2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League

The 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League was the third season of the UEFA Europa Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA.

2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
12 July – 31 August 2023
Competition proper:
20 September 2023 – 29 May 2024
TeamsCompetition proper: 32 8
Total: 135 43 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsGreece Olympiacos (1st title)
Runners-upItaly Fiorentina
Tournament statistics
Matches played141
Goals scored411 (2.91 per match)
Attendance2,327,520 (16,507 per match)
Top scorer(s)Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos)
11 goals
Best player(s)Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos)[1]
Best young playerIgor Thiago (Club Brugge)[2]

The final was played at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece.[3] It was won by Olympiacos, who defeated Fiorentina 1–0 after extra time, and qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage as a result.

This edition was the final season under its current name, as it was renamed to the UEFA Conference League from the 2024–25 season onwards. According to UEFA, the new denomination of the competition would enable further development as a stand-alone competition in their research amongst fans and commercial partners.[4][5] This was also the final season with the current format of 32 teams participating in the group stage, after UEFA announced that a brand-new Swiss-system format would be introduced for the following edition.[6] Due to the change, no clubs could be transferred from the Europa League group stage to the Conference League, so starting with this edition the winners would no longer be able to defend their title.[7]

As the title holders, West Ham United qualified for the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League. They were unable to defend their title after advancing to the Europa League knockout phase.

Association team allocation

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A total of 178 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations (excluding Russia) participated in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[8]

  • Associations 1–5 each had one team qualify.
  • Associations 6–16 (except Russia)[Note RUS] and 51–55 each had two teams qualify.
  • Associations 17–50 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein had only one team that qualified as they organized only a domestic cup and no domestic league.
  • Moreover, 18 teams eliminated from the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League and 25 teams eliminated from the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League were transferred to the Europa Conference League.

Association ranking

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For the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2022 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2017–18 to 2021–22.[9]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa Conference League, as noted below:

  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
  • (UEL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Europa League
Association ranking for 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1   England 106.641 1
2   Spain 96.141 1 (UEL)
3   Italy 76.902
4   Germany 75.213
5   France 60.081
6   Portugal 53.382 2
7   Netherlands 49.300 1 (UEL)
8   Austria 38.850 1 (UEL)
9   Scotland 36.900 1 (UEL)
10   Russia 34.482 0 [Note RUS]
11   Serbia 33.375 2 1 (UEL)
12   Ukraine 31.800 2 (UEL)
13   Belgium 30.600 2 (UEL)
14   Switzerland 29.675 2 (UEL)
15   Greece 28.200 1 (UEL)
16   Czech Republic 27.800
17   Norway 27.250 3 1 (UEL)
18   Denmark 27.175
19   Croatia 27.150 1 (UEL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
20   Turkey 27.100 3
21   Cyprus 26.375
22   Israel 24.375 1 (UEL)
23   Sweden 22.875
24   Bulgaria 19.500 1 (UEL)
25   Romania 17.150 1 (UCL)
26   Azerbaijan 17.000
27   Hungary 16.375 1 (UCL)
28   Poland 15.875
29   Kazakhstan 15.750 1 (UEL)
30   Slovakia 15.625 1 (UEL)
31   Slovenia 15.000 1 (UEL)
32   Belarus 12.500 1 (UEL)
33   Moldova 11.250
34   Lithuania 10.000 1 (UEL)
35   Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.125 1 (UEL)
36   Finland 8.875 1 (UEL)
37   Luxembourg 8.750 1 (UCL)
38   Latvia 8.625 1 (UCL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
39   Kosovo 8.166 3 1 (UCL)
40   Republic of Ireland 8.125 1 (UCL)
41   Armenia 8.125 1 (UCL)
42   Northern Ireland 8.083 1 (UCL)
43   Albania 8.000 1 (UCL)
44   Faroe Islands 7.250 1 (UEL)
45   Estonia 7.041 1 (UCL)
46   Malta 7.000 1 (UCL)
47   Georgia 7.000 1 (UCL)
48   North Macedonia 7.000 1 (UCL)
49   Liechtenstein 6.500 1 [Note LIE]
50   Wales 5.500 3 1 (UCL)
51   Gibraltar 5.416 2 1 (UCL)
52   Iceland 5.375 1 (UEL)
53   Montenegro 4.875 1 (UCL)
54   Andorra 4.665 1 (UCL)
55   San Marino 1.332 1 (UCL)

Distribution

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The following is the access list for this season.[10]

