2014–15 UEFA Europa League

The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the sixth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

2014–15 UEFA Europa League
The National Stadium in Warsaw hosted the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
1 July – 28 August 2014
Competition proper:
18 September 2014 – 27 May 2015
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 162+33 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Sevilla (4th title)
Runners-upUkraine Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored548 (2.67 per match)
Attendance4,066,128 (19,835 per match)
Top scorer(s)Alan (Red Bull Salzburg)
Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
8 goals each

The 2015 UEFA Europa League Final was played at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland,[1] with Spanish side and title holders Sevilla defeating Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3–2 to win a record fourth title.[2]

This season was the first where clubs must comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations in order to participate.[3] Moreover, this season was the first where a club from Gibraltar competed in the tournament, after the Gibraltar Football Association was accepted as the 54th UEFA member at the UEFA Congress in May 2013.[4] They were granted one spot in the Europa League,[5] which was taken by College Europa, the runners-up of the 2014 Rock Cup.

Starting from this edition, the UEFA Europa League winners automatically qualify for the subsequent UEFA Champions League season even if they do not qualify for the Champions League through their domestic performance.[6] Therefore, the winners of this tournament qualify for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. They are guaranteed to enter at least the play-off round, and since the group stage berth reserved for the Champions League title holders will not be used (the winners of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League are guaranteed to qualify for the group stage through domestic performance), they will be elevated to enter the group stage via this berth.[7]

On 17 July 2014, the UEFA emergency panel ruled that Ukrainian and Russian clubs would not be drawn against each other "until further notice" due to the political unrest between the countries.[8] Another ruling centred in regional instability was also made where Israeli teams were prohibited from hosting any UEFA competitions due to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict (whilst the ruling ended a short time after the war, all the country's sides were eliminated before it ended).[9] The rules regarding suspension due to yellow card accumulation were also changed such that all bookings expired on completion of the quarter-finals and were not carried forward to the semi-finals.[10] Moreover, this was the first season in which vanishing spray was used.[11]

Association team allocation

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A total of 195 teams from all 54 UEFA member associations participate in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients is used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[12]

  • Associations 1–6 each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–9 each have four teams qualify.
  • Associations 10–51 (except Liechtenstein) each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 52–53 each have two teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein and Gibraltar each have one team qualify (Liechtenstein organises only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Gibraltar as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[5]
  • The top three associations of the 2013–14 UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking each gain an additional berth.
  • Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League.

The winners of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League are given an additional entry as title holders if they do not qualify for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League or Europa League through their domestic performance. However, this additional entry is not necessary for this season since the title holders qualified for European competitions through their domestic performance.

Association ranking

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For the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2013 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2008–09 to 2012–13.[13][14]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations may have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below:

  • (FP) – Additional berth via Fair Play ranking (Norway, Sweden, Finland)[15]
  • (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1   Spain 88.025 3 +1(UCL)
2   England 82.963 +1(UCL)
3   Germany 79.614
4   Italy 64.147 +2(UCL)
5   Portugal 59.168 +1(UCL)
6   France 59.000 +1(UCL)
7   Ukraine 49.758 4 +1(UCL)
8   Russia 46.332 +1(UCL)
9   Netherlands 44.729 +2(UCL)
10   Turkey 34.500 3 +1(UCL)
11   Belgium 34.400 +2(UCL)
12   Greece 34.000 +2(UCL)
13   Switzerland 28.925 +1(UCL)
14   Cyprus 26.833 +1(UCL)
15   Denmark 25.700 +2(UCL)
16   Austria 25.375 +1(UCL)
17   Czech Republic 23.725 +1(UCL)
18   Romania 23.024 +1(UCL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
19   Israel 22.875 3 +1(UCL)
20   Belarus 20.875
21   Poland 20.750 +1(UCL)
22   Croatia 19.583 +1(UCL)
23   Sweden 15.625 +1(FP)
24   Scotland 15.191 +1(UCL)
25   Serbia 14.625 +1(UCL)
26   Slovakia 14.208 +1(UCL)
27   Norway 14.175 +1(FP)
28   Bulgaria 12.250
29   Hungary 11.750 +1(UCL)
30   Slovenia 9.708
31   Georgia 9.166
32   Azerbaijan 8.541 +1(UCL)
33   Finland 8.508 +1(FP)
+1(UCL)
34   Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.833
35   Moldova 7.666 +1(UCL)
36   Republic of Ireland 7.375
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
37   Lithuania 6.500 3
38   Kazakhstan 5.958 +1(UCL)
39   Latvia 5.791
40   Iceland 5.416
41   Montenegro 5.250
42   Macedonia 5.250
43   Albania 4.166
44   Malta 3.958
45   Liechtenstein 3.500 1
46   Luxembourg 3.375 3
47   Northern Ireland 3.083
48   Wales 2.583
49   Estonia 2.208
50   Armenia 1.750
51   Faroe Islands 1.583
52   San Marino 0.666 2
53   Andorra 0.500
54   Gibraltar 0.000 1

