2024–25 UEFA Conference League
 The Wrocław Stadium in Wrocław will host the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 10 July – 29 August 2024 Competition proper: 2 October 2024 – 28 May 2025 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 24+12 Total: 110+54 (from 54 associations) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 205 (2.85 per match) |
| Attendance | 798,450 (11,090 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea) Afimico Pululu (Jagiellonia Białystok) 5 goals each |
← 2023–24 2025–26 →
All statistics correct as of 28 November 2024. | |
The 2024–25 UEFA Conference League is the fourth season of the UEFA Conference League, Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. This will be the first UEFA Conference League played under a new format involving a 36-team league phase.[1] This will increase the total number of matches played in the competition proper from 141 to 153. The new format also does not allow teams to transfer from the Europa League league or knockout phase to the Conference League knockout phase, and thus Conference League winners (Olympiacos in the 2023–24 edition) can no longer defend their title as the winner of the Conference League automatically qualifies for the Europa League league phase. From this season, the competition is renamed from the UEFA Europa Conference League to the UEFA Conference League.[2] The final will be played at the Wrocław Stadium in Wrocław, Poland.[3] The winners of the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League league phase, unless they qualify for the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League through their league performance. In such case, the access list will be rebalanced.
Association team allocation
A total of 164 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations are expected to participate in the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League. The association ranking based on the UEFA association coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[4]
- Associations 1–12 each have one team.
- Associations 13–33 and 51–55 (except Russia)[Note RUS] each have two teams.
- Associations 34–50 each have three teams (except Liechtenstein, which has one).[Note LIE]
- 14 teams eliminated from the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League and 41 teams eliminated from the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League will be transferred to the Conference League.
Association ranking
For the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2023 UEFA association coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2018–19 to 2022–23.[5] Apart from the allocation based on the association coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Conference League, as noted below:
- (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
- (UEL) – Additional/vacated teams transferred from/to the UEFA Europa League
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Distribution
The following is the access list for this season.
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League | Teams transferred from Europa League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First qualifying round (50 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round (98 teams) |
Champions path (12 teams) |
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| League path (86 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round (60 teams) |
Champions path (8 teams) |
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| League path (52 teams) |
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| Play-off round (48 teams) |
Champions path (10 teams) |
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| League path (38 teams) |
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| League phase (36 teams) |
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The information here reflects the ongoing suspension of Russia in European football, and so the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- The cup winners of associations 39 to 44 (Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Faroe Islands and Northern Ireland) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
- As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there will be one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) so one transferred team will receive a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
As the Champions League title holders (Real Madrid) qualified for the Champions League via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- As a result of corresponding changes to the Champions League access list, there will be one fewer loser from the Champions League first qualifying round (two fewer in total) transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round (Champions Path) so one transferred team (two in total) will receive a bye to the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
As the Europa Conference League title holders (Olympiacos) entered the Europa League, the berth they qualified for via league position (Conference League second qualifying round) was vacated, and the following changes to the default access list have been made:
- The cup winners of associations 45 (Malta) and 46 (Georgia) entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round.
Teams
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 Conference League play-offs winners
- UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- UEL: Transferred from the Europa League
- PO: Losers from the play-off round
- CH/MP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/Main Path)
- MP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Main Path)
- MP Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round (Main Path)
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
Three teams not playing in a national top division took part in the competition: Corvinul Hunedoara (2nd tier), Vaduz (2nd tier) and Wisła Kraków (2nd tier). Notes
- ^ Champions League (UCL Q1): Two of the Champions League first qualifying round losers will be 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 league phase berths vacated following the Champions League Title Holders (Real Madrid) qualifying via league position and the suspension of Russia from the 2024–25 European season.
- ^ Albania (ALB): Skënderbeu, who finished third in the 2023–24 Kategoria Superiore, are currently banned from entering UEFA competitions. As a result, their berth in the competition was passed onto the fifth placed team, Tirana.
- ^ Georgia (GEO): Georgian Cup winners FC Saburtalo Tbilisi changed their name to FC Iberia 1999 on 27 February 2024.
- ^ Greece (GRE): Olympiacos qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league phase by winning the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, so their third place berth is vacated.