Access list for 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions League Teams transferred from Europa League
First qualifying round
(62 teams)
  • 16 domestic cup winners from associations 40–55
  • 25 domestic league runners-up from associations 30–55 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
  • 21 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 29–50 (except Liechtenstein)[Note LIE]
Second qualifying round
(106 teams)
Champions Path
(16 teams)
  • 13 teams eliminated from Champions League first qualifying round
  • 3 teams eliminated from Champions League preliminary round
Main Path
(90 teams)
  • 20 domestic cup winners from associations 20–39
  • 14 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–29
  • 16 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 13–28
  • 8 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–15 (except Russia)[Note RUS]
  • 1 domestic league fifth-placed team from association 6
  • 31 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(64 teams)
Champions Path
(10 teams)
  • 8 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 2 teams eliminated from Champions League first qualifying round
Main Path
(54 teams)
  • 3 domestic cup winners from associations 17–19
  • 5 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–12 (except Russia)[Note RUS]
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 6
  • 45 winners from the second qualifying round (Main Path)
Play-off round
(44 teams)
Champions Path
(10 teams)
  • 5 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
  • 5 teams eliminated from Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path)
Main Path
(34 teams)
  • 1 domestic league fifth-placed team from association 5
  • 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 2–4
  • 1 league cup winner from England
  • 27 winners from the third qualifying round (Main Path)
  • 2 teams eliminated from Europa League third qualifying round (Main Path)
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
  • 17 winners from the play-off round for (Main Path)
  • 10 teams eliminated from Europa League play-off round
Preliminary knockout round
(16 teams)
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage
  • 8 group third-placed teams from Europa League group stage
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 winners from the preliminary knockout round

Due to the suspension of Russia for the 2023–24 European season, the following changes to the access list were made:

  • The cup winners of association 16 (Czech Republic) entered the Europa League third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of associations 17 to 19 (Norway, Denmark and Croatia) entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.
  • The cup winners of associations 30 to 39 (Slovakia, Slovenia, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Luxembourg, Latvia and Kosovo) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.

Combining with the Champions League title holder (Manchester City) qualifying for the Champions League group stage via their domestic league, the following changes to the access list were made:

  • Two of the Champions League first qualifying round losers received byes and entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round.

Teams

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

  • CW: Domestic 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 Conference League play-offs winners
  • UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
    • PR: Losers from the preliminary round (F: final; SF: semi-finals)
  • UEL: Transferred from the Europa League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • CH/MP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/Main Path)

The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round were divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).

CC: 2023 UEFA club coefficients.[11]

