We give you all the important details of UEFA’s newest and shiniest cup competition.
European Glory in Sight for Smaller Clubs
The third most prestigious UEFA cup competition is here and it has been dubbed the Europa Conference League. That means that the tippiest of the top clubs play in the Champions League, the secondary stars will play in the Europa League, and finally the bronze medal of European Club success, the Europa Conference League. Still a little confusing? We have even put together a graphic so you will never be confused again.
Who Gets In?
Naturally, there are a LOT of teams in Europe. In fact, the original number in the pool of teams fighting to qualify for Conference League sits at a whopping 184. Here is how UEFA has broken it down on their website:
“In all, 184 teams will be involved over the course of the season including at least one from each of the 55 associations and 46 clubs transferring from either the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League.“
and then they explain the qualification process a bit further:
No teams qualify directly for the group stage, with the 32 teams consisting of:
• 17 teams from the UEFA Europa Conference League main path
• 5 teams from the UEFA Europa Conference League champions path
• 10 teams eliminated in the UEFA Europa League play-offs
Thankfully we are into the group stages at this point, so the team are set… that is until next playoff round in December after the Group Stage… this is brand new for all UEFA cup competitions going forward. The third place teams from the superior UEFA competition will play the second place teams from the lesser UEFA competition group stage. Another confusing idea… we’ve got another graphic:
Why Watch the Conference League?
The excitement for the Europa Conference League lies in the unknown. The access to relatively unknown clubs from the smaller European countries is something to get you psyched for Conference league, with each club having a rich (and sometimes wacky) history and heritage. Don’t believe us? Well there happens to be a team from Gibraltar that adopted its logo from the Lincoln City Red Imps that lie in the English third division. Oh and it’s not a pretty logo:
Aside from becoming extremely cultured from learning the history and culture that comes along with learning obscure things about European clubs comes another reason to get hyped: MORE GAMES! Just getting to see fresh talent from foreign lands all day isn’t a bad way to spend a Thursday! With games running from the morning to late afternoon (if you live in the continental US) there is always something on, and we will never complain about more soccer. Finally, there are some actual big clubs that have made their way into the new competition, so let’s take a look at some of the favorites to win the whole thing.
Who Has the Best Chance at Success?
The Premier League representatives Tottenham Hotspur will look to achieve some sort of silverware this season, and the Europa Conference League is looking like one of their best chances at something silvery and shiny this season. Aside from Spurs, Roma, Feyenoord, and Union Berlin are representing some of the bigger leagues in Europe. Here’s to hoping that the Red Imps of Gibraltar will take it all the way this year.
What are your thoughts on the UEFA Europa Conference League? Let us know who you are pulling for in the comment section!
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