- ^ Latvia (LVA): Valmiera, who finished 4th in the 2023 Latvian Higher League, were denied a UEFA license. As a result, their place in the competition was passed onto the 5th-placed team, Liepāja.
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The seven teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) all play in the Swiss football league system. The only competition organised by the LFV is the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualify for the UEFA Conference League for the 2024–25 season.
- ^ Lithuania (LTU): Due to the three-year rule, cup winners FK TransINVEST were not expected to compete as they were less than three years old. However, they were granted an exception and allowed to participate in European competitions.[6]
- ^ Luxembourg (LUX): Swift Hesperange, who finished second, were denied a UEFA license. Consequently, their place in the competition was passed onto the next highest-ranked team granted a UEFA licence by the FLF, UNA Strassen, who finished sixth.
- ^ 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.[7] The tables reflect Russia's ongoing suspension from UEFA competitions.[8]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows.[9][10] Matches are scheduled for Thursdays, with an exclusive day of December 19, apart from the final, which takes place on a Wednesday, though exceptionally can take place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays due to scheduling conflicts.[11][12][13]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 18 June 2024 | 11 July 2024 | 18 July 2024 |
| Second qualifying round | 19 June 2024 | 25 July 2024 | 1 August 2024 | |
| Third qualifying round | 22 July 2024 | 8 August 2024 | 15 August 2024 | |
| Play-offs | Play-off round | 5 August 2024 | 22 August 2024 | 29 August 2024 |
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 30 August 2024 | 3 October 2024 | |
| Matchday 2 | 24 October 2024 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 7 November 2024 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 28 November 2024 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 12 December 2024 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 19 December 2024 | |||
| Knockout phase | Knockout phase play-offs | 20 December 2024 | 13 February 2025 | 20 February 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 21 February 2025 | 6 March 2025 | 13 March 2025 | |
| Quarter-finals | 10 April 2025 | 17 April 2025 | ||
| Semi-finals | 1 May 2025 | 8 May 2025 | ||
| Final | 28 May 2025 at Wrocław Stadium, Wrocław | |||
Qualifying rounds
First qualifying round
{{#lst:2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round|Q1}}
Second qualifying round
{{#lst:2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round|Q2}}
Third qualifying round
{{#lst:2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round|Q3}}
Play-off round
{{#lst:2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round|PO}}
League phase
The league phase draw for the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League took place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 30 August 2024, 14:30 CEST.[14][15] The 36 teams were divided into six pots of six teams each based on their UEFA club coefficient. The 36 teams were manually drawn and then automated software digitally drew their six different opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones away. Each team will face one opponent from each of the six pots. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association.[16][17] Borac Banja Luka, Celje, Cercle Brugge, 1. FC Heidenheim, Jagiellonia Białystok, Larne, Noah, Pafos, Petrocub Hîncești, The New Saints, and Víkingur Reykjavík will make their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase. Noah became the first club in Conference League history to successfully navigate all four rounds of qualification, while The New Saints and Larne are the first teams from the Wales and Northern Ireland associations, respectively, to play in a major UEFA competition group or league stage.[note 1] A total of 29 national associations will be represented in the league phase.