Qualified teams for 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
Entry round Teams
Knockout round play-offs   Olympiacos (UEL GS)   Ajax (UEL GS)   Real Betis (UEL GS)   Sturm Graz (UEL GS)
  Union Saint-Gilloise (UEL GS)   Maccabi Haifa (UEL GS)   Servette (UEL GS)   Molde (UEL GS)
Group stage   Aberdeen (UEL PO)   Čukarički (UEL PO)   Zorya Luhansk (UEL PO)   Lugano (UEL PO)
  Dinamo Zagreb (UEL PO)   Ludogorets Razgrad (UEL PO)   Slovan Bratislava (UEL PO)   Olimpija Ljubljana (UEL PO)
  Zrinjski Mostar (UEL PO)   (UEL PO)
Play-off round CH   Astana (UEL CH Q3)   BATE Borisov (UEL CH Q3)   Žalgiris (UEL CH Q3)   HJK (UEL CH Q3)
  Breiðablik (UEL CH Q3)
MP   Aston Villa (7th)   Osasuna (7th)   Fiorentina (8th)[Note ITA]   Eintracht Frankfurt (7th)
  Lille (5th)   Dnipro-1 (UEL MP Q3)   Genk (UEL MP Q3)
Third qualifying round CH   Flora (UCL Q1)[Note UCL Q1]   Lincoln Red Imps (UCL Q1)[Note UCL Q1]
MP   Arouca (5th)   AZ (4th)   Rapid Wien (4th)   Heart of Midlothian (4th)
  Partizan (4th)   Dynamo Kyiv (4th)[Note UKR]   Brann (CW)   Nordsjælland (2nd)
  Hajduk Split (CW)
Second qualifying round CH   Farul Constanța (UCL Q1)   Ferencváros (UCL Q1)   Swift Hesperange (UCL Q1)   Valmiera (UCL Q1)
  Ballkani (UCL Q1)   Shamrock Rovers (UCL Q1)   Urartu (UCL Q1)   Larne (UCL Q1)
  Partizani (UCL Q1)   Ħamrun Spartans (UCL Q1)   Dinamo Tbilisi (UCL Q1)   Struga (UCL Q1)
  The New Saints (UCL Q1)   Budućnost Podgorica (UCL PR F)   Atlètic Club d'Escaldes (UCL PR SF)   Tre Penne (UCL PR SF)
MP   Vitória de Guimarães (6th)   Twente (PW)   Austria Wien (PW)   Hibernian (5th)
  Vojvodina (5th)   Vorskla Poltava (5th)[Note UKR]   Club Brugge (4th)   Gent (5th)
  Luzern (4th)   Basel (5th)   PAOK (4th)   Aris (5th)
  Viktoria Plzeň (3rd)   Bohemians 1905 (4th)   Bodø/Glimt (2nd)   Rosenborg (3rd)
  AGF (3rd)   Midtjylland (PW)   Osijek (3rd)   Rijeka (4th)
  Fenerbahçe (CW)   Beşiktaş (3rd)   Adana Demirspor (4th)   Omonia (CW)
  APOEL (2nd)   AEK Larnaca (3rd)   Beitar Jerusalem (CW)   Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2nd)
  Maccabi Tel Aviv (3rd)   Djurgårdens IF (2nd)   Hammarby IF (3rd)   Kalmar FF (4th)
  CSKA Sofia (2nd)   CSKA 1948 (3rd)   Levski Sofia (PW)   Sepsi OSK (CW)
  FCSB (2nd)   CFR Cluj (PW)   Gabala (CW)   Sabah (2nd)
  Neftçi (3rd)   Zalaegerszeg (CW)   Kecskemét (2nd)   Debrecen (3rd)
  Legia Warsaw (CW)   Lech Poznań (3rd)   Pogoń Szczecin (4th)   Ordabasy (CW)
  Aktobe (2nd)   Spartak Trnava (CW)   Celje (2nd)   Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (CW)
  Petrocub Hîncești (2nd)   Kauno Žalgiris (2nd)   Borac Banja Luka (2nd)   KuPS (CW)
  Differdange 03 (CW)   Auda (CW)   Drita (2nd)[Note KOS]
First qualifying round   Tobol (3rd)   DAC Dunajská Streda (2nd)   Žilina (PW)   Maribor (3rd)
  Domžale (4th)   Dinamo Minsk (4th)[Note BLR]   Neman Grodno (9th)[Note BLR]   Zimbru Chișinău (3rd)
  Milsami Orhei (4th)   Panevėžys (3rd)   Hegelmann (4th)   Željezničar (3rd)
  Sarajevo (4th)   Honka (3rd)   Haka (4th)   Progrès Niederkorn (2nd)
  F91 Dudelange (3rd)   Riga (2nd)   RFS (3rd)   Gjilani (3rd)
  Dukagjini (4th)[Note KOS]   Derry City (CW)   Dundalk (3rd)   St Patrick's Athletic (4th)
  Pyunik (2nd)   Ararat-Armenia (3rd)   Alashkert (4th)   Crusaders (CW)
  Linfield (2nd)   Glentoran (PW)   Egnatia (CW)   Tirana (2nd)
  Vllaznia (4th)   Víkingur (2nd)   HB Tórshavn (3rd)   B36 Tórshavn (4th)
  Narva Trans (CW)   FCI Levadia (2nd)   Paide Linnameeskond (3rd)   Birkirkara (CW)
  Gżira United (3rd)   Balzan (4th)   Torpedo Kutaisi (CW)   Dinamo Batumi (2nd)
  Dila Gori (3rd)   Makedonija (CW)   Shkupi (2nd)   Shkëndija (3rd)
  Vaduz (CW)   Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd)   Penybont (3rd)   Haverfordwest County (PW)
  Bruno's Magpies (CW)   Europa (2nd)   Víkingur Reykjavík (CW)   KA (2nd)
  Sutjeska (CW)   Arsenal Tivat (3rd)   Inter Club d'Escaldes (CW)   FC Santa Coloma (3rd)
  Cosmos (2nd)[Note SMR]   La Fiorita (3rd)[Note SMR]

One team not playing in a national top division took part in the competition: Vaduz (2nd tier).

Notes

  1. ^
    Champions League (UCL Q1): Two of the Champions League first qualifying round losers were drawn to receive byes to the third qualifying round (Champions Path), as two fewer losers were transferred to the second qualifying round (Champions Path), due to Champions League group stage berths vacated following the UCL title holders qualifying via league position and the suspension of Russia from the 2023–24 European season.
  2. ^
    Belarus (BLR): The winners (Shakhtyor Soligorsk) and runners-up (Energetik-BGU Minsk) of the 2022 Belarusian Premier League were both found guilty of match-fixing by the Football Federation of Belarus and were denied UEFA licenses. Fifth-placed Isloch Minsk Raion were also denied a UEFA license due to their involvement in another match-fixing scandal. The sixth- and seventh-placed teams, Minsk and Gomel did not apply for UEFA licences. As eighth-placed Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino had already qualified for the second qualifying round as cup winners, the Europa Conference League berth reserved for the usual third-placed team was passed down to the highest-placed team who were granted a UEFA license, Neman Grodno, who finished ninth.[12][13][14]
  3. ^
    Italy (ITA): Due to a violation of UEFA's financial regulations, the seventh-placed Juventus were excluded from UEFA men’s club competitions. Subsequently, Fiorentina, the eighth-placed team, took its place in the Europa Conference League.[15]
  4. ^
    Kosovo (KOS): Prishtina would have qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round as the winners of the 2022–23 Kosovar Cup, but failed to obtain a UEFA license. As a result, the berth reserved for the second qualifying round was given to the runner-up of the 2022–23 Football Superleague of Kosovo, Drita, who originally entered the first qualifying round, and the berth reserved for the first qualifying round was given to the fourth-placed team, Dukagjini.[16]
  5. ^
    Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all played in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
  6. ^
    Russia (RUS): On 28 February 2022, Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[17] The tables reflected Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[18]
  7. ^
    San Marino (SMR): Cup winners Virtus were found guilty of match-fixing and denied a UEFA license. The third-placed team of the league, La Fiorita, were selected as their replacement by the San Marino Football Federation.[19]
  8. ^
    Ukraine (UKR): The 2022–23 Ukrainian Cup was abandoned due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The berths reserved for the third and fourth-placed teams in the league were transferred to the fourth and fifth-placed teams in the league respectively.

