The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL or sometimes UEFA EL) is an annual football club competition that has been played since 1971. organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the second-tier European club football competition, ranked below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Europa League.
in 1971 introduced as the UEFA Cup, it replaced the Inter-City Fairs Cup. The UEFA Cup was a third-tier competition from 1971 until 1999, when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued, and is still often referred to as "C3". Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions.
in 1999 The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was merged with the UEFA Cup and was discontinued as a separate competition. Since 2004-2005 the group stage of the season was added before the knockout stage. The competition got its current name in 2009 after a change in format. in 2009 the rebranding included a merger with the UEFA Intertoto Cup tournament, an increased competition format, an expanded group stage and changes to the qualifying criteria. The winner of the UEFA Europa League enters the UEFA Super Cup and from 2014-2015. of the season qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League and qualify for the group stage.
Spanish clubs have the most victories (13 victories), followed by English and Italian teams (9 each). The title has been won by 29 clubs, 14 of which have won it more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Sevilla, with six titles. Eintracht Frankfurt is the reigning champion in 2022. after beating Rangers 5-4 on penalties in the final.v