Distribution

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Since title holders Sevilla qualified for the Europa League through their domestic performance, the spot which they qualified for in the group stage (as the fifth-placed team of the 2013–14 La Liga) is vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system were made:[16][17][18]

  • The domestic cup winners of association 7 (Ukraine) were promoted from the play-off round to the group stage.
  • The domestic cup winners of association 16 (Austria) were promoted from the third qualifying round to the play-off round.
  • The domestic cup winners of association 19 (Israel) were promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The domestic cup winners of associations 33 and 34 (Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina) were promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(78 teams)
  • 20 domestic cup winners from associations 35–54
  • 26 domestic league runners-up from associations 27–53 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 29 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 22–51 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play ranking
Second qualifying round
(80 teams)
  • 15 domestic cup winners from associations 20–34
  • 11 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–26
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–21
  • 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 39 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(58 teams)
  • 3 domestic cup winners from associations 17–19
  • 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 40 winners from the second qualifying round
Play-off round
(62 teams)
  • 9 domestic cup winners from associations 8–16
  • 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–9
  • 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 4–6
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3
  • 29 winners from the third qualifying round
  • 15 losers from the Champions League third qualifying round
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • Title holders
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 2–7
  • 31 winners from the play-off round
  • 10 losers from the Champions League play-off round
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from the group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from the group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage

Redistribution rules

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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:[12]

  • 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, either of the following teams qualify for the Europa League:
    • The domestic cup runners-up, provided they have not yet qualified for European competitions, qualify for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier (with the earliest starting round), with the other Europa League qualifiers moved up one "place" (the 2014–15 season is the last with this particular arrangement).[5]
    • Otherwise, 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 the League Cup winners, they always qualify for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier (or as the second "lowest-placed" qualifier in cases where the cup runners-up qualify as stated above). 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.
  • A Fair Play place is taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table which have not yet qualified for European competitions.

Teams

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The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[19][20][21]