Schedule

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The schedule of the competition was as follows.[20][21][22] Matches were scheduled for Thursdays apart from the final, which took place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally could take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Schedule for 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 20 June 2023 13 July 2023 20 July 2023
Second qualifying round 21 June 2023 27 July 2023 3 August 2023
Third qualifying round 24 July 2023 10 August 2023 17 August 2023
Play-offs Play-off round 7 August 2023 24 August 2023 31 August 2023
Group stage Matchday 1 1 September 2023 21 September 2023
Matchday 2 5 October 2023
Matchday 3 26 October 2023
Matchday 4 9 November 2023
Matchday 5 30 November 2023
Matchday 6 14 December 2023
Knockout phase Knockout round play-offs 18 December 2023 15 February 2024 22 February 2024
Round of 16 23 February 2024 7 March 2024 14 March 2024
Quarter-finals 15 March 2024 11 April 2024 18 April 2024
Semi-finals 2 May 2024 9 May 2024
Final 29 May 2024 at Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens

Qualifying rounds

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First qualifying round

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The draw for the first qualifying round was made on 20 June 2023. The first legs were played on 12 and 13 July, and the second legs were played on 18 and 20 July 2023.

The winners of the ties advanced to the Main Path second qualifying round. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sutjeska Nikšić   2–1   Cosmos 1–0 1–1
Domžale   4–5[A]   Balzan 1–4 3–1 (a.e.t.)
Vaduz   2–3   Neman Grodno 1–2 1–1
Ararat-Armenia   5–5 (4–2 p)   Egnatia 1–1 4–4 (a.e.t.)
Torpedo Kutaisi   3–3 (4–2 p)   Sarajevo 2–2 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Alashkert   7–2   Arsenal Tivat 1–1 6–1
Željezničar   4–3   Dinamo Minsk 2–2 2–1
La Fiorita   1–2   Zimbru Chișinău 1–1 0–1
Maribor   3–2   Birkirkara 1–1 2–1
Tirana   3–2   Dinamo Batumi 1–1 2–1
Bruno's Magpies   1–3[A]   Dundalk 0–0 1–3
Inter Club d'Escaldes   3–2[A]   Víkingur 2–1 1–1
Progrès Niederkorn   4–2   Gjilani 2–2 2–0
Linfield   3–2   Vllaznia 3–1 0–1
KA   4–0   Connah's Quay Nomads 2–0 2–0
Shkëndija   1–1 (2–3 p)   Haverfordwest County 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Haka   2–3   Crusaders 2–2 0–1
HB Tórshavn   0–1   Derry City 0–0 0–1
Riga   2–1   Víkingur Reykjavík 2–0 0–1
Žilina   4–2   FCI Levadia 2–1 2–1
Pyunik   5–0   Narva Trans 2–0 3–0
Panevėžys   3–2   Milsami Orhei 2–2 1–0
Tobol   2–1   Honka 2–1 0–0
DAC Dunajská Streda   2–3   Dila Gori 2–1 0–2
Makedonija GP   1–5   RFS 0–1 1–4
Dukagjini   5–3   Europa 2–1 3–2
Penybont   1–3   FC Santa Coloma 1–1 0–2 (a.e.t.)
Hegelmann   0–5   Shkupi 0–5 0–0
F91 Dudelange   5–3   St Patrick's Athletic 2–1 3–2
B36 Tórshavn   2–0   Paide Linnameeskond 0–0 2–0 (a.e.t.)
Gżira United   3–3 (14–13 p)   Glentoran 2–2 1–1 (a.e.t.)
  1. ^ a b c Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Second qualifying round

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The draw for the second qualifying round was made on 21 June 2023. The first legs were played on 25, 26 and 27 July, and the second legs were played on 1, 2 and 3 August 2023.

