2020–21 UEFA Europa League
The 2020–21 UEFA Europa League will be the 50th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 12th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
.jpg) The Stadion Energa Gdańsk in Gdańsk will host the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 18 August 2020 – 2 October 2020 Competition proper: 22 October 2020 – 26 May 2021 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 48+8 Total: 158+55 or 56 (from 55 associations) |
The final will be played at the Stadion Energa Gdańsk in Gdańsk, Poland. The stadium was originally appointed to host the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final, but this was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[1] The winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League will automatically qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage and also earn the right to play against the winners of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup.
Association team allocation
A total of 213 or 214 teams from all 55 UEFA member associations participate in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[2]
- Associations 1–50 (except Liechtenstein) each have three teams qualify.
- Associations 51–55 each have two teams qualify (starting from this season, with association 51 losing one spot and association 55 gaining one spot).[3]
- Liechtenstein have one team qualify (Liechtenstein organises only a domestic cup and no domestic league).
- Moreover, 55 or 56 teams eliminated from the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League (default number is 57, but 1 or 2 fewer teams compete in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League).
Association ranking
For the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2019 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2014–15 to 2018–19.[4]
Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Champions League, as noted below:
- (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League
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Distribution
The following is the default access list.[5]
| Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League | ||
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| Preliminary round (16 teams) |
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| First qualifying round (94 teams) |
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| Second qualifying round | Champions Path (20 teams) |
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| Main Path (74 teams) |
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| Third qualifying round | Champions Path (20 teams) |
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| Main Path (52 teams) |
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| Play-off round | Champions Path (16 teams) |
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| Main Path (26 teams) |
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| Group stage (48 teams) |
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| Knockout phase (32 teams) |
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Changes will be made to the access list above, if any of the teams that qualify for the Europa League via their domestic competitions also qualify for the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, or if there are fewer teams transferred from the Champions League due to changes in the Champions League access list. In any case where a berth in the Europa League is vacated, cup winners of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds will be promoted accordingly.
As a result of schedule delays to both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 European seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 European season started before the conclusion of the 2019–20 European season. Therefore, the changes to the access list that should be made based on which teams are the Champions League and Europa League title holders cannot be certain until matches of the earlier qualifying rounds have been played and/or their draws have been made. UEFA will use "adaptive re-balancing" to change the access list once the berths for the Champions League and Europa League title holders are determined, and will ensure that "the respective rounds of the qualifying phase that may have already been drawn or played at the moment the titleholder is determined will not be impacted." (Regulations Article 3.07)[2] The following scenarios are possible:
- If a team other than Lyon win the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, to be concluded with the final on 23 August 2020, the Champions League title holder berth in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage is vacated, and as a result, only five losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), instead of the original six, are transferred to the Europa League play-off round (Champions Path). In this case, two losers of Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by draw, will receive a bye to the play-off round (Champions Path) instead of entering the third qualifying round (Champions Path).
- At the time when the draws for the preliminary round and first qualifying round were held on 10 August 2020, it was not certain whether the Europa League title holder berth in the Champions League group stage would be vacated as four of the quarter-finalists of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen, Copenhagen and Basel, did not qualify for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic leagues. Therefore, these draws proceeded as normal per the default access list, and the matches drawn, which will be played on 18–20 and 25–27 August 2020, will not be changed even though after the quarter-finals of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, which were played on 10–11 August 2020, that it was confirmed all four semi-finalists, Sevilla, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk, have already qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage via their domestic league, meaning the Europa League title holder berth in the Champions League group stage will certainly be vacated. As a result, only three losers of the Champions League third qualifying round (League Path), instead of the original four, are transferred to the Europa League group stage, and "adaptive re-balancing" will start from the second qualifying round (Main Path), whose draw will be held on 31 August 2020, and the following changes to the access list will be made:
- The cup winners of association 13 (Czech Republic), Sparta Prague, will enter the group stage instead of the third qualifying round (Main Path).