  • TH: Title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • CR: Cup runners-up
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
  • FP: Fair Play
  • UCL: Transferred from the Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
    • PO: Losers from the play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
Round of 32
  Olympiacos (UCL GS)   Zenit Saint Petersburg (UCL GS)   Roma (UCL GS)   Sporting CP (UCL GS)
  Liverpool (UCL GS)   Anderlecht (UCL GS)   Ajax (UCL GS)   Athletic Bilbao (UCL GS)
Group stage
  SevillaTH (5th)   Guingamp (CW)   Steaua București (UCL PO)   Lille (UCL PO)
  Everton (5th)   Dynamo Kyiv (CW)   Slovan Bratislava (UCL PO)   Napoli (UCL PO)
  VfL Wolfsburg (5th)   Celtic (UCL PO)   Beşiktaş (UCL PO)
  Fiorentina (4th)   Red Bull Salzburg (UCL PO)   Standard Liège (UCL PO)
  Estoril (4th)   AaB (UCL PO)   Copenhagen (UCL PO)
Play-off round
  Villarreal (6th)   PEC Zwolle (CW)   Qarabağ (UCL Q3)   Partizan (UCL Q3)
  Tottenham Hotspur (6th)   Twente (3rd)   Debrecen (UCL Q3)   AEL Limassol (UCL Q3)
  Borussia Mönchengladbach (6th)   Trabzonspor (4th)[Note TUR]   Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q3)   Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UCL Q3)
  Internazionale (5th)   Lokeren (CW)   Dinamo Zagreb (UCL Q3)   Feyenoord (UCL Q3)
  Nacional (5th)   PAOK (3rd)   Legia Warsaw (UCL Q3)   Grasshopper (UCL Q3)
  Saint-Étienne (4th)   Zürich (CW)   Aktobe (UCL Q3)   Panathinaikos (UCL Q3)
  Metalist Kharkiv (3rd)   Apollon Limassol (3rd)   Maccabi Tel Aviv (UCL Q3)
  Rostov (CW)   Midtjylland (3rd)   HJK (UCL Q3)
  Lokomotiv Moscow (3rd)   Rapid Wien (2nd)   Sparta Prague (UCL Q3)
Third qualifying round
  Real Sociedad (7th)   Lyon (5th)   Club Brugge (3rd)   Viktoria Plzeň (2nd)
  Hull City (CR)   Chornomorets Odesa (5th)   Atromitos (4th)   Astra Giurgiu (CW)
  Mainz 05 (7th)   Dynamo Moscow (4th)   Young Boys (3rd)   Ironi Kiryat Shmona (CW)
  Torino (7th)[Note ITA]   PSV Eindhoven (4th)   Ermis Aradippou (4th)
  Rio Ave (CR)   Karabükspor (7th)[Note TUR]   Brøndby (4th)
Second qualifying round
  Zorya Luhansk (7th)[Note UKR]   Mladá Boleslav (3rd)   Ruch Chorzów (3rd)   Molde (CW)
  Krasnodar (5th)   Slovan Liberec (4th)   Rijeka (CW)   CSKA Sofia (2nd)
  Groningen (P-W)   Petrolul Ploiești (3rd)   Hajduk Split (3rd)   Győr (2nd)[Note HUN]
  Bursaspor (8th)[Note TUR]   CFR Cluj (5th)[Note ROU]   IF Elfsborg (CW)   Gorica (CW)
  Zulte Waregem (P-W)   Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2nd)   AIK (2nd)   Zestaponi (2nd)
  Asteras Tripolis (5th)   Hapoel Tel Aviv (4th)   St Johnstone (CW)   Neftchi Baku (CW)
  Luzern (4th)   Shakhtyor Soligorsk (CW)   Motherwell (2nd)   RoPS (CW)
  Omonia (5th)   Dinamo Minsk (3rd)   Vojvodina (CW)   Sarajevo (CW)
  Esbjerg (5th)   Neman Grodno (4th)   Jagodina (3rd)[Note SRB]
  Grödig (3rd)   Zawisza Bydgoszcz (CW)   Košice (CW)
  St. Pölten (CR)   Lech Poznań (2nd)   Trenčín (2nd)
First qualifying round
  RNK Split (4th)   Željezničar (4th)   Čelik Nikšić (3rd)   Aberystwyth Town (CR)
  IFK Göteborg (3rd)   Zimbru Chișinău (CW)   Budućnost Podgorica (4th)   Nõmme Kalju (2nd)
  Aberdeen (3rd)   Tiraspol (2nd)   Turnovo (2nd)   Sillamäe Kalev (3rd)
  Čukarički (5th)[Note SRB]   Veris Chișinău (3rd)   Metalurg Skopje (3rd)   Santos Tartu (CR)
  Spartak Trnava (3rd)   Sligo Rovers (CW)   Shkëndija (4th)   Pyunik (CW)
  Rosenborg (2nd)   Dundalk (2nd)   Flamurtari (CW)   Shirak (2nd)
  Haugesund (3rd)   Derry City (4th)[Note IRL]   Kukësi (2nd)   Mika (3rd)
  Litex Lovech (3rd)   Atlantas (2nd)   Laçi (3rd)   Víkingur Gøta (CW)
  Botev Plovdiv (CR)   Ekranas (3rd)   Birkirkara (2nd)   ÍF (2nd)
  Ferencváros (3rd)   Banga Gargždai (CR)   Hibernians (3rd)   B36 Tórshavn (3rd)
  Diósgyőr (CR)[Note HUN]   Shakhter Karagandy (CW)   Sliema Wanderers (CR)   Libertas (CW)
  Koper (2nd)   Astana (2nd)   Vaduz (CW)   Folgore (2nd)
  Rudar Velenje (3rd)   Kairat (3rd)   Differdange 03 (CW)   Sant Julià (CW)
  Sioni Bolnisi (3rd)   Jelgava (CW)   Fola Esch (2nd)   UE Santa Coloma (2nd)
  Chikhura Sachkhere (CR)   Daugava Daugavpils (3rd)   Jeunesse Esch (4th)   College Europa (CR)[Note GIB]
  Inter Baku (2nd)   Daugava Rīga (4th)[Note LVA]   Glenavon (CW)   Tromsø (FP)[22]
  Gabala (3rd)   Fram Reykjavík (CW)   Linfield (2nd)   IF Brommapojkarna (FP)[23]
  Honka (2nd)   FH (2nd)   Crusaders (3rd)   MYPA (FP)[24]
  VPS (3rd)   Stjarnan (3rd)   Airbus UK Broughton (2nd)
  Široki Brijeg (2nd)   Lovćen Cetinje (CW)   Bangor City (P-W)

Notably three teams take part in the competition that do not currently play in their national top-division. They are Santos Tartu (3rd tier), St. Pölten (2nd) and Tromsø (2nd).

