Europa League Tickets

⚽Europa League

The Europa League ranks as Europe’s second most important continental competition. When ranking the competitions in order of merit and prestige, it proudly stands as the second-tier competition, just below the prestigious Champions League and above the Conference League.

The Europa League has a rich and colourful history. Its roots trace back to the first competitive club tournaments across the continent, which have now led to the fascinating annual competition we love today. What’s more, the depth and quality of participating teams makes for truly exciting contests, often featuring some of Europe’s biggest and most famous clubs.

Rather than be considered a secondary competition, many fans relish the additional opportunity to compete for European silverware. And here at Zenseats, we’re just as keen to provide supporters with the most appealing ticket options around. Thanks to our constant search for the best value and packages, you never have to miss any of the action.

History and Origins

Accompanying the introduction of the European Cup in 1955, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was also started the same year. While the primary competition featured winners of domestic league titles from around the continent, the additional competition was based upon an entirely different method of entry.

At first, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup involved teams from cities that hosted trade fairs, as the name would suggest. This was regardless of where those teams finished in their domestic leagues. Nevertheless, by the time the Cup Winners’ Cup was introduced in 1960, becoming the secondary UEFA competition after the European Cup, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup became largely irrelevant.

In 1971, driven by the success of the European Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA made the decision to abolish the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Using a more professional format for qualification based on achievement, akin to the other two trophies, the UEFA Cup was established.

Over the decades, this third official club competition from UEFA significantly grew in appeal and importance. During the 1990s, UEFA began adapting the competitions and their formats, including rebranding the European Cup as the Champions League. UEFA also decided to abolish the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999. Instead, domestic cup winners would compete in the UEFA Cup, alongside runner-up from domestic leagues.

Still retaining the history and honours established in the UEFA Cup since 1971, the competition was eventually rebranded as the Europa League in 2009, second only to the Champions League in terms of prestige.

Over the last couple of decades, one team and its fans have enjoyed a special affinity for the competition. Since winning back to back titles in 2005-06 and 2006-07, Sevilla went on to win an incredible five more Europa League titles in the last ten seasons. This includes the most recent in the 2022-23 final, when Sevilla defeated Roma following a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Many world famous clubs have won the UEFA Cup or Europa League, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, showing the calibre of this competition.

Current Format & Future

Just as the UEFA Cup gradually evolved to become the Europa League, this competition has also adapted over time, largely to suit the growing demand for continental football and provide more clubs with opportunities to participate. However, the core format of the Europa League has followed a similar path to that of the Champions League.

The UEFA Cup began as purely a knockout cup competition, before adapting to incorporate a group stage for the 2004-05 season. Following the Europa League rebranding for the 2009-10 season, eight more teams were added to a group stage containing 12 groups of four teams. This has stayed the same since, although the 2023-24 season will be the last using the current format.

From the 2024-25 season onwards, UEFA will introduce wholesale changes to its three continental competitions, across the Champions League, Europa League, and the recently formed Conference League. As their names would already imply, the group stages are being replaced with a more authentic league format instead.

Both the Champions League and Europa League will share the same format, with leagues of 26 teams in each competition. Instead of playing three opponents twice, this new league format will see teams play home and away fixtures against eight different opponents. The top eight teams will qualify for the Round of 16, with the remaining eight teams decided by an additional play-off round.

These changes will see teams take on more matches against different opposition. This gives fans plenty of extra options when eyeing up what games they should watch live.

If you’re looking for tickets for the Europa League, there’s no better place to get them than Zenseats! We source the best seats for you to make sure you're part of every moment that makes the Europa League unforgettable.

UEFA Cup & Europa League Winners