos 7–1 Luzern4–03–1
Rangers 3–1 Maribor3–10–0
Trenčín 5–1 Feyenoord4–01–1
Jagiellonia Białystok 1–4 Gent0–11–3
Spartak Subotica 1–4 Brøndby0–21–2
Ufa 4–3 Progrès Niederkorn2–12–2
Beşiktaş 2–2 (a) LASK1–01–2
Apollon Limassol 4–1 Dynamo Brest4–00–1
RB Leipzig 4–2 Universitatea Craiova3–11–1

Play-off round

The play-off round was split into two separate sections: Champions Path (for league champions) and Main Path (for cup winners and league non-champions). The draw for the play-off round was held on 6 August 2018.[34] The first legs were played on 23 August, and the second legs were played on 30 August 2018.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Champions Path
Olimpija Ljubljana 1–3 Spartak Trnava0–21–1
APOEL 1–1 (1–2 p) Astana1–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Rosenborg 5–1 Shkëndija3–12–0
F91 Dudelange 5–2 CFR Cluj2–03–2
Sūduva Marijampolė 1–4 Celtic1–10–3
Sheriff Tiraspol 1–3 Qarabağ1–00–3
Malmö FF 4–2 Midtjylland2–22–0
Torpedo Kutaisi 0–5 Ludogorets Razgrad0–10–4
Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Main Path
Sigma Olomouc 0–4 Sevilla0–10–3
Sarpsborg 08 4–3 Maccabi Tel Aviv3–11–2
Gent 0–2 Bordeaux0–00–2
Partizan 1–4 Beşiktaş1–10–3
Rapid Wien 4–3 FCSB3–11–2
Basel 3–3 (a)[A] Apollon Limassol3–20–1
Rangers 2–1 Ufa1–01–1
Atalanta 0–0 (3–4 p) Copenhagen0–00–0 (a.e.t.)
Zenit Saint Petersburg 4–3 Molde3–11–2
Trenčín 1–4 AEK Larnaca1–10–3
Genk 9–4 Brøndby5–24–2
Olympiacos 4–2 Burnley3–11–1
Zorya Luhansk 2–3 RB Leipzig0–02–3

Notes

Group stage

London
Astana
(not on map)
Glasgow
Seville
Istanbul



Location of teams of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Brown: Group A; Green: Group B; Deep Pink: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Red: Group E; Cyan: Group F; Blue: Group G; Purple: Group H;
Pink: Group I; Turquoise: Group J; Spring Green: Group K; Orange: Group L.

The draw for the group stage was held on 31 August 2018 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[35] The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams are seeded into four pots based on their 2018 UEFA club coefficients.[30]

In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 32 where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League group stage. The matchdays are 20 September, 4 October, 25 October, 8 November, 29 November, and 13 December 2018.

A total of 27 national associations were represented in the group stage. Akhisarspor, Chelsea, F91 Dudelange, Jablonec, Rangers, RB Leipzig, Sarpsborg 08, Spartak Moscow and Spartak Trnava made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (although Chelsea, Rangers, RB Leipzig and Spartak Moscow had already competed in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase after a third place in the UEFA Champions League group stage, while Rangers and Spartak Moscow had appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage). Akhisarspor and Sarpsborg 08 made their debuts in any European football. F91 Dudelange were the first team from Luxembourg to play in either the Champions League or Europa League group stage.[36]

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification LEV ZUR AKL LUD
1 Bayer Leverkusen6411169+713Advance to knockout phase1–04–21–1
2 Zürich631276+1103–21–21–0
3 AEK Larnaca6123612−651–50–11–1
4 Ludogorets Razgrad604257−242–31–10–0
Source: UEFA

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SAL CEL RBL ROS
1 Red Bull Salzburg6600176+1118Advance to knockout phase3–11–03–0
2 Celtic630368−291–22–11–0
3 RB Leipzig621398+172–32–01–1
4 Rosenborg6015414−1012–50–11–3
Source: UEFA

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification ZEN SLP BOR KOB
1 Zenit Saint Petersburg632165+111Advance to knockout phase1–02–11–0
2 Slavia Prague631243+1102–01–00–0
3 Bordeaux621366071–12–01–2
4 Copenhagen612335−251–10–10–1
Source: UEFA

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification DZG FEN SPT AND
1 Dinamo Zagreb6420113+814Advance to knockout phase4–13–10–0
2 Fenerbahçe622277080–02–02–0
3 Spartak Trnava621347−371–21–01–0
4 Anderlecht603327−530–22–20–0
Source: UEFA