The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Lincoln Red Imps   Bye N/A
Flora   Bye N/A
Tre Penne   0–10   Valmiera 0–3 0–7
Ferencváros   6–0   Shamrock Rovers 4–0 2–0
The New Saints   3–4   Swift Hesperange 1–1 2–3
Atlètic Club d'Escaldes   1–5   Partizani 0–1 1–4
Ħamrun Spartans   3–1   Dinamo Tbilisi 2–1 1–0
Farul Constanța   6–4   Urartu 3–2 3–2
Struga   5–3   Budućnost Podgorica 1–0 4–3
Ballkani   7–1   Larne 3–0 4–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Dukagjini   1–7[A]   Rijeka 0–1 1–6
Gżira United   3–2   F91 Dudelange 2–0 1–2
Djurgårdens IF   2–3   Luzern 1–2 1–1
Celje   4–4 (4–2 p)   Vitória de Guimarães 3–4 1–0 (a.e.t.)
Sutjeska Nikšić   2–3   FC Santa Coloma 2–0 0–3 (a.e.t.)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva   2–1   Panevėžys 1–0 1–1
Vorskla Poltava   3–4   Dila Gori 2–1 1–3
CFR Cluj   2–3   Adana Demirspor 1–1 1–2
Ordabasy   4–5   Legia Warsaw 2–2 2–3
RFS   1–4   Sabah 0–2 1–2
Beşiktaş   5–1   Tirana 3–1 2–0
Željezničar   2–4   Neftçi 2–2 0–2
APOEL   4–2   Vojvodina 2–1 2–1
CSKA 1948   2–4   FCSB 0–1 2–3
Alashkert   2–2 (1–3 p)   Debrecen 0–1 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Lech Poznań   5–2   Kauno Žalgiris 3–1 2–1
Kalmar FF   2–4   Pyunik 1–2 1–2
Bodø/Glimt   7–2   Bohemians 1905 3–0 4–2
Auda   2–5   Spartak Trnava 1–1 1–4
Osijek   3–1   Zalaegerszeg 1–0 2–1
Twente   2–1   Hammarby IF 1–0 1–1 (a.e.t.)
KA   5–3   Dundalk 3–1 2–2
Club Brugge   3–1   AGF 3–0 0–1
Crusaders   4–5   Rosenborg 2–2 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Inter Club d'Escaldes   3–7[A]   Hibernian 2–1 1–6
Viktoria Plzeň   2–1   Drita 0–0 2–1
B36 Tórshavn   3–2   Haverfordwest County 2–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Basel   3–4   Tobol 1–3 2–1
Differdange   4–5   Maribor 1–1 3–4 (a.e.t.)
Austria Wien   3–1   Borac Banja Luka 1–0 2–1
CSKA Sofia   0–6   Sepsi OSK 0–2 0–4
Ararat-Armenia   1–2   Aris 1–1 0–1
Maccabi Tel Aviv   5–0   Petrocub Hîncești 3–0 2–0
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino   3–4   AEK Larnaca 2–3 1–1
Torpedo Kutaisi   3–5   Aktobe 1–4 2–1
Midtjylland   3–2   Progrès Niederkorn 2–0 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Derry City   5–4   KuPS 2–1 3–3
Gent   10–3   Žilina 5–1 5–2
Kecskemét   3–4   Riga 2–1 1–3 (a.e.t.)
Linfield   4–8   Pogoń Szczecin 2–5 2–3
PAOK   4–1   Beitar Jerusalem 0–0 4–1
Neman Grodno   2–0[A]   Balzan 2–0 0–0
Fenerbahçe   9–0   Zimbru Chișinău 5–0 4–0
Gabala   3–7   Omonia 2–3 1–4
Shkupi   0–3   Levski Sofia 0–2 0–1

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Third qualifying round

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The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 24 July 2023. The first legs were played on 9 and 10 August, and the second legs were played on 16 and 17 August 2023.

The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Ħamrun Spartans   2–8   Ferencváros 1–6 1–2
Farul Constanța   5–0   Flora 3–0 2–0
Valmiera   1–3   Partizani 1–2 0–1
Ballkani   5–1   Lincoln Red Imps 2–0 3–1
Struga   4–3   Swift Hesperange 3–1 1–2
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
AEK Larnaca   1–2   Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–1 0–1
Sabah   2–2 (4–5 p)   Partizan 2–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)
Sepsi OSK   2–1   Aktobe 1–1 1–0
Rapid Wien   5–0   Debrecen 0–0 5–0
Hajduk Split   0–3   PAOK 0–0 0–3
FC Santa Coloma   0–3   AZ 0–1 0–2
Celje   5–1   Neman Grodno 1–0 4–1
Neftçi   2–5[A]   Beşiktaş 1–3 1–2
Omonia   2–5   Midtjylland 1–0 1–5
Aris   2–2 (5–6 p)   Dynamo Kyiv 1–0 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Legia Warsaw   6–5   Austria Wien 1–2 5–3
Hapoel Be'er Sheva   1–2   Levski Sofia 0–0 1–2
Hibernian   5–3   Luzern 3–1 2–2
Viktoria Plzeň   6–0   Gżira United 4–0 2–0
Arouca   3–4   Brann 2–1 1–3
Gent   6–2   Pogoń Szczecin 5–0 1–2
Adana Demirspor   7–4   Osijek 5–1 2–3
B36 Tórshavn   1–5   Rijeka 1–3 0–2
Twente   5–0   Riga 2–0 3–0
Rosenborg   3–4   Heart of Midlothian 2–1 1–3
Fenerbahçe   6–1   Maribor 3–1 3–0
Club Brugge   10–2   KA 5–1 5–1
Dila Gori   0–3   APOEL 0–2 0–1
Lech Poznań   3–4   Spartak Trnava 2–1 1–3
FCSB   0–2   Nordsjælland 0–0 0–2
Tobol   1–1 (6–5 p)   Derry City 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Bodø/Glimt   6–0   Pyunik 3–0 3–0
  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Play-off round

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The draw for the play-off round was held on 7 August 2023. The first legs were played on 23 and 24 August, and the second legs were played on 31 August 2023.