Notes
  1. ^
    Gibraltar (GIB): A meeting was held by the Gibraltar Football Association to decide whether College Europa (runners-up of the 2014 Rock Cup) or Manchester 62 (runners-up of the 2013–14 Gibraltar Premier Division) would represent Gibraltar in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.[25] The association had to back-track on a decision taken at the beginning of the season as to who would qualify for European competitions, as they were mistaken to go against the competition rules.[26]
  2. ^
    Hungary (HUN): Újpest, the winners of the 2013–14 Magyar Kupa, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[27] As a result, Győr, the runners-up of the 2013–14 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, and the first qualifying round berth was given to Diósgyőr, the runners-up of the cup.
  3. ^
    Italy (ITA): Parma, the sixth-placed team of the 2013–14 Serie A, would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[28] As a result, the berth was given to Torino, the seventh-placed team of the league.[29]
  4. ^
    Latvia (LVA): Skonto, the runners-up of the 2013 Latvian Higher League, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but had been excluded from participating by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body due to overdue payables.[30] As a result, the berth was given to Daugava Rīga, the fourth-placed team of the league.
  5. ^
    Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland, but participate in the Europa League through one of the berths for Republic of Ireland as they finished fourth in the 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division (any coefficient points they earn count toward Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland).
  6. ^
    Romania (ROU): Dinamo București, the fourth-placed team of the 2013–14 Liga I, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[31] As a result, the berth was given to CFR Cluj, the fifth-placed team of the league.
  7. ^
    Serbia (SRB): Red Star Belgrade, the champions of the 2013–14 Serbian SuperLiga, would have qualified for the Champions League second qualifying round, but was banned by UEFA for breaching UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.[32] As a result, Partizan, the runners-up of the league, entered the Champions League instead of the Europa League second qualifying round. Moreover, Jagodina, the third-placed team of the league, entered the Europa League second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, and the first qualifying round berth was given to Čukarički, the fifth-placed team of the league.
  8. ^
    Turkey (TUR): Fenerbahçe, the champions of the 2013–14 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the Champions League, but was banned by UEFA because of the 2011 Turkish football match-fixing scandal.[33][34] As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team of the league, entered the Champions League instead of the Europe League play-off round, and Trabzonspor, the fourth-placed team of the league, entered the Europa League play-off round instead of the third qualifying round. Moreover, Sivasspor, the fifth-placed team of the league, and Eskişehirspor, the runners-up of the 2013–14 Turkish Cup, which would have entered the Europa League third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively, were also banned by UEFA due to match-fixing.[35] The two berths were given to Karabükspor and Bursaspor, the seventh- and eighth-placed teams of the league respectively, as Kasımpaşa, the sixth-placed team of the league, failed to obtain a UEFA licence.
  9. ^
    Ukraine (UKR): Metalurh Donetsk, the sixth-placed team of the 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but had been excluded from participating by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body due to overdue payables.[30] As a result, the berth was given to Zorya Luhansk, the seventh-placed team of the league.

Round and draw dates

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The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[16][36]

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 23 June 2014 3 July 2014 10 July 2014
Second qualifying round 17 July 2014 24 July 2014
Third qualifying round 18 July 2014 31 July 2014 7 August 2014
Play-off Play-off round 8 August 2014 21 August 2014 28 August 2014
Group stage Matchday 1 29 August 2014
(Monaco)
18 September 2014
Matchday 2 2 October 2014
Matchday 3 23 October 2014
Matchday 4 6 November 2014
Matchday 5 27 November 2014
Matchday 6 11 December 2014
Knockout phase Round of 32 15 December 2014 19 February 2015 26 February 2015
Round of 16 27 February 2015[37] 12 March 2015 19 March 2015
Quarter-finals 20 March 2015 16 April 2015 23 April 2015
Semi-finals 24 April 2015 7 May 2015 14 May 2015
Final 27 May 2015 at National Stadium, Warsaw

Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Qualifying rounds

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In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2014 UEFA club coefficients,[38][39][40] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.

