2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage
The 2023–24 UEFA Europa League group stage began on 21 September 2023 and will end on 14 December 2023. A total of 32 teams compete in the group stage to decide 16 of the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League.
Aris Limassol, Brighton & Hove Albion, BK Häcken, Raków Częstochowa, Servette, and TSC made their debut appearances in the group stage. All six clubs also made their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Furthermore, Brighton & Hove Albion qualified for European football for the first time in their history. A total of 21 national associations are represented in the group stage.
This is the final season with the group stage format, which will be replaced by the league phase format starting from the next season.[1]
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 1 September 2023, 13:00 CEST, in Monaco. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their 2023 UEFA club coefficients.[2] Teams from the same association cannot be drawn into the same group. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association, including those playing in the Europa Conference League group stage (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams), based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams will have different kick-off times. The following pairings were announced by UEFA after the group stage teams were confirmed (the second team in a pairing marked by UECL play in the Europa Conference League group stage):[3]
- A
West Ham United and Liverpool - B
Roma and Atalanta - C
Ajax and AZ (UECL) - D
Villarreal and Real Betis - E
Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg - F
Rangers and Aberdeen (UECL) - G
Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague - H
Rennes and Marseille - I
Olympiacos and Panathinaikos - J
LASK and Sturm Graz - K
Molde and Bodø/Glimt (UECL) - L Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa (UECL)
- M
Union Saint-Gilloise and Club Brugge (UECL) - N
Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv (UECL) - O Toulouse and Lille (UECL)
- P AEK Athens and PAOK (UECL)
- Q
TSC and Čukarički (UECL) - R
Servette and Lugano (UECL) - S
Raków Częstochowa and Legia Warsaw (UECL)
Teams
Below are the participating teams (with their 2023 UEFA club coefficients),[2] grouped by their seeding pot. They include:
- 12 teams which enter in this stage
- 10 winners of the play-off round
- 6 losers of the Champions League play-off round (4 from Champions Path, 2 from League Path)
- 4 League Path losers of the third qualifying round
| Key to colours |
|---|
| Group winners advance directly to round of 16 |
| Group runners-up advance to knockout round play-offs |
| Third-placed teams enter Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs |
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|
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Notes
- EL-PO Winners of play-off round.
- CL-CP Losers of Champions League play-off round (Champions Path).
- CL-LP Losers of Champions League play-off round (League Path).
- CL-LQ Losers of Champions League third qualifying round (League Path).
Format
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to the round of 16, while the runners-up will advance to the knockout round play-offs. The third-placed teams will be transferred to the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs, while the fourth-placed teams will be eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Tiebreakers
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria is applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see Article 16 Equality of points – group stage, Regulations of the UEFA Europa League):[4]
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above will be reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Away goals scored in all group matches;
- Wins in all group matches;
- Away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Groups
The fixtures were announced on 2 September 2023, the day after the draw. The matches are being played on 21 September, 5 October, 26 October, 9 November, 30 November and 14 December 2023. The scheduled kick-off times are 18:45 and 21:00 CET/CEST.
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WHU | FRE | OLY | TSC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  West Ham United
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 15 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 |  SC Freiburg
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6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 1–2 | — | 5–0 | 5–0 | |
| 3 |  Olympiacos
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −3 | 7 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 2–1 | 2–3 | — | 5–2 | |
| 4 |  TSC
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 19 | −13 | 1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — |
| West Ham United | 3–1 | TSC |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Olympiacos | 2–3 | SC Freiburg |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BHA | MAR | AJA | AEK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 13 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | |
| 2 |  Marseille
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–2 | — | 4–3 | 3–1 | |
| 3 |  Ajax
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 5 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 0–2 | 3–3 | — | 3–1 | |
| 4 | AEK Athens
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 4 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Ajax | 3–3 | Marseille |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–3 | AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
João Pedro  30' (pen.), 67' (pen.) |
Report |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | RAN | SPP | BET | ALI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rangers
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 11 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| 2 |  Sparta Prague
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
| 3 |  Real Betis
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 2–3 | 2–1 | — | 4–1 | |
| 4 |  Aris Limassol
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 4 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | — |
| Rangers | 1–0 | Real Betis |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ATA | SCP | STU | RAK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Atalanta
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 14 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 |  Sporting CP
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 1–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | |
| 3 |  Sturm Graz
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 4[a] | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | |
| 4 |  Raków Częstochowa
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4[a] | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — |
| Atalanta | 2–0 | Raków Częstochowa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Sturm Graz | 1–2 | Sporting CP |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LIV | TOU | USG | LAS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 5–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
| 2 | Toulouse
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 11 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 3–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| 3 |  Union Saint-Gilloise
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 8 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | |
| 4 | LASK
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | 1–1 | Toulouse |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group F
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VIL | REN | MHA | PAO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Villarreal
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 13 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | |
| 2 | Rennes
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 12 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–3 | — | 3–0 | 3–1 | |
| 3 |  Maccabi Haifa
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 5 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 1–2 | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | |
| 4 | Panathinaikos
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — |
Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SLP | ROM | SRV | SHE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slavia Prague
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 15 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | 6–0 | |
| 2 | Roma
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | 3–0 | |
| 3 |  Servette
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 5 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | |
| 4 |  Sheriff Tiraspol
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 17 | −12 | 1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–2 | Roma |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LEV | QAR | MOL | HAC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 |  Qarabağ
|
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 10 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 3 |  Molde
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | Transfer to Europa Conference League | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 5–1 | |
| 4 |  BK Häcken
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |
| Qarabağ | 1–0 | Molde |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Notes
- ^ CEST (UTC+2) for dates up to 26 October 2023 (matchdays 1–3), and CET (UTC+1) for date thereafter (matchdays 4–6).
- ^ a b c Raków Częstochowa play their home matches at the Zagłębiowski Park Sportowy, in Sosnowiec, instead of their regular stadium, the Miejski Stadion Piłkarski "Raków", in Częstochowa, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- ^ The Union Saint-Gilloise v Toulouse match, originally scheduled to be played at 18:45, was postponed to 18:55 due to traffic encountered by both teams before getting to the stadium.
- ^ a b c Union Saint-Gilloise play their home matches at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, in Brussels, instead of their regular stadium, Joseph Marien Stadium, in Brussels, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- ^ a b c Panathinaikos play their home matches at the Olympic Stadium, in Athens, instead of their regular stadium, the Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, in Athens.[15]
- ^ a b c BK Häcken will play their home matches at the Ullevi, in Gothenburg, instead of their regular stadium, the Bravida Arena, in Gothenburg, which did not meet UEFA requirements.[21]
References
- ^ "UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season". UEFA.com. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Club coefficients". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Europa League group stage draw pots". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Article 16 Equality of points – group stage ● Regulations of the UEFA Europa League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "West Ham United vs. TSC" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Olympiacos vs. SC Freiburg" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Ajax vs. Marseille" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Sparta Prague vs. Aris Limassol" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Rangers vs. Real Betis" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Atalanta vs. Raków Częstochowa" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Sturm Graz vs. Sporting CP" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "LASK vs. Liverpool" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Toulouse" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Rennes vs. Maccabi Haifa" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Το πρόγραμμα του Παναθηναϊκού στους ομίλους του Europa League" [The schedule of Panathinaikos in the Europa League groups] (in Greek). Panathinaikos FC. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Panathinaikos vs. Villarreal" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Servette vs. Slavia Praha" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Sheriff vs. Roma" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Leverkusen vs. Häcken" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Qarabağ vs. Molde" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "Grupperna i Europa League lottade" [The groups in the Europa League were drawn] (in Swedish). BK Häcken. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.