History of UEFA Conference League in Timeline

The UEFA Conference League (UECL) is an annual European association football competition organized by UEFA since 2021. It's the third-tier competition for European clubs, sitting below the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League. It provides more clubs from a wider range of associations the opportunity to participate in European football.

December 2018: UEFA announces Europa League 2

In December 2018, UEFA announced that the competition – provisionally known as "Europa League 2" or just "UEL2" – was to be launched as part of the 2021–24 three-year competition cycle, with UEFA adding that the new tournament would bring "more matches for more clubs and more associations".

September 2019: Official Name Announcement

On 24 September 2019, the original official name of the competition, "UEFA Europa Conference League", was announced.

May 2021: UEFA Reveals Trophy and Brand Identity

On 24 May 2021, UEFA revealed the competition's trophy and brand identity. The Europa Conference League Trophy stands 57.5 cm tall and weighs 11 kg.

July 2021: First Goal in Europa Conference League Qualifiers

On 6 July 2021, the first goal in the then-named Europa Conference League qualifiers was scored by Mosta player Evo Chris in a 2021–22 qualifying round match against Spartak Trnava.

September 2021: First Goal in Europa Conference League Group Stage

On 14 September 2021, the first goal in the then-named Europa Conference League group stage was scored by Maccabi Tel Aviv player Stipe Perica in a 2021–22 group stage match against Alashkert. On 30 September 2021, the competition's first hat-trick was scored by Harry Kane for Tottenham Hotspur in a group stage match against NS Mura.

2021: Launch of Europa League 2

May 2022: Feyenoord and Roma reach the Europa Conference League final

On 5 May 2022, Feyenoord and Roma became the first teams ever to reach the Europa Conference League final, ending with Roma being crowned the inaugural champions.

November 2022: West Ham United win all six of their Europa Conference League group stage matches

On 3 November 2022, West Ham United became the first side to win all six of their Europa Conference League group stage matches, picking up wins against FCSB, Silkeborg and Anderlecht.

2022: Roma wins the inaugural Conference League final

In 2022, Roma were the inaugural winners of the competition, having beaten Feyenoord 1–0 in the final.

June 2023: UEFA Announces Renaming to UEFA Conference League

On 28 June 2023, UEFA announced that the competition would be renamed to the UEFA Conference League from the 2024–25 season onwards. According to UEFA, removing 'Europa' from the name of the competition would enable further development as a stand-alone competition in their research amongst fans and commercial partners. In the same season, the 32-team group stage was replaced with a 36-team league phase, in line with similar changes made to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

2023: West Ham United win the Europa Conference League final

In 2023, West Ham United won the competition by defeating Fiorentina 2–1 in the final, in the process becoming the first side to finish the competition undefeated, with 12 wins and one draw.

2024: Kipsta becomes official match ball supplier

Decathlon sub-brand, Kipsta, is the official match ball supplier from the 2024–25 season onwards for a three-year period.

2024: Conference League League Phase participation was awarded a base fee of €3,170,000.

For the 2024–25 season, League Phase participation in the Conference League was awarded a base fee of €3,170,000. A victory in the group pays €400,000 and a draw €133,000. Teams which placed in the top 8 of the League Phase earned €400,000 and progressed automatically to the Round of 16. Teams which placed between 9th and 24th qualified for the knockout round play-offs and earned €200,000. Reaching the knock-out stage triggered additional bonuses: €800,000 for the round of 16, €1,300,000 for the quarter-finals and €2,500,000 for the semi-finals. The losing finalists received €4,000,000 and the champions received €7,000,000.

2024: Rebranding to UEFA Conference League and League Phase Expansion

In 2024, the competition was rebranded to the UEFA Conference League, and the group stage was replaced with an expanded league phase of 36 teams. No teams qualify directly for the league phase: instead the teams eliminated in the Europa League play-off round qualify, with the rest coming from the Conference League qualifying and play-off rounds.

2024: Jury for Player of the Season Award includes league phase coaches

In 2024, the jury for the UEFA Conference League Player of the Season award is composed of the coaches of the clubs which participate in the league phase (group stage prior to 2024–25 season) of the competition, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, one from each UEFA member association.

2024: Chelsea wins the Conference League final

In 2025, Chelsea defeated Real Betis 4–1 in the final of the Conference League.

2024: Competition renamed to UEFA Conference League

In June 2023, UEFA announced that the competition would be renamed to the UEFA Conference League from the 2024–25 season onwards. In the same season, the 32-team group stage was replaced with a 36-team league phase.

2024: New qualification criteria introduced

Starting from the 2024–25 season with the introduction of a league phase, the top eight as well as the eight play-off winners are considered to be qualified for the knockout phase.

2024: Name Change for Player of the Season Award

Starting from the first edition of the competition, UEFA introduced the UEFA Conference League Player of the Season award. It was known as the UEFA Europa Conference League Player of the Season award before the renaming of the competition in 2024.

2024: Sponsorship cycle

The UEFA Conference League is sponsored by international corporations, sharing the same partners as the UEFA Europa League. The main sponsors of the tournament are for the 2024–2027 cycle

2025: Chelsea wins the Conference League final

In 2025, Chelsea defeated Real Betis 4–1 in the final of the Conference League.

April 2026: West Ham United win the competition unbeaten

As of April 2026, West Ham United are the only team to have won the competition unbeaten.

2027: Sponsorship cycle

The UEFA Conference League is sponsored by international corporations, sharing the same partners as the UEFA Europa League. The main sponsors of the tournament are for the 2024–2027 cycle