UEFA Europa League 2023–24

Lore & Background

Atalanta won their first European title by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3–0 in the final. They became the first Italian team to win the competition since Parma in 1999. Their win denied Leverkusen's bid to win a treble and complete the entire season unbeaten across all competitions.

In Their Own Story

The lights of the Gewiss Stadium hummed against the cold Bergamasco night. Fans clad in black and blue pressed against the barriers, their chants echoing off the stands as the final whistle approached. On the pitch, players sprinted through the fading light, legs heavy but eyes fixed on the goal. It was a battle not just for points, but for pride against a side destined for history books.

Reader's Guide

The competition involved 57 teams from 34 UEFA member associations. The group stage featured 32 teams in eight groups of four. The knockout phase included a knockout round play-offs, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a single-match final. The final was played on 22 May 2024 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Did You Know?

• Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3–0 in the final.
• Atalanta became the first Italian team to win the competition since Parma in 1999.
• This was the final season with the 32-team group stage format.
• Sevilla were the defending champions but were eliminated in the group stage of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League.

The Historic Final in Dublin

The 2023–24 UEFA Europa League concluded with a dramatic final at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, marking a significant milestone for Italian football. Atalanta secured their first-ever European title by defeating German side Bayer Leverkusen with a commanding 3–0 scoreline. The match also served as a heartbreaking conclusion to Leverkusen's remarkable campaign; their defeat denied them the chance to complete an unprecedented treble and finish the entire season without a single loss across all competitions.

A Farewell to the Traditional Format

The 2023–24 season represented the final chapter for the tournament's long-standing structure, serving as the last edition featuring a group stage limited to exactly thirty-two teams. UEFA had announced a major overhaul for the subsequent year, introducing a new Swiss-style format that would fundamentally alter how clubs progress through European competition. Consequently, this specific season was unique in allowing transfers of teams from the Champions League group stage into the Europa League, a pathway that will no longer exist under the upcoming regulations. Additionally, the traditional opportunity for the tournament winners to defend their title in the following year's competition is being removed starting with the next cycle. This structural shift meant that while defending champions Sevilla were eliminated early after failing to qualify from the Champions League group stage, future winners would face a different competitive landscape entirely.

Global Participation and Allocation

This edition of the tournament showcased an extensive reach across European football, involving fifty-seven teams representing thirty-four of UEFA's fifty-five member associations. A total of thirty-six clubs dropped down from Europe's elite competition, ensuring a high level of quality throughout the tournament. Notably, the suspension of Russia for the season necessitated specific adjustments to the access list, altering entry points for cup winners from associations like Belgium and Switzerland. The format also granted an automatic berth in the Europa League to the holders of the UEFA Europa Conference League, provided they had not already secured Champions League qualification through domestic league performance.

Group Stage Dynamics and Debutants

The group stage draw, held in Monaco on September 1, 2023, distributed thirty-two teams into eight groups based on club coefficients, with West Ham United placed in Pot 1 as the defending Conference League champions. This phase marked a historic moment for several clubs making their European debuts; Brighton & Hove Albion appeared in continental competition for the first time ever, while Aris Limassol, BK Häcken, Raków Częstochowa, Servette, and TSC reached the group stage of a UEFA tournament for the first time. The draw ensured that teams from the same national association were separated into different groups to maintain competitive balance. Ultimately, twenty-one distinct national associations were represented in this round, highlighting the diverse nature of the competition before it transitioned into the two-legged knockout phase where group runners-up faced Champions League dropouts.