- The second-placed team of association 18 (Cyprus), Anorthosis Famagusta (which qualified for the cup winner berth), and the cup winners of association 19 (Serbia), Vojvodina, will enter the third qualifying round (Main Path) instead of the second qualifying round (Main Path).
Redistribution rules
A Europa League place is vacated when a team qualifies for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualifies for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place is vacated, it is redistributed within the national association by the following rules:
- When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualify for the Champions League, their Europa League place is vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions qualify for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finish above them in the league moved up one "place".
- When the domestic cup winners also qualify for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position is vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions qualify for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finish above them in the league moved up one "place" if possible.
- For associations where a Europa League place is reserved for either the League Cup or end-of-season European competition play-offs winners, they always qualify for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners have already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place is taken by the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions.
Teams
In early April 2020, UEFA announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the deadline for entering the tournament had been postponed until further notice.[6] UEFA also sent a letter to all member associations that domestic leagues must be completed in full without ending prematurely in order to qualify for European competitions.[7] After meeting with the 55 UEFA associations on 21 April 2020, UEFA strongly recommended them to finish domestic top league and cup competitions, although in some special cases where it is not possible, UEFA would develop guidelines concerning participation in its club competitions in case of a cancelled league or cup.[8][9] After the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 23 April 2020, UEFA announced that if a domestic competition is prematurely terminated for legitimate reasons in accordance with conditions related to public health or economic problems, the national associations concerned are required to select their participating teams for the 2020–21 UEFA club competitions based on sporting merit in the 2019–20 domestic competitions, and UEFA reserves the right to refuse their admission if UEFA deems the termination of the competitions not legitimate, or the selection procedure not objective, transparent and non-discriminatory, or the team is perceived by the public as qualifying unfairly. A suspended domestic competition may also be restarted with a different format from the original one in a manner which would still facilitate qualification on sporting merit.[10][11] All leagues should communicate to UEFA by 25 May 2020 whether they intend to restart their competitions,[12] but this deadline was later extended. On 17 June 2020, UEFA announced that associations must enter their teams by 3 August 2020.[1] If a cup is abandoned or not completed by the UEFA registration deadline, the Europa League places are distributed by league positions only.
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
- CW: Cup winners
- 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position of the previous season
- LC: League Cup winners
- RW: Regular season winners
- PW: End-of-season Europa League play-offs winners
- UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
- GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
- CH/LP PO: Losers from the play-off round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- CH/LP Q2: Losers from the second qualifying round (Champions/League Path)
- Q1: Losers from the first qualifying round
- PR: Losers from the preliminary round (F: final; SF: semi-finals)
- Abd-: League positions of abandoned season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe as determined by the national association; all teams are subject to approval by UEFA as per the guidelines for entry to European competitions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic[13]
The second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-off round are divided into Champions Path (CH) and Main Path (MP).
Notes
- ^ Azerbaijan (AZE): The 2019–20 Azerbaijan Premier League and the 2019–20 Azerbaijan Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Azerbaijan. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Neftçi, Keşla and Sumgayit, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan, entering the first qualifying round.[14]
- ^ Belgium (BEL): The 2019–20 Belgian First Division A was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. The third-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Charleroi and Standard Liège, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Belgian Football Association, entering the third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively.[15]
- ^ Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH): The 2019–20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the 2019–20 Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Željezničar, Zrinjski Mostar and Borac Banja Luka, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entering the first qualifying round.[16]
- ^ Cyprus (CYP): The 2019–20 Cypriot First Division and the 2019–20 Cypriot Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Anorthosis Famagusta, APOEL and Apollon Limassol, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Cyprus Football Association, entering the third qualifying round (second-placed team) and first qualifying round respectively.[17]
- ^ France (FRA): The 2019–20 Ligue 1 was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France. The fourth-placed, fifth-placed and sixth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Lille, Nice and Reims, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the French Football Federation, entering the group stage and second qualifying round (sixth-placed team) respectively.[18]
- ^ Gibraltar (GIB): The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League and the 2020 Rock Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gibraltar. The second-placed and third-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, St Joseph's and Lincoln Red Imps, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Gibraltar Football Association, entering the preliminary round.[19]
- ^ Greece (GRE):
- The 2019–20 Greek Football Cup could not be completed by the UEFA registration deadline of 3 August 2020. However, since both finalists, Olympiacos and AEK Athens, were in the top three of the 2019–20 Super League Greece, the result of the final would have no impact on qualification for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.
