Global InformationList of UEFA Cup and Europa League finals information
 Willy van der Kuijlen lifting the UEFA Cup in 1978 following PSV Eindhoven's victory over Bastia. | |
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Region | UEFA (Europe) |
| Number of teams | 32 (group stage) 2 (finalists) |
| Current champions |  Sevilla(7th title) |
| Most successful club(s) | Sevilla (7 titles) |
 2024 UEFA Europa League final | |
The UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, is an association football competition established in 1971 by UEFA.[1] It is considered the second most important international competition for European clubs, after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the Europa League based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. For the first 25 years of the competition, the final was contested over two legs, one at each participating club's stadium, but in 1998, Inter Milan defeated Lazio in the competition's first single-legged final held at a neutral venue, the Parc des Princes in Paris.[2] Tottenham Hotspur won the inaugural competition in 1972, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 on aggregate.[3] Ten finals have featured teams from the same national association: Italy (1990, 1991, 1995 and 1998), Spain (2007 and 2012), England (1972 and 2019), Germany (1980) and Portugal (2011).
Sevilla holds the record for the most victories, having won the competition seven times since its inception.[4] Real Madrid (winners in 1985 and 1986) and Sevilla (winners in 2006 and 2007, and 2014, 2015 and 2016) are the only teams to have retained their title. The competition has been won fourteen times by teams from Spain, more than any other country.[1] The last champions before the UEFA Cup was renamed to UEFA Europa League were Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat Werder Bremen 2–1 after extra time in the 2009 final.[5] Benfica and Marseille have lost the most finals, with three losses in the competition. The current champions are Sevilla, who defeated Roma 4–1 on penalties in the 2023 final.
While the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup is considered to be the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, UEFA does not recognise the Fairs Cup as one of its official club competitions, and therefore its records are not included in the list.[6]
- ^ a b "UEFA Cup/Europa League". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "1997/98 season history". UEFA. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Spurs keep Wolves at bay". UEFA. 2 January 2006. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
- ^ "Europa League kings Sevilla beat Roma on penalties to win seventh crown". Reuters. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Shakhtar Donetsk claim Uefa Cup final glory over Werder Bremen". The Guardian. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
- ^ "UEFA Cup: All-time finals". UEFA. 30 June 2005. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2008.