First qualifying round

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The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on 23 June 2014.[41] The first legs were played on 1 and 3 July, and the second legs were played on 8, 10 and 11 July 2014.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sioni Bolnisi   4–4 (a)   Flamurtari 2–3 2–1
Tiraspol   3–6   Inter Baku 2–3 1–3
Hibernians   2–9   Spartak Trnava 2–4 0–5
Čukarički   4–0[A]   Sant Julià 4–0 0–0
Čelik Nikšić   0–9[A]   Koper 0–5 0–4
Turnovo   1–4   Chikhura Sachkhere 0–1 1–3
Shirak   1–6   Shakhter Karagandy 1–2 0–4
Gabala   0–5   Široki Brijeg 0–2 0–3
Diósgyőr   6–2   Birkirkara 2–1 4–1
Vaduz   4–0   College Europa 3–0 1–0
Veris Chișinău   0–3   Litex Lovech 0–0 0–3
UE Santa Coloma   0–5   Metalurg Skopje 0–3 0–2
Kairat   1–0   Kukësi 1–0 0–0
Folgore   1–5   Budućnost Podgorica 1–2 0–3
RNK Split   3–1   Mika 2–0 1–1
Botev Plovdiv   6–0   Libertas 4–0 2–0
Željezničar   1–0[A]   Lovćen Cetinje 0–0 1–0
Shkëndija   2–3   Zimbru Chișinău 2–1 0–2
Sliema Wanderers   2–3   Ferencváros 1–1 1–2
Pyunik   1–6   Astana 1–4 0–2
Rudar Velenje   2–2 (2–3 p)   Laçi 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Differdange 03   2–3   Atlantas 1–0 1–3
VPS   2–3   IF Brommapojkarna 2–1 0–2
B36 Tórshavn   2–3   Linfield 1–2 1–1
Fram Reykjavík   2–3   Nõmme Kalju 0–1 2–2
Rosenborg   6–0   Jelgava 4–0 2–0
Derry City   9–0   Aberystwyth Town 4–0 5–0
Aberdeen   8–0   Daugava Rīga 5–0 3–0
Santos Tartu   1–13   Tromsø 0–7 1–6
Crusaders   5–2   Ekranas 3–1 2–1
Stjarnan   8–0   Bangor City 4–0 4–0
Jeunesse Esch   1–5   Dundalk 0–2 1–3
MYPA   1–0   ÍF 1–0 0–0
FH   6–2   Glenavon 3–0 3–2
Sillamäe Kalev   4–4 (a)   Honka 2–1 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Banga Gargždai   0–4   Sligo Rovers 0–0 0–4
Víkingur Gøta   3–2   Daugava Daugavpils 2–1 1–1
IFK Göteborg   2–0   Fola Esch 0–0 2–0
Airbus UK Broughton   2–3[A]   Haugesund 1–1 1–2
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Second qualifying round

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The first legs were played on 17 July, and the second legs were played on 22 and 24 July 2014.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Győr   1–3   IFK Göteborg 0–3 1–0
Molde   5–2   Gorica 4–1 1–1
Metalurg Skopje   2–2 (a)[B]   Željezničar 0–0 2–2
Nõmme Kalju   1–3   Lech Poznań 1–0 0–3
Dinamo Minsk   3–0   MYPA 3–0 0–0
Neman Grodno   1–3   FH 1–1 0–2
RNK Split   2–1[C]   Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2–1 0–0
Košice   0–4[B]   Slovan Liberec 0–1 0–3
Víkingur Gøta   2–1   Tromsø 0–0 2–1
Petrolul Ploiești   5–1   Flamurtari 2–0 3–1
Čukarički   2–5   Grödig 0–4 2–1
CFR Cluj   1–0   Jagodina 0–0 1–0
Motherwell   4–5   Stjarnan 2–2 2–3 (a.e.t.)
Zestaponi   0–3[B]   Spartak Trnava 0–0 0–3
IF Brommapojkarna   5–1[B]   Crusaders 4–0 1–1
Aberdeen   2–1   Groningen 0–0 2–1
Bursaspor   0–0 (1–4 p)   Chikhura Sachkhere 0–0 0–0 (a.e.t.)
Neftchi Baku   3–2   Koper 1–2 2–0
Linfield   1–2   AIK 1–0 0–2
Rijeka   3–1   Ferencváros 1–0 2–1
Budućnost Podgorica   0–2   Omonia 0–2 0–0
Mladá Boleslav   6–1   Široki Brijeg 2–1 4–0
Luzern   2–2 (4–5 p)   St Johnstone 1–1 1–1 (a.e.t.)
Laçi   1–5   Zorya Luhansk 0–3 1–2
Rosenborg   4–3   Sligo Rovers 1–2 3–1
Atlantas   0–3   Shakhter Karagandy 0–0 0–3
Sarajevo   3–2   Haugesund 0–1 3–1
Zulte Waregem   5–2   Zawisza Bydgoszcz 2–1 3–1
Sillamäe Kalev   0–9   Krasnodar 0–4 0–5
CSKA Sofia   1–1 (a)   Zimbru Chișinău 1–1 0–0
Derry City   1–6   Shakhtyor Soligorsk 0–1 1–5
Ruch Chorzów   3–2   Vaduz 3–2 0–0
Astana   3–1[C]   Hapoel Tel Aviv 3–0 0–1
Trenčín   4–3   Vojvodina 4–0 0–3
Litex Lovech   2–3   Diósgyőr 0–2 2–1
Botev Plovdiv   2–3   St. Pölten 2–1 0–2
RoPS   3–5[B]   Asteras Tripolis 1–1 2–4
Dundalk   2–3[B]   Hajduk Split 0–2 2–1
Kairat   1–2   Esbjerg 1–1 0–1
IF Elfsborg   1–1 (4–3 p)   Inter Baku 0–1 1–0 (a.e.t.)
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e f
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.
  2. ^ a b
    Order of legs reversed after original draw, due to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.[42]