- Panathinaikos, the fourth-placed team of the 2019–20 Super League Greece, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round, but were banned from UEFA club competitions for the first season they would qualify between the 2018–19 and 2020–21 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 24 April 2018 due to overdue payables, which turned out to be the 2020–21 season since they did not qualify for either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 season.[20] As a result, OFI, the sixth-placed team, qualified for this berth.
- ^ Liechtenstein (LIE): The 2019–20 Liechtenstein Cup was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein. The team remaining in the cup with the highest UEFA club coefficient, Vaduz, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Liechtenstein Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[21]
- ^ Luxembourg (LUX): The 2019–20 Luxembourg National Division and the 2019–20 Luxembourg Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Luxembourg. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Progrès Niederkorn, Differdange 03 and Union Titus Pétange, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Luxembourg Football Federation, entering the first qualifying round.[22]
- ^ Malta (MLT): The 2019–20 Maltese Premier League and the 2019–20 Maltese FA Trophy were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Valletta, Hibernians and Sirens, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Malta Football Association, entering the first qualifying round.[23]
- ^ Montenegro (MNE): The 2019–20 Montenegrin First League and the 2019–20 Montenegrin Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montenegro. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Sutjeska Nikšić, Iskra Danilovgrad and Zeta, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Montenegro, entering the first qualifying round (second-placed team) and preliminary round respectively.[24]
- ^ Netherlands (NED): The 2019–20 Eredivisie and the 2019–20 KNVB Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. The third-placed, fourth-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and Willem II, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Royal Dutch Football Association, entering the group stage, third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively.[25]
- ^ North Macedonia (MKD): The 2019–20 Macedonian First Football League and the 2019–20 Macedonian Football Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North Macedonia. The third-placed, fourth-placed and fifth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Shkëndija, Renova and Shkupi, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Federation of North Macedonia, entering the first qualifying round, as the second-placed team, Sileks, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League to replace the top team, Vardar, who failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[26]
- ^ Northern Ireland (NIR): The 2019–20 NIFL Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. The second-placed team of the league at the time of the abandonement, Coleraine, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Irish Football Association, entering the preliminary round.[27]
- ^ Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland but play in the Republic of Ireland's league system, and qualify for the Europa League through one of the berths for the Republic of Ireland.
- ^ Romania (ROU): Astra Giurgiu, the third-placed team of the 2019–20 Liga I, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[28] As a result, Botoșani, the fourth-placed team, qualified for this berth.
- ^ San Marino (SMR): The 2019–20 Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio and the 2019–20 Coppa Titano were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in San Marino. The second-placed and third-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment, Folgore and Tre Penne, were originally selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the San Marino Football Federation, entering the preliminary round.[29] However, Folgore were banned by UEFA due to previous match-fixing, and were replaced by the fourth-placed team, La Fiorita.[30]
- ^ Scotland (SCO): The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, and the 2019–20 Scottish Cup was postponed and could not be completed by the UEFA registration deadline of 3 August 2020. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, Rangers, Motherwell and Aberdeen, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Scottish Football Association, entering the second qualifying round (second-placed team) and first qualifying round respectively.[31]
- ^ Spain (ESP): The 2019–20 Copa del Rey was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain and could not be completed by the UEFA registration deadline of 3 August 2020. As a result, the sixth-placed and seventh-placed teams of the 2019–20 La Liga entered the group stage and second qualifying round respectively.[32]
- ^ Switzerland (SUI): The 2019–20 Swiss Cup was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and could not be completed by the UEFA registration deadline of 3 August 2020. As a result, the second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the 2019–20 Swiss Super League entered the third qualifying round, second qualifying round and first qualifying round respectively.[33]
- ^ Turkey (TUR): Trabzonspor, the second-placed team of the 2019–20 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, but were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 season by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 3 June 2020 due to breaches of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations.[34] Trabzonspor appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[35] but on 30 July 2020, it was announced that the ban on them participating in UEFA club competitions was upheld.[36] As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team, qualified for this berth instead of entering the Europa League group stage, Sivasspor, the fourth-placed team, entered the Europa League group stage instead of the third qualifying round, Alanyaspor, the fifth-placed team, entered the third qualifying round instead of the second qualifying round, and Galatasaray, the sixth-placed team, qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.
