How 177 clubs navigated the complex geometry of Europe's third-tier football tournament
In short: While the Champions League captures the headlines, the Europa Conference League operates as a massive logistical puzzle. It balances strict country coefficients with a complex web of transfers and path-based divisions to accommodate nearly two hundred teams across the continent.
The 2022–23 season served as the second edition of this tertiary tournament, showcasing a massive scale of participation. A total of 177 clubs from 54 different UEFA member associations took part, with Russia being the sole exception. The distribution of these spots was not random; it relied on the 2021 UEFA country coefficients, which aggregated team performances from 2016 to 2021. This system ensured that the top five associations each sent one representative, while those ranked 6 through 17 and 51 through 55 were allocated two spots.
The tournament also functioned as a safety net for elite competitions. A significant portion of the field was populated by teams eliminated from higher tiers: 18 clubs were moved down from the Champions League and 25 from the Europa League. This created a unique dynamic where 'fallen' giants competed alongside domestic cup winners and league qualifiers. For instance, the Champions League path was specifically balanced to account for Real Madrid's automatic qualification, resulting in only 15 losers from the first qualifying round being transferred to the Conference League second qualifying round.
Logistics were further complicated by the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. To avoid scheduling conflicts, the group stage was compressed into a tight window between the first week of September and the first week of November 2022. Additionally, the tournament featured a 'Main Path' and a 'Champions Path' to separate different entry points. The season concluded at the Fortuna Arena in Prague, where West Ham United secured the title by defeating Fiorentina 2–1, earning a spot in the following year's Europa League group stage.
The complexity of the access list was also influenced by the suspension of Russia. This led to specific adjustments for cup winners in countries like Serbia, Croatia, and Switzerland, who were granted entry into later qualifying rounds than usual. Even unique cases were accommodated, such as Liechtenstein, which qualified with one team despite lacking a domestic league, and Vaduz, a second-tier club that took the single spot for teams not playing in a national top division.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League
- Also: Wikidata — 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round · CC0
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