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification ARS SPO VOR QRB
1 Arsenal6510122+1016Advance to knockout phase0–04–21–0
2 Sporting CP6411133+10130–13–02–0
3 Vorskla Poltava6105413−93[a]0–31–20–1
4 Qarabağ6105213−113[a]0–31–60–1
Source: UEFA
Notes:

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BET OLY MIL DUD
1 Real Betis633072+512Advance to knockout phase1–01–13–0
2 Olympiacos6312116+510[a]0–03–15–1
3 Milan6312129+310[a]1–23–15–2
4 F91 Dudelange6015316−1310–00–20–1
Source: UEFA
Notes:

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification VIL RW RAN SPM
1 Villarreal6240125+710[a]Advance to knockout phase5–02–22–0
2 Rapid Wien631269−310[a]0–01–02–0
3 Rangers613288060–03–10–0
4 Spartak Moscow6123812−453–31–24–3
Source: UEFA
Notes:

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification FRA LAZ APL MAR
1 Eintracht Frankfurt6600175+1218Advance to knockout phase4–12–04–0
2 Lazio6303911−291–22–12–1
3 Apollon Limassol62131010072–32–02–2
4 Marseille6015616−1011–21–31–3
Source: UEFA

Group I

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification GNK MAL BES SRP
1 Genk6321148+611Advance to knockout phase2–01–14–0
2 Malmö FF623176+192–22–01–1
3 Beşiktaş6213911−272–40–13–1
4 Sarpsborg 086123813−553–11–12–3
Source: UEFA

Group J

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SEV KRA STL AKH
1 Sevilla6402186+1212[a]Advance to knockout phase3–05–16–0
2 Krasnodar640288012[a]2–12–12–1
3 Standard Liège631279−2101–02–12–1
4 Akhisarspor6015414−1012–30–10–0
Source: UEFA
Notes:

Group K

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification DKV REN AST JAB
1 Dynamo Kyiv6321107+311Advance to knockout phase3–12–20–1
2 Rennes630378−191–22–02–1
3 Astana622277080–12–02–1
4 Jablonec612368−252–20–11–1
Source: UEFA

Group L

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification CHL BATE VID PAOK
1 Chelsea6510123+916Advance to knockout phase3–11–04–0
2 BATE Borisov630399090–12–01–4
3 Vidi621357−272–20–21–0
4 PAOK6105512−730–11–30–2
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final.

The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                  
Viktoria Plzeň202
Dinamo Zagreb134
Dinamo Zagreb101
Benfica (a.e.t.)033
Galatasaray101
Benfica202
Benfica404
Eintracht Frankfurt (a)224
Shakhtar Donetsk213
Eintracht Frankfurt246
Eintracht Frankfurt011
Inter Milan000
Rapid Wien000
Inter Milan145
Eintracht Frankfurt112 (3)
Chelsea (p)112 (4)
Lazio000
Sevilla123
Sevilla235
Slavia Prague (a.e.t.)246
Slavia Prague044
Genk011
Slavia Prague033
Chelsea145
Malmö FF101
Chelsea235
Chelsea358
Dynamo Kyiv000
Olympiacos202
Dynamo Kyiv213
Chelsea4
Arsenal1
Rennes336
Real Betis314
Rennes303
Arsenal134
BATE Borisov101
Arsenal033
Arsenal213
Napoli000
Zürich101
Napoli325
Napoli314
Red Bull Salzburg033
Club Brugge202
Red Bull Salzburg145
Arsenal347
Valencia123
Fenerbahçe112
Zenit Saint Petersburg033
Zenit Saint Petersburg112
Villarreal325
Sporting CP011
Villarreal112
Villarreal101
Valencia325
Celtic000
Valencia213
Valencia213
Krasnodar112
Krasnodar (a)011
Bayer Leverkusen011