Table
The top eight ranked teams will receive a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chelsea (T)
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 12 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) |
| 2 |  Legia Warsaw (T)
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | +11 | 12 | |
| 3 | Jagiellonia Białystok (T)
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4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 10 | |
| 4 |  Rapid Wien (T)
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4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 10 | |
| 5 |  Vitória de Guimarães (T)
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4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 10 | |
| 6 |  Fiorentina
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4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 9 | |
| 7 |  Olimpija Ljubljana
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4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | |
| 8 |  Lugano
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4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 9 | |
| 9 |  1. FC Heidenheim
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4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) |
| 10 |  Shamrock Rovers
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4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | |
| 11 |  Cercle Brugge
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4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 7 | |
| 12 |  Djurgårdens IF
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4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | |
| 13 |  APOEL
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4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | |
| 14 |  Víkingur Reykjavík
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4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | |
| 15 |  Borac Banja Luka
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4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| 16 | Pafos
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4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 17 |  Heart of Midlothian
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4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) |
| 18 | Gent
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4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 6 | |
| 19 |  Copenhagen
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4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | |
| 20 | Celje
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 4 | |
| 21 |  TSC
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4 | |
| 22 |  Real Betis
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 | |
| 23 |  Astana
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 4 | |
| 24 |  Panathinaikos
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 4 | |
| 25 | St. Gallen
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 4 | |
| 26 |  Noah
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4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 4 | |
| 27 |  Molde
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 28 | Omonia
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 29 |  The New Saints
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 | |
| 30 |  Mladá Boleslav
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | |
| 31 |  HJK
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4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 3 | |
| 32 | LASK (Y)
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4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 2 | |
| 33 |  İstanbul Başakşehir (Y)
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4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 2 | |
| 34 |  Petrocub Hîncești (Y)
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4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 1 | |
| 35 |  Dinamo Minsk (Y)
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4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 | |
| 36 |  Larne (Y)
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4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
Rules for classification: League phase tiebreakers
(T) Qualified, but not yet for the phase indicated; (Y) Cannot advance to round of 16 automatically, but may still via the play-offs (seeded)
Notes:
Results
Knockout phase
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout phase and will receive a bye to the round of 16, while the teams finishing in 9th to 24th place will compete in a two-legged first round play-off to secure their path to the round of 16, with teams ranked 9th–16th being seeded and hosting the second leg at home while teams ranked 17th to 24th hosting the first leg. The winners will join the top eight, and host the first leg at home, in the round of 16. Meanwhile, teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from all competitions.[1]
Final
TBD  | v | TBD |
|---|---|---|
Statistics
Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.
Top goalscorers
- As of 28 November 2024.
| Rank[18] | Player | Team | Goals | Minutes played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Christopher Nkunku
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Chelsea
|
5 | 296 |
 Afimico Pululu
|
Jagiellonia Białystok
|
343 | ||
| 3 | João Félix
|
Chelsea
|
4 | 298 |
| Miloš Pantović
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TSC
|
330 | ||
| 5 |  Kévin Denkey
|
Cercle Brugge
|
3 | 209 |
| Kristoffer Normann Hansen
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Jagiellonia Białystok
|
239 | ||
| Gary Magnée
|
Cercle Brugge
|
270 | ||
| Krzysztof Piątek
|
İstanbul Başakşehir
|
289 | ||
 Luquinhas
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Legia Warsaw
|
293 | ||
| Johnny Kenny
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Shamrock Rovers
|
336 | ||
| Jonathan Ikoné
|
Fiorentina
|
360 | ||
 Mykhailo Mudryk
|
Chelsea
|
See also
- 2024–25 UEFA Champions League
- 2024–25 UEFA Europa League
- 2025 UEFA Super Cup
- 2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League
- 2024–25 UEFA Youth League
Notes
- ↑ Swansea City, a Wales-based club playing in the English football league system, had previously qualified via one of England's berths. The New Saints are in fact an England-based club but play in the Welsh football league system and qualified via one of Wales' berths.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Athens and Wrocław to stage 2024 and 2025 finals". Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ↑ "Regulations of the UEFA Conference League, 2024/25 Season". Nyon: UEFA. 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ↑ "Association coefficients 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ↑ ""TransINVEST" klubui – palankios žinios dėl dalyvavimo Konferencijų lygos atrankoje". lff.lt (in lietuvių). Lithuanian Football Federation. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Europejskie puchary od sezonu 2024/25 – część szczegółów potwierdzona" (in polski). 10 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ↑ "2024/25 UEFA Conference League: Matches, final, key dates". UEFA. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ↑ UEFA.com (25 October 2023). "New format for Champions League post-2024: Everything you need to know | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ Sheldon, Dan. "How the new Champions League format works". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ "More national derby games possible when revamped Champions League starts next year". AP News. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ↑ "UEFA Conference League: League phase draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ↑ "UEFA: Men's Club Competition Season Kick-Off". Grimaldi Forum. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ↑ "UEFA Club Competitions 2024/25 onwards: new league phase draw procedures explained". UEFA. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ↑ "UEFA Documents – Article 16 Draw system – league phase". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ↑ "UEFA Conference League – Top Scorers". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 November 2024.