Third qualifying round

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The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 18 July 2014.[43] The first legs were played on 31 July, and the second legs were played on 7 August 2014.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Karabükspor   1–1 (a)   Rosenborg 0–0 1–1
RNK Split   2–0[D]   Chornomorets Odesa 2–0 0–0
St Johnstone   2–3   Spartak Trnava 1–2 1–1
Mainz 05   2–3   Asteras Tripolis 1–0 1–3
Diósgyőr   1–8   Krasnodar 1–5 0–3
Mladá Boleslav   2–6   Lyon 1–4 1–2
Trenčín   1–2   Hull City 0–0 1–2
Omonia   4–0   Metalurg Skopje 3–0 1–0
IF Brommapojkarna   0–7[D]   Torino 0–3 0–4
PSV Eindhoven   4–2   St. Pölten 1–0 3–2
Stjarnan   1–0   Lech Poznań 1–0 0–0
Zorya Luhansk   3–2   Molde 1–1 2–1
Sarajevo   4–3   Atromitos 1–2 3–1 (a.e.t.)
Real Sociedad   5–2   Aberdeen 2–0 3–2
Astana   4–1   AIK 1–1 3–0
Zulte Waregem   4–7   Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2–5 2–2
Grödig   2–2 (a)   Zimbru Chișinău 1–2 1–0
Astra Giurgiu   6–2   Slovan Liberec 3–0 3–2
Ruch Chorzów   2–2 (a)   Esbjerg 0–0 2–2
Dynamo Moscow   3–2   Ironi Kiryat Shmona 1–1 2–1
Young Boys   3–0   Ermis Aradippou 1–0 2–0
IF Elfsborg   5–3   FH 4–1 1–2
Petrolul Ploiești   5–2   Viktoria Plzeň 1–1 4–1
Víkingur Gøta   1–9   Rijeka 1–5 0–4
Dinamo Minsk   3–0   CFR Cluj 1–0 2–0
Neftchi Baku   3–2   Chikhura Sachkhere 0–0 3–2
IFK Göteborg   0–1   Rio Ave 0–1 0–0
Club Brugge   5–0   Brøndby 3–0 2–0
Shakhter Karagandy   4–5   Hajduk Split 4–2 0–3
Notes
  1. ^ a b
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Play-off round