- ^ Wales (WAL): The 2019–20 Cymru Premier and the 2019–20 Welsh Cup were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The second-placed, third-placed and fourth-placed teams of the league at the time of the abandonment based on the average number of points per matches played for each team, The New Saints, Bala Town and Barry Town United, were selected to play in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League by the Football Association of Wales, entering the first qualifying round and preliminary round (fourth-placed team) respectively.[37]
Schedule
The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[38] The tournament would originally have started in June 2020, but had been delayed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.[39] The new schedule was announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 17 June 2020.[40]
All qualifying matches, including the play-off round, will be played as single leg matches, hosted by one of the teams decided by draw, and will be played behind closed doors.[1][41] Matches may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts. Video assistant referees will not be introduced for the group phase as planned (now to start in 2021–22), but will still be used in the knockout stage.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
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| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | |
| First qualifying round | 10 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 | ||
| Second qualifying round | 31 August 2020 | 17 September 2020 | ||
| Third qualifying round | 1 September 2020 | 24 September 2020 | ||
| Play-off | Play-off round | 18 September 2020 | 1 October 2020 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 2 October 2020 (Athens) |
22 October 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 29 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 3 December 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk | |||
The original schedule of the competition, as planned before the pandemic, was as follows (all draws held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 9 June 2020 | 25 June 2020 | 2 July 2020 |
| First qualifying round | 16 June 2020 | 9 July 2020 | 16 July 2020 | |
| Second qualifying round | 17 June 2020 | 23 July 2020 | 30 July 2020 | |
| Third qualifying round | 20 July 2020 | 6 August 2020 | 13 August 2020 | |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 3 August 2020 | 20 August 2020 | 27 August 2020 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 August 2020 (Monaco) |
17 September 2020 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 22 October 2020 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 5 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 26 November 2020 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 10 December 2020 | |||
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 14 December 2020 | 18 February 2021 | 25 February 2021 |
| Round of 16 | 26 February 2021 | 11 March 2021 | 18 March 2021 | |
| Quarter-finals | 19 March 2021 | 8 April 2021 | 15 April 2021 | |
| Semi-finals | 29 April 2021 | 6 May 2021 | ||
| Final | 26 May 2021 at Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville | |||
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the following special rules are applicable to the qualifying phase and play-offs:[42]
- Prior to each draw, UEFA will publish the list of known travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. All teams must inform UEFA if there are other existing restrictions other than those published. If a team fails to do so which as a consequence the match cannot take place, the team is considered responsible and to have forfeited the match.
- If travel restrictions imposed by the home team's country prevent the away team from entering, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise they are considered to have forfeited the match.
- If travel restrictions imposed by the away team's country prevent the away team from leaving or returning, the home team must propose an alternative venue that allows the match to take place without any restrictions. Otherwise UEFA will decide on a venue.
- If after the draw, new restrictions imposed by either the home team's or away team's country prevent the match from taking place, the team of that country are considered to have forfeited the match.
- If either team refuses to play the match, they are considered to have forfeited the match. If both teams refuse to play or are responsible for a match not taking place, both teams are disqualified.
- If a team has players and/or officials tested positive for SARS-2 coronavirus preventing them from playing the match before the deadline set by UEFA, they are considered to have forfeited the match.
- In all cases, the two teams may agree to play the match at the away team's country or at a neutral country, subject to UEFA's approval. UEFA has the final authority to decide on a venue for any match, or to reschedule any match if necessary.