Round of 32

The draw for the round of 32 was held on 17 December 2018.[37] The first legs were played on 12 and 14 February, and the second legs were played on 20 and 21 February 2019.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Viktoria Plzeň 2–4 Dinamo Zagreb2–10–3
Club Brugge 2–5 Red Bull Salzburg2–10–4
Rapid Wien 0–5 Inter Milan0–10–4
Slavia Prague 4–1 Genk0–04–1
Krasnodar 1–1 (a) Bayer Leverkusen0–01–1
Zürich 1–5 Napoli1–30–2
Malmö FF 1–5 Chelsea1–20–3
Shakhtar Donetsk 3–6 Eintracht Frankfurt2–21–4
Celtic 0–3 Valencia0–20–1
Rennes 6–4 Real Betis3–33–1
Olympiacos 2–3 Dynamo Kyiv2–20–1
Lazio 0–3 Sevilla0–10–2
Fenerbahçe 2–3 Zenit Saint Petersburg1–01–3
Sporting CP 1–2 Villarreal0–11–1
BATE Borisov 1–3 Arsenal1–00–3
Galatasaray 1–2 Benfica1–20–0

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 22 February 2019.[38] The first legs were played on 7 March, and the second legs were played on 14 March 2019.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Chelsea 8–0 Dynamo Kyiv3–05–0
Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 Inter Milan0–01–0
Dinamo Zagreb 1–3 Benfica1–00–3 (a.e.t.)
Napoli 4–3 Red Bull Salzburg3–01–3
Valencia 3–2 Krasnodar2–11–1
Sevilla 5–6 Slavia Prague2–23–4 (a.e.t.)
Rennes 3–4[A] Arsenal3–10–3
Zenit Saint Petersburg 2–5 Villarreal1–31–2

Notes

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 15 March 2019.[39] The first legs were played on 11 April, the second legs were played on 18 April 2019.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Arsenal 3–0[A] Napoli2–01–0
Villarreal 1–5 Valencia1–30–2
Benfica 4–4 (a) Eintracht Frankfurt4–20–2
Slavia Prague 3–5 Chelsea0–13–4

Notes

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 15 March 2019 (after the quarter-final draw).[39] The first legs were played on 2 May, and the second legs were played on 9 May 2019.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Arsenal 7–3 Valencia3–14–2
Eintracht Frankfurt 2–2 (3–4 p) Chelsea1–11–1 (a.e.t.)

Final

The final was held on 29 May 2019 at the Olympic Stadium in Baku. The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws.[39]

Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal
Report
Attendance: 51,370[40]

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

Rank[41]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Olivier Giroud Chelsea111124
2 Luka Jović Eintracht Frankfurt10953
3 Wissam Ben Yedder Sevilla8621
Mu'nas Dabbur Red Bull Salzburg856
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal934
6 Fredrik Gulbrandsen Red Bull Salzburg5429
Giovani Lo Celso Real Betis563
Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal651
Sébastien Haller Eintracht Frankfurt770
Pedro Chelsea944

Top assists

Rank[41]PlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played
1 Ihar Stasevich BATE Borisov7704
Willian Chelsea899
3 Mijat Gaćinović Eintracht Frankfurt61126
4 Andreas Ulmer Red Bull Salzburg5900
Olivier Giroud Chelsea1124
6 Viktor Tsyhankov Dynamo Kyiv4804
Pedro Chelsea944
824 players3

Squad of the Season

The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament.[42]

Pos.PlayerTeam
GK Kevin Trapp Eintracht Frankfurt
Kepa Arrizabalaga Chelsea
DF Álex Grimaldo Benfica
Sead Kolašinac Arsenal
Laurent Koscielny Arsenal
David Luiz Chelsea
César Azpilicueta Chelsea
Danny da Costa Eintracht Frankfurt
MF Makoto Hasebe Eintracht Frankfurt
Filip Kostić Eintracht Frankfurt
Jorginho Chelsea
N'Golo Kanté Chelsea
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal
Olivier Giroud Chelsea
Luka Jović Eintracht Frankfurt
João Félix Benfica
Pedro Chelsea
Eden Hazard Chelsea

Player of the Season

Votes were cast by coaches of the 48 teams in the group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA's member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams. Jury members selected their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The shortlist of the top three players was announced on 8 August 2019.[43] The award winner was announced during the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Monaco on 30 August 2019.

RankPlayerTeamPoints
Shortlist of top three
1 Eden Hazard[1] Chelsea340
2 Olivier Giroud Chelsea119
3 Luka Jović Eintracht Frankfurt94
Players ranked 4–10
4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Arsenal65
5 Alexandre Lacazette Arsenal19
6 N'Golo Kanté Chelsea16
7 João Félix Benfica12
8 Willian Chelsea11
9 Sébastien Haller Eintracht Frankfurt9
Pedro Chelsea

See also

References