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The draw for the play-off round was held on 8 August 2014.[44] The first legs were played on 20 and 21 August, and the second legs were played on 28 August 2014.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Sarajevo   2–10   Borussia Mönchengladbach 2–3 0–7
Apollon Limassol   5–2   Lokomotiv Moscow 1–1 4–1
Astana   0–7   Villarreal 0–3 0–4
Young Boys   3–1   Debrecen 3–1 0–0
PEC Zwolle   2–4   Sparta Prague 1–1 1–3
Spartak Trnava   2–4   Zürich 1–3 1–1
Asteras Tripolis   3–3 (a)   Maccabi Tel Aviv 2–0 1–3
AEL Limassol   1–5   Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 0–3
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk   2–1   Hajduk Split 2–1 0–0
Dinamo Minsk   5–2   Nacional 2–0 3–2
Qarabağ   1–1 (a)   Twente 0–0 1–1
Petrolul Ploiești   2–5   Dinamo Zagreb 1–3 1–2
HJK   5–4   Rapid Wien 2–1 3–3
Trabzonspor   2–0   Rostov 2–0 0–0
Zimbru Chișinău   1–4   PAOK 1–0 0–4
RNK Split   0–1   Torino 0–0 0–1
Dynamo Moscow   4–3[E]   Omonia 2–2 2–1
Aktobe   0–3   Legia Warsaw 0–1 0–2
Lyon   2–2 (a)   Astra Giurgiu 1–2 1–0
Lokeren   2–2 (a)   Hull City 1–0 1–2
Partizan   5–3[E]   Neftchi Baku 3–2 2–1
Ruch Chorzów   0–1   Metalist Kharkiv 0–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
IF Elfsborg   2–2 (a)   Rio Ave 2–1 0–1
PSV Eindhoven   3–0   Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–0 2–0
Karabükspor   1–1 (3–4 p)   Saint-Étienne 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Stjarnan   0–9   Internazionale 0–3 0–6
Panathinaikos   6–2   Midtjylland 4–1 2–1
Zorya Luhansk   4–5[E]   Feyenoord 1–1 3–4
Grasshopper   1–3   Club Brugge 1–2 0–1
Real Sociedad   1–3   Krasnodar 1–0 0–3
Rijeka   4–0   Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 3–0
Notes
  1. ^
    Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Group stage

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Teams that have qualified for the group stage of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League
  Red: Group A;   Yellow: Group B;   Green: Group C;   Dark green: Group D;
  Purple: Group E;   Pink: Group F;   Blue: Group G;   Orange: Group H;
  Brown: Group I;   Deep pink: Group J;   Cyan: Group K;   Spring green: Group L.

The draw for the group stage was held in Monaco on 29 August 2014.[45] The 48 teams were allocated into four pots based on their 2014 UEFA club coefficients,[38][39][40] with the title holders being placed in Pot 1 automatically.[46] They were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.

In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays were 18 September, 2 October, 23 October (one home match of Metalist Kharkiv played on 22 October), 6 November, 27 November, and 11 December 2014.

A total of 26 national associations were represented in the group stage. VfL Wolfsburg, Torino, Feyenoord, Guingamp, Saint-Étienne, Rio Ave, Dynamo Moscow, Krasnodar, Lokeren, Asteras Tripolis, Qarabağ, HJK, Astra Giurgiu, Dinamo Minsk and AaB made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (not counting UEFA Cup group stage appearances), although VfL Wolfsburg had already competed in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League knockout phase after a third place in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage.

The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage. See 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage#Tiebreakers for tiebreakers if two or more teams are equal on points.

Red Bull Salzburg's 21 goals scored set a new Europa League group stage record.[47]

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MGB VIL ZUR APL
1   Borussia Mönchengladbach 6 3 3 0 14 4 +10 12 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 3–0 5–0
2   Villarreal 6 3 2 1 15 7 +8 11 2–2 4–1 4–0
3   Zürich 6 2 1 3 10 14 −4 7 1–1 3–2 3–1
4   Apollon Limassol 6 1 0 5 4 18 −14 3 0–2 0–2 3–2
Source: Soccerway

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BRU TOR HJK KOB
1   Club Brugge 6 3 3 0 10 2 +8 12 Advance to knockout phase 0–0 2–1 1–1
2   Torino 6 3 2 1 9 3 +6 11 0–0 2–0 1–0
3   HJK 6 2 0 4 5 11 −6 6 0–3 2–1 2–1
4   Copenhagen 6 1 1 4 5 13 −8 4 0–4 1–5 2–0
Source: Soccerway

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BES TOT AT PAR
1   Beşiktaş 6 3 3 0 11 5 +6 12 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 1–1 2–1
2   Tottenham Hotspur 6 3 2 1 9 4 +5 11 1–1 5–1 1–0
3   Asteras Tripolis 6 1 3 2 7 10 −3 6 2–2 1–2 2–0
4   Partizan 6 0 2 4 1 9 −8 2 0–4 0–0 0–0
Source: Soccerway

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SAL CEL DZG AG
1   Red Bull Salzburg 6 5 1 0 21 8 +13 16 Advance to knockout phase 2–2 4–2 5–1
2   Celtic 6 2 2 2 10 11 −1 8 1–3 1–0 2–1
3   Dinamo Zagreb 6 2 0 4 12 15 −3 6 1–5 4–3 5–1
4   Astra Giurgiu 6 1 1 4 6 15 −9 4 1–2 1–1 1–0
Source: Soccerway