- If, for any reason, the qualifying phase and play-offs cannot be completed before the deadline set by UEFA, UEFA will decide on the principles for determining the teams qualified for the group stage.
Four countries (Poland, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus) have provided neutral venue hubs which allow matches to be played at their stadiums without restrictions.[43]
Preliminary round
The draw for the preliminary round was held on 9 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[44] The matches will be played on 18 and 20 August 2020.
Qualifying rounds
Note: All qualified teams below are listed with their 2020 UEFA club coefficients (CC),[45] updated after 2019–20 UEFA Champions/Europa League matches through 16 August 2020. Club coefficients which are not final and may increase are marked by ≥. For any team whose club coefficients are not final at the time of a draw, their club coefficients at that time (taking into account of all Champions/Europa League matches played up to that point) will be used (Regulations Article 13.03).[2]
First qualifying round
The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 10 August 2020, 13:00 CEST.[46] The matches will be played on 25, 26 and 27 August 2020.
Second qualifying round
A total of 92 teams are expected to play in the second qualifying round. They are divided into two paths:
- Champions Path (20 teams): 3 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League preliminary round, and 17 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.
- Main Path (72 teams): 25 teams which enter in this round, and 47 winners of the first qualifying round.
Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[45] The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
Note: As the draw for the second qualifying round will be held after the matches of the first qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the first qualifying round.
Champions path
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Seeded teams:
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Unseeded teams:
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Main path
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Seeded teams:
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Seeding TBD:
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Third qualifying round
A total of 70 or 72 teams are expected to play in the third qualifying round, depending on the results of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League. They are divided into two paths:
- Champions Path (18 or 20 teams): 8 or 10 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), and 10 winners of the second qualifying round (Champions Path), depending on the results of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League.
- Main Path (52 teams): 13 teams which enter in this round, 3 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (League Path), and 36 winners of the second qualifying round (Main Path).
Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[45] For the winners of the second qualifying round (whose identity is not known at the time of draw), the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie is used. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
Note: As the draw for the second qualifying round will be held after the matches of the first qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the first qualifying round.
Champions Path
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Seeded teams:
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Unseeded teams:
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- If Lyon do not win the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, due to "adaptive re-balancing", only 8 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path) will enter the third qualifying round (Champions Path), while the other two, determined by draw, will enter the play-off round (Champions Path).
Main Path
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Seeded teams:
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Seeding TBD:
Unseeded teams:
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Play-off round
A total of 42 teams are expected to play in the play-off round. They are divided into two paths:
- Champions Path (16 teams): 0 or 2 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), 5 or 6 losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), and 9 or 10 winners of the third qualifying round (Champions Path), depending on the results of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League.
- Main Path (26 teams): 26 winners of the third qualifying round (Main Path).
Seeding of teams in the Champions Path is based on the round they are eliminated from the Champions League. Seeding of teams in the Main Path is based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[45] For the winners of the third qualifying round (whose identity is not known at the time of draw), the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie is used. The first team drawn in each tie will be the home team. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
Note: As the draw for the play-off round will be held after the matches of the second qualifying round are played, the seeding will be confirmed after the second qualifying round.
Champions Path
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Seeded teams:
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Unseeded teams:
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- If Lyon do not win the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, due to "adaptive re-balancing", 5 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (Champions Path), which will be seeded, and 2 losers of 2020–21 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round (Champions Path), determined by draw, and 9 winners of 2020–21 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round (Champions Path), which will be unseeded, will enter the play-off round (Champions Path).
Main Path
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Seeded teams:
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Seeding TBD:
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Group stage
A total of 48 teams play in the group stage: 18 teams which enter in this stage, the 21 winners of the play-off round (eight from Champions Path, thirteen from League Path), the six losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League play-off round (four from Champions Path, two from League Path), and the three League Path losers of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.
The 48 teams are drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams are seeded into four pots based on their 2020 UEFA club coefficients.[45]
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 32, where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Antwerp, Leicester City and Sivasspor will make their debut appearances in the group stage.
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References
- "UEFA competitions to resume in August". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
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