16 September 2026 - 26 May 2027
16 September 2026 - 26 May 2027
Europa League tickets give you access to Europe's second tier of club football. This season, 2026/27, will be the third season in the 36-team league format that replaced the previous group stage system. The season starts on the 9 July 2026 with the first qualifying round and ends with the final at Stadion Frankfurt on Wednesday 26 May 2027.
Thirty-six teams play eight games on Thursday nights. The match schedule is decided during the draw on Friday 28 August in Nyon. Aston Villa won last year's final in Istanbul in May, but they can't defend the title, meaning that this year there are no obvious favourites.
You can buy Europa League tickets in the league phase, in the knockout phase and at the final. We provide Europa League tickets through verified ticket listings and we offer full buyer protection.
The Europa League is UEFA's second tier of club competitions. It is the 56th season of the competition that started in 1971 as the UEFA Cup. A total of 76 clubs from at least 40 national associations take part in the qualifying rounds and the competition proper. Thirty-six of those teams make it through to the league phase.
The tournament follows the same structure as the Champions League. The 36 clubs are ranked in a single table and play eight different teams, four at home and four away. They are divided into four seedings and two teams from each seeding are drawn for every team's opponents.
What differentiates the Europa League from other UEFA competitions is how teams qualify. Twelve clubs earn direct entry to the league phase through their domestic league position. Twelve teams reach the league phase via the Europa League qualifying rounds. Eleven clubs arrive in the league phase having been knocked out from the Champions League qualifying rounds. One team qualifies for the league phase by virtue of winning the Conference League.
The winner of the tournament qualifies for the next season's Champions League league phase and plays the Champions League winner in the UEFA Super Cup. If you finish outside your domestic top four, winning the Europa League means that your team will play in the Champions League the following season, rather than just the Europa League. Europa League tickets therefore become a pathway into the premier club competition rather than merely a consolation prize.
The competition started in 1971 as the UEFA Cup, replacing the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and was renamed the Europa League in 2009. Sevilla hold the record with seven wins, six of them in a golden era spanning three different managers. Juventus, Inter and Liverpool have each won it three times.
English clubs have been particularly successful in recent years. Manchester United won it in 2017, Chelsea in 2019 and Aston Villa in 2026. That was Aston Villa's first European trophy since winning the European Cup in 1982, and their first major silverware since 1996.
The biggest ever format change took place during the 2024/25 season when the 32-team group stage was scrapped in favour of a 36-team league table. As a consequence there have been very few meaningless games since, and almost every fixture carries weight.
36 clubs, 1 league table, 8 games each, played on Thursday nights. After eight matchdays, the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16. Teams in 9th–24th place contest two-legged knockout ties in February. The higher-ranked team hosts the second leg.
Teams finishing below 24th will be eliminated; there is no drop into the Conference League. From the round of 16, the competition follows the standard two-legged knockout format until a one-off final. The trophy weighs 15kg and is therefore the heaviest of any UEFA prize.
Aston Villa lifted the Europa League last season. They beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in front of 37,324 fans at Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul on 20 May. Emiliano Buendía was the Man of the Match and Morgan Rogers was the player of the competition.
This was Villa's first Europa League triumph and Freiburg's maiden European final. Villa will not be able to defend their title. They qualified for next season's Champions League through the Premier League table and the new format means that clubs cannot move down from the Champions League to the Europa League once the league phase has started.
That title holder slot has been taken off the access list and reallocated. Last season's tournament attracted 4,954,145 fans across 189 fixtures, an average of 26,212.
Among the direct qualifiers we have AC Milan and Juventus from Italy's Serie A, Bayer Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim from Germany's Bundesliga, Real Sociedad as Copa del Rey champions and Celta de Vigo from Spain's La Liga.
England will send three teams. Both Bournemouth and Sunderland qualified through the Premier League standings while Crystal Palace reached the Europa League through winning the Conference League.
France have Marseille and Rennes, the Netherlands have AZ Alkmaar and Portugal have Torreense. The remaining eleven berths belong to clubs which have been knocked out of Champions League qualifying and these are normally the biggest names of all, European heavyweights knocked out at the final stage.
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Qualifying rounds | 9 July – 27 August 2026 |
| League phase draw | Friday 28 August 2026, Nyon |
| Matchday 1 | 16/17 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 15 October 2026 |
| Matchday 3 | 22 October 2026 |
| Matchday 4 | 5 November 2026 |
| Matchday 5 | 26 November 2026 |
| Matchday 6 | December 2026 |
| Matchday 7 | January 2027 |
| Matchday 8 | 28 January 2027 (all simultaneous) |
| Knockout play-offs | 18 & 25 February 2027 |
| Round of 16 | 11 & 18 March 2027 |
| Quarter-finals | 8 & 15 April 2027 |
| Semi-finals | 29 April & 6 May 2027 |
| Final | Wednesday 26 May 2027, Stadion Frankfurt |
Clubs confirmed for the 2026/27 league phase. Select a team and view their tickets:
Thursday is the night of the Europa League and offers a very different feel from the Champions League's Tuesday and Wednesday slots. Fans are closer, grounds are usually smaller, and the competition often sends clubs to places the Champions League doesn't go — Galicia, Wearside, Brittany, Sinsheim. That travel is part of the excitement.
