While the Champions League hogs most of the European soccer limelight, we shouldn’t forget about its little sibling, the Europa League, which is often a more unpredictable spectacle on Thursdays.
2025-26 Europa League contenders
Looking at the teams remaining in this year’s Europa League, now down to the round of 16, it’s difficult to pinpoint a clear-cut favorite. Given the riches of the Premier League, Aston Villa may be best equipped to go all the way. LaLiga duo Real Betis and Celta Vigo, Italian pair Roma and Bologna, French giants Lyon, and former Champions League winners Porto are among the other contenders with their eyes on European glory.
That glory comes in the form of a big, shiny trophy, as well as up to €30.3 million, about $34.94 million, the maximum amount the winner can receive if they win every game in the tournament.
Why winning the Europa League matters more than ever
But there is one extra incentive that has become increasingly important over time: Champions League qualification.
The Europa League winner automatically qualifies for the league phase of the following season’s Champions League. Along with prestige and glamorous, high-profile games, that also brings huge financial benefits, with clubs earning €18.62 million, about $21.47 million, just for participating in this season’s league phase.
There are, of course, plenty of opportunities to increase that figure significantly based on performance.
What happens if the Europa League winner has already qualified?
What happens if the Europa League winner has already qualified for the Champions League through its domestic league?
The answer, as ever, lies in the UEFA club coefficient, which is calculated based on clubs’ performances in European competitions over the last five years.
UEFA states that if the Europa League winner has already secured a place in the Champions League league phase via its domestic league, then the club with the best individual coefficient among all teams in Champions League qualifying, both the champions path and league path, goes directly into the league phase.
UEFA also makes clear that domestic “leapfrogging” is not allowed. That means a team in the qualifying rounds with the highest coefficient will not go straight into the league phase if there is a higher-placed team from the same domestic competition that has not already qualified directly.
How the UCL replacement team is decided
If that situation arises, the place effectively passes down the list. The club with the next best coefficient that does meet all qualification criteria will take the Europa League winner’s spot in the Champions League league phase.
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