The end of an era for Europe's third-tier football tournament
In short: The 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League marked more than just a season of competition. It was a pivotal moment of structural transition, featuring a final victory in Athens and the conclusion of a specific tournament format and name that had defined European club football.
The 2023–24 season concluded with Olympiacos claiming the title at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece. They secured a 1–0 victory over Fiorentina after extra time, a win that also earned them qualification for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League league stage. This edition was particularly significant as it was the final season held under the name 'UEFA Europa Conference League' before it was rebranded as the UEFA Conference League. The match itself took place on a Wednesday, breaking the usual Thursday schedule for the competition's fixtures.
The tournament also saw the end of a specific structural era. It was the last season to feature a 32-team group stage format, as UEFA announced a transition to a brand-new Swiss-system format for the following edition. This structural shift meant that, for the first time, the previous year's winners could no longer defend their title, as clubs eliminated from the Europa League group stage could no longer transfer directly into the Conference League. The previous champions, West Ham United, entered the tournament as title holders but were unable to defend their crown after moving into the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Spanning 54 out of 55 UEFA nations, the tournament featured 178 sides, though Russia's involvement was barred by their ban. The allocation of teams was determined by 2022 UEFA country coefficients, which reflected performance from the 2017–18 to 2021–22 seasons. While most associations had multiple representatives, Liechtenstein contributed only one team because they lack a domestic league, operating only a domestic cup. The competition's scale was vast, incorporating 18 teams dropped from the Champions League and 25 from the Europa League. Even Vaduz, a club competing in a second-tier division, managed to participate.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League
- Also: Wikidata — 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying phase and play-off round · CC0
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