A Europa League away game might be at Bournemouth's 11,000-capacity Vitality Stadium or the 67,500 Stade Vélodrome, and the smaller the stadium, the harder it is to get a ticket. Bournemouth's European home games will be among the most difficult to obtain in the entire competition.
But there's one game you should definitely plan for: the final at Stadion Frankfurt. The Waldstadion was built in 1925, hosted five matches during EURO 2024, and has hosted World Cup and Confederations Cup games. It's one of the easiest finals to attend in recent years, as it's located within a major German transport hub.
Every listing is verified prior to being published, and funds are held securely until tickets have been confirmed as delivered. Should a seller not deliver, if the tickets don't match the listing, or the fixture is cancelled, buyer protection will cover you.
Europa League nights are some of the most challenging tickets for any club to sell. Tickets are allocated to season ticket holders and members first, many clubs have a separate European lottery, and for clubs returning to European competition after an extended period — Sunderland, Celta, Bournemouth — the demand exceeds anything seen in the domestic season. With UEFA also allocating tickets to visiting supporters, a verified resale platform is the only viable option for most international fans.
Europa League 2026/27 ticket costs depend on the fixture, the home club's stadium size, seat category, and when you purchase them. Matches played during the league phase are typically cheaper than those in the Champions League. In bigger stadiums across Italy, Germany and France, expect league phase tickets to be priced between €50-€120, while in England they'll be higher.
Stadium capacity is the biggest factor. With only around 11,000 seats, Bournemouth's European home games will be the most expensive in the competition regardless of who they play. At 67,500, the Vélodrome is much larger and thus the per-seat cost will be lower. If a European evening in a small stadium is what you're looking for, prioritise this above all else.
As we head into the knockout stages in February, prices rise significantly, and the final at Frankfurt is its own market, with UEFA's public ballot heavily oversubscribed and most neutral fan demand coming via resale.
Friday, 28 August is the key date. Prior to the league phase draw, there are no fixtures, and therefore no tickets available. Once the draw takes place, the 144 league phase matches will be announced simultaneously, and listings will start appearing within hours.
Matchday 1 is on 16-17 September, meaning there's less than three weeks between the draw and the opening round, and the opportunity to buy tickets is very short. If you're planning a trip to see a specific team or pairing, buy immediately in that first week.
Three to six weeks in advance is best for most later matchdays, as those unable to make the trip free up tickets and supply peaks at reasonable prices. Small-capacity teams are the exception here: secure their tickets immediately after the draw.
Book early for the final in Frankfurt. UEFA's ballot opens months beforehand, hotel availability in Germany around a European final closes fast, and you should secure the ticket before making travel plans.
The Europa League qualifying phase concludes on 27 August, with the return legs of the play-offs making up the remaining 36 teams. Twelve clubs enter directly, another twelve qualify from the preliminary rounds, eleven join from Champions League qualifying, and Crystal Palace take the place reserved for the Conference League champions.
Aston Villa will not defend the title. Because the team qualified for the Champions League based on their Premier League result, they can no longer enter the Europa League in the present format. That spot has gone elsewhere.
The league phase draw will happen on Friday 28 August in Nyon, and the opening matchday is on 16 and 17 September. The final will be held on Wednesday 26 May 2027 at Stadion Frankfurt – the first Europa League final in Germany since 2020.
The final is on Wednesday 26 May 2027 at Stadion Frankfurt, also known as the Waldstadion, in Frankfurt, Germany. It was a venue for five games during UEFA EURO 2024.
The draw happens on Friday 28 August 2026 in Nyon, Switzerland. All eight league fixtures for each team will be determined in the draw, and schedules are published soon after.
There are 36 clubs who play eight matches apiece in a single league table, four home and four away, facing two opponents from each of four seeding pots. The top eight clubs progress directly to the last 16. Clubs ranked 9-24 enter a two-legged knockout play-off. The rest are out.
No. Aston Villa have already secured qualification for the Champions League based on their Premier League standings, and there is no mechanism to move from the Champions League to the Europa League once the league phase gets underway.
The winner enters next season's Champions League league phase and meets the Champions League winners in the UEFA Super Cup, plus a share of the prize money.
League phase fixtures take place on Thursday evenings, starting on 16 and 17 September 2026, and concluding on 28 January 2027, when all 18 games are played at the same time.
In most cases, tickets for the league phase at large continental venues open at around €50-€120. Tickets for English teams are usually more expensive. Teams in smaller stadiums command the highest premiums. Knockout fixtures and the final cost significantly more than league phase matches.