The 2019/20 edition ends in Gdansk on 27 May 2020. Get the lowdown on the who, what, where and when.


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When does it start?
The new season kicks off on 27 June with the first legs of the preliminary round – just 29 days after Chelsea lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy for the second time in Baku. Three further qualifying rounds follow before the play-offs at the end of August confirm the group stage line-up. That phase begins on 19 September and runs every two or three weeks until 12 December. The knockout stage gets under way on 20 February, with the season culminating in Gdansk on 27 May 2020.

How does qualifying work?
Seventeen of the 48 teams that will contest the 2019/20 group stage are confirmed. They will be joined in August by the 21 play-off winners as well as the ten teams eliminated in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and play-offs.

There are two UEFA Europa League qualifying paths:
Champions path – This route consists of teams eliminated in the UEFA Champions League champions path between the preliminary round and the third qualifying round. Eight teams will reach the group stage by this route.
Main path – This route consists of the remaining UEFA Europa League entrants from all 55 associations plus teams eliminated from the UEFA Champions League league path second qualifying round. Thirteen teams will reach the group stage by this route.

Who are the 17 teams already in the group stage?*

ESP: Getafe, Sevilla
ENG: Arsenal, Manchester United
ITA: Lazio, Roma
GER: Mönchengladbach, Wolfsburg
FRA: Rennes, Saint-Étienne
RUS: CSKA Moskva
POR: Sporting CP
UKR: Olexandriya
BEL: KV Mechelen
TUR: Beşiktaş
AUT: Wolfsberg
SUI: Lugano

When are the draws?

11 June: Preliminary round draw (main path), Nyon
18 June: First qualifying round draw (main path), Nyon
19 June: Second qualifying round draw (champions and main paths), Nyon
22 July: Third qualifying round draw, Nyon
5 August: Play-off round draw, Nyon
30 August: Group stage draw, Monaco
16 December: Round of 32 draw, Nyon
28 February: Round of 16 draw, Nyon
20 March: Quarter-final and semi-final draws, Nyon

Where is the final?

The distinctive Gdansk Stadium will stage the final on 27 May 2020. Opened in 2011, the ground hosted four games at UEFA EURO 2012: three group stage fixtures and Germany’s 4-2 quarter-final win against Greece. It is the home stadium of UEFA Europa League second qualifying round entrants Lechia Gdańsk and has also served as the venue for a number of Poland’s international friendlies.