The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were eliminated from European competitions for the season.

In this season, the video assistant referee (VAR) was used from this stage.[23]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Champions Path
Ballkani   4–2   BATE Borisov 4–1 0–1
Žalgiris   0–7   Ferencváros 0–4 0–3
Struga   0–2   Breiðablik 0–1 0–1
Farul Constanța   2–3   HJK 2–1 0–2
Astana   2–1   Partizani 1–0 1–1
Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Main Path
Levski Sofia   1–3   Eintracht Frankfurt 1–1 0–2
Gent   4–1[A]   APOEL 2–0 2–1
Spartak Trnava   3–2   Dnipro-1 1–1 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Sepsi OSK   4–5   Bodø/Glimt 2–2 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Tobol   1–5   Viktoria Plzeň 1–2 0–3
Hibernian   0–8   Aston Villa 0–5 0–3
Midtjylland   4–4 (5–6 p)   Legia Warsaw 3–3 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Lille   3–2   Rijeka 2–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Genk   2–2 (5–4 p)   Adana Demirspor 2–1 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Fenerbahçe   6–1   Twente 5–1 1–0
Dynamo Kyiv   2–4   Beşiktaş 2–3 0–1
AZ   4–4 (6–5 p)   Brann 1–1 3–3 (a.e.t.)
Rapid Wien   1–2   Fiorentina 1–0 0–2
Heart of Midlothian   1–6   PAOK 1–2 0–4
Nordsjælland   6–0   Partizan 5–0 1–0
Osasuna   3–4   Club Brugge 1–2 2–2
Maccabi Tel Aviv   5–2   Celje 4–1 1–1
  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Group stage

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Location of teams of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage
  Brown: Group A;   Red: Group B;   Orange: Group C;   Yellow: Group D;
  Green: Group E;   Blue: Group F;   Purple: Group G;   Pink: Group H.
Location of Benelux and nearby team of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.
  Red: Group B;   Yellow: Group D;
  Green: Group E;   Blue: Group F.

The draw for the group stage was held on 1 September 2023, 14:30 CEST, in Monaco. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their Club coefficients (CC).[24] Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.

All teams besides AZ, Ballkani, Bodø/Glimt, Fiorentina, Gent, HJK, Maccabi Tel Aviv, PAOK, Slovan Bratislava and Zorya Luhansk made their debut appearances in the group stage. Breiðablik, Čukarički, , Olimpija Ljubljana and Zrinjski Mostar all made their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Breiðablik, KÍ and Zrinjski Mostar were the first teams from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively, to play in a UEFA competition group stage. Breiðablik also became the first ever team to qualify for the group stages of a UEFA club competition after starting in a preliminary round.

A total of 28 national associations were represented in the group stage.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LOSC SLO LJU
1   Lille 6 4 2 0 10 2 8 14 Advance to round of 16 2–1 2–0 3–0
2   Slovan Bratislava 6 3 1 2 8 7 1 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–1 1–2 2–1
3   Olimpija Ljubljana 6 2 0 4 4 9 −5 6 0–2 0–1 2–0
4   6 1 1 4 5 9 −4 4 0–0 1–2 3–0
Source: UEFA

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MTA GNT ZOR BRE
1   Maccabi Tel Aviv 6 5 0 1 14 9 5 15 Advance to round of 16 3–1 3–2 3–2
2   Gent 6 4 1 1 16 7 9 13 Advance to knockout round play-offs 2–0 4–1 5–0
3   Zorya Luhansk 6 2 1 3 10 11 −1 7 1–3 1–1 4–0
4   Breiðablik 6 0 0 6 5 18 −13 0 1–2 2–3 0–1
Source: UEFA

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PLZ DZG AST BAL
1   Viktoria Plzeň 6 6 0 0 9 1 8 18 Advance to round of 16 1–0 3–0 1–0
2   Dinamo Zagreb 6 3 0 3 10 5 5 9 Advance to knockout round play-offs 0–1 5–1 3–0
3   Astana 6 1 1 4 4 13 −9 4[a] 1–2 0–2 0–0
4   Ballkani 6 1 1 4 3 7 −4 4[a] 0–1 2–0 1–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Ranked on head-to-head points: Astana 4, Ballkani 1.

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BRU BOD BEŞ LUG
1   Club Brugge 6 5 1 0 15 3 12 16 Advance to round of 16 3–1 1–1 2–0
2   Bodø/Glimt 6 3 1 2 11 8 3 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 0–1 3–1 5–2
3   Beşiktaş 6 1 1 4 7 14 −7 4[a] 0–5 1–2 2–3
4   Lugano 6 1 1 4 6 14 −8 4[a] 1–3 0–0 0–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Ranked on head-to-head goal difference: Beşiktaş 1, Lugano –1.

