How Atlético Madrid secured their third Europa League title in France
In short: The 2017–18 UEFA Europa League season showcased a complex web of qualification rules and high-stakes drama. While Atlético Madrid ultimately triumphed in Décines-Charpieu, the tournament was shaped by vacated spots and unexpected debuts from emerging footballing nations.
The tournament, which served as the 47th season of UEFA's secondary club competition, culminated in a final at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France. Atlético Madrid emerged victorious against Marseille, marking their third title in this competition. This victory earned them a spot in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup against the Champions League winners, Real Madrid.
The season was marked by intricate administrative shifts. For instance, Manchester United's status as the previous year's champions meant they entered the Champions League instead. This left their original Europa League berth—earned by finishing 6th in the 2016–17 Premier League—vacant. Rather than being passed to another English club, the spot was redistributed, eventually benefiting the third-placed team from the 2017–18 Ligue 1.
The scale of the competition was vast, involving 190 teams from 55 UEFA member associations. The tournament saw the debut of Kosovo, which became a UEFA member on 3 May 2016. The allocation of teams was heavily dependent on the 2016 UEFA country coefficients, which measured performance from the 2011–12 to 2015–16 seasons. This system ensured that while major associations received multiple teams, smaller nations like Liechtenstein and Kosovo were granted single entries.
Complexity also arose from the movement of teams between competitions. A total of 33 clubs were transferred into the Europa League after being eliminated from the Champions League. Additionally, unique circumstances allowed clubs like Tirana, from the Albanian second tier, and Vaduz, representing Liechtenstein while playing in the Swiss second tier, to participate in the tournament.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2017–18 UEFA Europa League
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