Europa League TV schedule

We’re your No. 1 source for the UEFA Europa League schedule for fans in the USA.

In the United States, CBS Sports have the exclusive English-language rights to broadcast the UEFA Europa League until the end of the 2029/30 season. In total, it’ll be more than four full seasons of coverage from the Group Stage all the way to the league finals every year.

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Spanish-language rights for the UEFA club competition have been acquired by Univision Deportes (TUDN), which will run until the end of the 2026/27 season.

For the Europa League, every single game will be streamed exclusively through the streaming service Paramount+, which offers a 7-day free trial. Read our Paramount+ FAQ for more info. Select TV games will air on CBS and/or CBS Sports Network.

A viable alternative is to consider watching Europa League games on Univision where many of the games will be shown on television in Spanish, which are streamed via Fubo.

Annual Europa League Schedule

Preliminary rounds begin in July while playoff rounds of the tournament are in August. The group stages of the competition are played from September through December. Round of 16 games are played during February-March, quarter-finals in April, semi-finals in late April and May, while the final is at the end of May.

Europa League History

After the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was discontinued in 1971–72, the Europa League – then called the UEFA Cup  – was established. Popular during its time, the Fairs Cup was a tournament available to teams from cities that held trade fairs.

The competition became more difficult to manage as the number of teams competing increased, therefore UEFA opted to substitute the UEFA Cup. The event quickly gained a reputation for being very competitive as its popularity soared over the years. In order to keep fans interested, the UEFA Europa League changed its structure many times.

In the past, only the domestic league runners-up were eligible to participate. However, in 1999, it was combined with the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA’s former inferior European tournament.

Since then, the UEFA Cup has expanded to include the champions of domestic cup tournaments. And those teams that didn’t make it beyond the UEFA Champions League’s third qualifying round could still play in the UEFA Cup.

The same was true for the third-place teams in the UCL group stage. A total of three clubs chosen from the domestic League Cup winners and Fair Play representatives will also be participating.

Format changes and expansion

With more clubs from lower levels taking part, the number of teams competing grew, and the competition’s structure underwent many revisions. A group stage, similar to that of the Champions League, was added to the competition in 2004–05 as it grew to include more clubs.

Because of this change, not only was the level of competition raised, but lesser teams were given an equal opportunity to play in the European grand arena.

Becoming the ‘UEFA Europa League’

Its current name, the UEFA Europa League, dates back to the 2009–10 championship. Also at this period, the new Europa League replaced the UEFA Intertoto Cup, the third-tier tournament run by UEFA.

The current format calls for qualifying and a play-off to set the scene for the group stage at the beginning of September. Currently, there are 48 teams competing in the group stage. The teams who finish first and second in their respective groups will advance to the knockout round.

Except for the final, every elimination round is a two-legged tie, much as in the Champions League. A year after the tournament ends, the victorious team returns the trophy to UEFA. When the trophy is returned, the club will be allowed to retain a miniature version of it.

Europa League: 21st century and modern history

Over the years, the UEFA Europa League has played host to many memorable finals. Amazing comebacks and nail-biting finals have left a lasting impression on football fans from the tournament. As an example, consider Liverpool‘s 2000–01 season victory against Alaves, in which they rallied from a 3–1 halftime deficit to win 5–4 in a historically exciting final.

Also unforgettable from the 2020–21 campaign was the nail-biting final between Villarreal and Manchester United, which went to a penalty shootout. In a momentous occasion for the club, Villarreal came out on top, winning their first major European championship.

Winners of the Europa League now get automatic entry to the Champions League group stage, elevating the competition’s profile in recent years. Clubs are much more interested in participating in the tournament now that they may compete against the top teams in Europe.

UEFA Club Competitions

The UEFA Europa League isn’t the only European club competition. UEFA also features the following European football competitions: UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa Conference League.

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