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AVL LEG AZ ZRI
1   Aston Villa 6 4 1 1 12 7 5 13 Advance to round of 16 2–1 2–1 1–0
2   Legia Warsaw 6 4 0 2 10 6 4 12 Advance to knockout round play-offs 3–2 2–0 2–0
3   AZ 6 2 0 4 7 12 −5 6 1–4 1–0 1–0
4   Zrinjski Mostar 6 1 1 4 6 10 −4 4 1–1 1–2 4–3
Source: UEFA

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FIO FER GNK ČUK
1   Fiorentina 6 3 3 0 14 6 8 12 Advance to round of 16 2–2 2–1 6–0
2   Ferencváros 6 2 4 0 9 6 3 10 Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–1 1–1 3–1
3   Genk 6 2 3 1 8 5 3 9 2–2 0–0 2–0
4   Čukarički 6 0 0 6 2 16 −14 0 0–1 1–2 0–2
Source: UEFA

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAOK FRA ABE HJK
1   PAOK 6 5 1 0 16 10 6 16 Advance to round of 16 2–1 2–2 4–2
2   Eintracht Frankfurt 6 3 0 3 11 7 4 9 Advance to knockout round play-offs 1–2 2–1 6–0
3   Aberdeen 6 1 3 2 10 10 0 6 2–3 2–0 1–1
4   HJK 6 0 2 4 7 17 −10 2 2–3 0–1 2–2
Source: UEFA

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FEN LUD NOR TRN
1   Fenerbahçe 6 4 0 2 13 11 2 12[a] Advance to round of 16 3–1 3–1 4–0
2   Ludogorets Razgrad 6 4 0 2 11 11 0 12[a] Advance to knockout round play-offs 2–0 1–0 4–0
3   Nordsjælland 6 3 1 2 17 7 10 10 6–1 7–1 1–1
4   Spartak Trnava 6 0 1 5 3 15 −12 1 1–2 1–2 0–2
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference used as a tiebreaker.

Knockout phase

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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 knockout round play-offs, the eight group runners-up were seeded, and the eight Europa League group third-placed teams were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners were seeded, and the eight winners of the knockout round play-offs were unseeded. Again, the seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from 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 would be designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

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Knockout round play-offsRound of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
  Ajax000
  Ajax (a.e.t.)224  Aston Villa044
  Aston Villa (p)213 (4)
  Bodø/Glimt213
  Lille123 (3)
  Sturm Graz011
  Sturm Graz415  Lille314
  Aston Villa202
  Slovan Bratislava101
  Olympiacos426
  Olympiacos (a.e.t.)167
  Olympiacos112  Maccabi Tel Aviv415
  Olympiacos (p)303 (3)
  Ferencváros000
  Fenerbahçe213 (2)
  Union Saint-Gilloise011
29 May – Athens
  Union Saint-Gilloise224  Fenerbahçe303
  Olympiacos1
  Eintracht Frankfurt213
  Fiorentina0
  Servette000 (1)
  Servette011  Viktoria Plzeň (p)000 (3)
  Viktoria Plzeň000
  Ludogorets Razgrad000
  Fiorentina (a.e.t.)022
  Maccabi Haifa314
  Maccabi Haifa112  Fiorentina415
  Fiorentina314
  Gent011
  Club Brugge213
  Molde202
  Molde336  Club Brugge134
  Club Brugge123
  Legia Warsaw022
  PAOK000
  Dinamo Zagreb213
  Real Betis011  PAOK055
  Dinamo Zagreb112

Knockout round play-offs

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The draw for the knockout round play-offs was held on 18 December 2023, 14:00 CET.[25] The first legs were played on 15 February, and the second legs were played on 21 and 22 February 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sturm Graz   5–1   Slovan Bratislava 4–1 1–0
Servette   1–0   Ludogorets Razgrad 0–0 1–0
Union Saint-Gilloise   4–3   Eintracht Frankfurt 2–2 2–1
Real Betis   1–2   Dinamo Zagreb 0–1 1–1
Olympiacos   2–0   Ferencváros 1–0 1–0
Ajax   4–3   Bodø/Glimt 2–2 2–1 (a.e.t.)
Molde   6–2   Legia Warsaw 3–2 3–0
Maccabi Haifa   2–1   Gent 1–0 1–1

Round of 16

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The draw for the round of 16 was held on 23 February 2024, 13:00 CET.[26] The first legs were played on 7 March, and the second legs were played on 14 March 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Servette   0–0 (1–3 p)   Viktoria Plzeň 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Ajax   0–4   Aston Villa 0–0 0–4
Molde   2–4   Club Brugge 2–1 0–3
Union Saint-Gilloise   1–3   Fenerbahçe 0–3 1–0
Dinamo Zagreb   3–5   PAOK 2–0 1–5
Sturm Graz   1–4   Lille 0–3 1–1
Maccabi Haifa   4–5   Fiorentina 3–4 1–1
Olympiacos   7–5   Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–4 6–1 (a.e.t.)