Group E

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DYM PSV EST PAN
1   Dynamo Moscow 6 6 0 0 9 3 +6 18 Advance to knockout phase 1–0 1–0 2–1
2   PSV Eindhoven 6 2 2 2 8 8 0 8 0–1 1–0 1–1
3   Estoril 6 1 2 3 7 8 −1 5 1–2 3–3 2–0
4   Panathinaikos 6 0 2 4 6 11 −5 2 1–2 2–3 1–1
Source: Soccerway

Group F

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification INT DNI QAR SET
1   Internazionale 6 3 3 0 6 2 +4 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 2–0 0–0
2   Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 6 2 1 3 4 5 −1 7 0–1 0–1 1–0
3   Qarabağ 6 1 3 2 3 5 −2 6 0–0 1–2 0–0
4   Saint-Étienne 6 0 5 1 2 3 −1 5 1–1 0–0 1–1
Source: Soccerway

Group G

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FEY SEV RIJ STA
1   Feyenoord 6 4 0 2 10 6 +4 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 2–0 2–1
2   Sevilla 6 3 2 1 8 5 +3 11 2–0 1–0 3–1
3   Rijeka 6 2 1 3 7 8 −1 7 3–1 2–2 2–0
4   Standard Liège 6 1 1 4 4 10 −6 4 0–3 0–0 2–0
Source: Soccerway

Group H

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification EVE WOL KRA LIL
1   Everton 6 3 2 1 10 3 +7 11 Advance to knockout phase 4–1 0–1 3–0
2   VfL Wolfsburg 6 3 1 2 14 10 +4 10 0–2 5–1 1–1
3   Krasnodar 6 1 3 2 7 12 −5 6 1–1 2–4 1–1
4   Lille 6 0 4 2 3 9 −6 4 0–0 0–3 1–1
Source: Soccerway

Group I

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NAP YB SPA SLO
1   Napoli 6 4 1 1 11 3 +8 13 Advance to knockout phase 3–0 3–1 3–0
2   Young Boys 6 4 0 2 13 7 +6 12 2–0 2–0 5–0
3   Sparta Prague 6 3 1 2 11 6 +5 10 0–0 3–1 4–0
4   Slovan Bratislava 6 0 0 6 1 20 −19 0 0–2 1–3 0–3
Source: Soccerway

Group J

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification DYK AAB STE RIO
1   Dynamo Kyiv 6 5 0 1 12 4 +8 15 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 3–1 2–0
2   AaB 6 3 0 3 5 10 −5 9 3–0 1–0 1–0
3   Steaua București 6 2 1 3 11 9 +2 7 0–2 6–0 2–1
4   Rio Ave 6 1 1 4 5 10 −5 4 0–3 2–0 2–2
Source: Soccerway

Group K

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FIO GUI PAO DMI
1   Fiorentina 6 4 1 1 11 4 +7 13 Advance to knockout phase 3–0 1–1 1–2
2   Guingamp 6 3 1 2 7 6 +1 10 1–2 2–0 2–0
3   PAOK 6 2 1 3 10 7 +3 7 0–1 1–2 6–1
4   Dinamo Minsk 6 1 1 4 3 14 −11 4 0–3 0–0 0–2
Source: Soccerway

Group L

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LEG TRA LOK MET
1   Legia Warsaw 6 5 0 1 7 2 +5 15 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 1–0 2–1
2   Trabzonspor 6 3 1 2 8 6 +2 10 0–1 2–0 3–1
3   Lokeren 6 3 1 2 4 4 0 10 1–0 1–1 1–0
4   Metalist Kharkiv 6 0 0 6 3 10 −7 0 0–1 1–2 0–1
Source: Soccerway

Knockout phase

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In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other.

Bracket

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Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                  
  VfL Wolfsburg 2 0 2
  Sporting CP 0 0 0
  VfL Wolfsburg 3 2 5
  Internazionale 1 1 2
  Celtic 3 0 3
  Internazionale 3 1 4
  VfL Wolfsburg 1 2 3
  Napoli 4 2 6
  Trabzonspor 0 0 0
  Napoli 4 1 5
  Napoli 3 0 3
  Dynamo Moscow 1 0 1
  Anderlecht 0 1 1
  Dynamo Moscow 0 3 3
  Napoli 1 0 1
  Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 1 1 2
  AaB 1 0 1
  Club Brugge 3 3 6
  Club Brugge 2 3 5
  Beşiktaş 1 1 2
  Liverpool 1 0 1(4)
  Beşiktaş (p) 0 1 1(5)
  Club Brugge 0 0 0
  Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 0 1 1
  Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 2