The Europa League - Tournament Information The UEFA Europa League is the new rebranded version of the UEFA Cup. It is a football competition for European club teams, organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The Europa League is the second most important international competition for European football clubs, after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the UEFA Europa League based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions.

The Europa League is now the 3rd format of the original competition, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The UEFA Cup replaced this in 1971 and now in 2009 we have the UEFA Europa League.

Europa League Format

The UEFA Europa League is the rebranded version of the UEFA Cup. The competition has been rebranded in a bid to increase the competition's profile.

A new format for the UEFA Cup will be introduced for the three-year cycle, starting in the 2009-10 season. The biggest change is that there will be a group stage with 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin) instead of eight groups of five (in a single round robin). Apart from that, the qualification will not change significantly.

Associations ranked 7-9 in the UEFA coefficients will send the Cup winner and 3 other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification, all other nations send a Cup winner and 2 other teams, except Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino, who will only send a Cup winner. Usually, the other teams will be the next highest ranked clubs in each domestic league after those participating in the Champions League, however France and England will most likely continue to use one spot for their League Cup winner. Additionally, 3 places in the first of four qualifying rounds are still reserved for Fair Play winners.

Generally, the higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its clubs start in the qualification, however every team except the title holder has to play at least one qualification round.

Apart from the teams mentioned, an additional 15 losing teams from the Champions League qualification round 2 will enter in the fourth and last UEFA Europa League qualification round, formerly known as the first round, and the 10 losers of the Champions League qualification round 3 will directly enter the UEFA Europa League group stage. The 12 winners and the 12 runners-up in the group stage will advance to the first knock out round, together with 8 3rd placed teams from the Champions League.

Like the UEFA Cup, the Intertoto Cup will be folded into the UEFA Europa League, much like the Cup Winners' Cup had been in the late 1990s.

Cup winners who have already qualified for European competition via league placing will no longer hand their UEFA Europa League slot to the losing finalist. Their place in the competition will instead devolve onto the highest-placed team in the league not yet in European competition.

About the UEFA Europa League

The Uefa Europa League means major changes to the Uefa Cup competition, which will have a new 48-team group stage with centralised marketing of broadcast rights, a presenting sponsor and an official matchball in addition to centralised sponsorship from the knockout stage and a new logo and visual identity. UEFA President Michel Platini said: "These changes will improve this historic competition, which is very important for UEFA and for European football as it gives more fans, players and clubs the thrill of European club football. I am convinced the new format will give the UEFA Europa League a successful new impetus."

The changes to the name, logo and brand identity of the competition are the next logical step following the decision to alter the format of the UEFA Cup and create a true group stage, with both home and away matches. That decision was taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in Lucerne, Switzerland, back in December 2007. The change of name better represents the format of the competition and with the enhancements to the logo and brand, the changes are such that from the 2009/10 season the UEFA Cup will effectively become a new competition.

The new name and logo will help underline the tournament's special character and unique sporting appeal. The fresh format will encourage teams from emerging countries or lesser-known sides to challenge the old order, and the new identity will seek to reflect that. UEFA's ambition in making all these changes is to rejuvenate the competition in the light of the new European football landscape, which has shifted significantly with the continued success of the UEFA Champions League, so that the UEFA Europa League can establish itself as a major competition.

"First and foremost, the decision is about timing," UEFA General Secretary David Taylor told uefa.com. "We've got a new competition and a new format for 2009-12, with centralisation of the group stage and with the group stage being much more similar to the UEFA Champions League format – whereby teams will play home and away. We have an opportunity to change the marketing.

The UEFA Cup has been an excellent tournament over the years, but in some senses it has suffered a little bit through being a different tournament and not having the same prestige as the Champions League. We believe that a new name and a new brand identity will help with sponsors and with the whole identity of the competition."