Quarter-finals

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Fenerbahçe v Olympiacos penalty shoot-out.

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 15 March 2024, 14:00 CET.[27] The first legs were played on 11 April, and the second legs were played on 18 April 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Club Brugge   3–0   PAOK 1–0 2–0
Olympiacos   3–3 (3–2 p)   Fenerbahçe 3–2 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Aston Villa   3–3 (4–3 p)   Lille 2–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)
Viktoria Plzeň   0–2   Fiorentina 0–0 0–2 (a.e.t.)

Semi-finals

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The draw for the semi-finals was held on 15 March 2024, 14:00 CET, after the quarter-final draw.[27] The first legs were played on 2 May, and the second legs were played on 8 and 9 May 2024.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Aston Villa   2–6   Olympiacos 2–4 0–2
Fiorentina   4–3   Club Brugge 3–2 1–1

Final

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The final was played on 29 May 2024 at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece. A draw was held on 15 March 2024, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.[27]

Olympiacos  1–0 (a.e.t.)  Fiorentina
  • El Kaabi   116'
Report

Statistics

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Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

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Olympiacos forward Ayoub El Kaabi finished the tournament as the top scorer with 11 goals, and was named the inaugural Europa Conference League Player of the Season

.

Rank[29] Player Team Goals Minutes played
1   Ayoub El Kaabi   Olympiacos 11 845
2   Eran Zahavi   Maccabi Tel Aviv 8 726
3   Bruno Petković   Dinamo Zagreb 7 608
4   Hans Vanaken   Club Brugge 6 990
5   Fredrik Gulbrandsen   Molde 5 349
  Benjamin Nygren   Nordsjælland 368
  Gift Orban   Gent 389
  Yusuf Yazıcı   Lille 663
  Dor Peretz   Maccabi Tel Aviv 750
  Ollie Watkins   Aston Villa 755
  Igor Thiago   Club Brugge 758

Team of the Season

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The UEFA technical study group selected the following players as the team of the tournament.[30]

Pos. Player Team
GK   Pietro Terracciano   Fiorentina
DF   Dodô   Fiorentina
  Robin Hranáč   Viktoria Plzeň
  David Carmo   Olympiacos
  Cristiano Biraghi   Fiorentina
MF   Hans Vanaken   Club Brugge
  Kostas Fortounis   Olympiacos
  John McGinn   Aston Villa
FW   Leon Bailey   Aston Villa
  Ayoub El Kaabi   Olympiacos
  Daniel Podence   Olympiacos

Player of the Season

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Young Player of the Season

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Olympiacos's Ayoub El Kaabi named 2023/24 Europa Conference League Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Club Brugge's Thiago named 2023/24 Europa Conference League Young Player of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Lisbon to host UEFA Women's Champions League final in 2025". Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ Burrows, Ben (28 June 2023). "UEFA Europa Conference League to be renamed". The Athletic. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  5. ^ "UEFA Europa Conference League to be renamed UEFA Conference League next season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  6. ^ "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  7. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (13 March 2021). "New-look Champions League is a pointless waste of time that will destroy the drama". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Country coefficients 2021/22". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Access list 2021–24" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Club coefficients 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations.
  12. ^ "БАТЭ не стане чэмпіёнам Беларусі, але будзе заяўляцца ў Лігу чэмпіёнаў". Tribuna. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Решение Комитета по клубному лицензированию АБФФ". ABFF. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  14. ^ "«Ислочь» пропустит предстоящий еврокубковый сезон". FC Isloch. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ "The CFCB concludes its proceedings against Juventus and Chelsea FC". UEFA. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Komisioni i Shkallës së Dytë refuzon ankesën e FC Prishtina". FFKosovo. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian clubs and national teams". BBC.co.uk. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  18. ^ "UEFA decisions for upcoming competitions relating to the ongoing suspension of Russian national teams and clubs" (Press release). Nyon: UEFA. 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  19. ^ "La UEFA ci esclude dalla Conference League 23/24" (in Italian). 15 June 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  20. ^ "2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League: Matches, final, key dates". UEFA. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  21. ^ "International match calendar and access list for the 2023/24 season". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 65/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  22. ^ "2023 European football calendar: Match and draw dates for all UEFA competitions". UEFA. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Does the Europa Conference League have VAR?". UEFA. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  24. ^ "UEFA 5-year Club Ranking 2023". kassiesa.bet.
  25. ^ UEFA.com (18 December 2023). "UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round play-off draw: Olympiacos vs Ferencváros, Ajax vs Bodø/Glimt | UEFA Europa Conference League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  26. ^ "UEFA Europa Conference League last-16 draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations.
  27. ^ a b c "UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final, semi-final and final draws: All you need to know". UEFA.com. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Full Time Report Final – Olympiacos v Fiorentina" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  29. ^ "UEFA Europa Conference League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  30. ^ "2023/24 Europa Conference League Team of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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