West Ham's 43-year trophy drought came to an end in the thrilling 2022/23 Europa Conference League final when they defeated Fiorentina 2-1. In an emotionally charged night in Prague, Jarrod Bowen netted the winning goal in injury time, delivering the London club's first piece of silverware since the 1980 FA Cup and their first European triumph since 1965.
The final also marked Declan Rice's farewell appearance in West Ham's colors, as the English international completed a £105 million summer transfer to Arsenal. Established in the 2020/21 season, the Europa Conference League stands as the third-tier European competition, following the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.
Roma claimed the inaugural edition of the tournament, and the question now lingers about which team will etch its name onto the list of champions. But before that unfolds, it's time for the group stage. We'll guide you through all the essentials for the 2023/24 Europa Conference League group stages, including the draw and important dates.
WHEN IS THE EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW?
The qualifying phase is almost complete, after which 22 of the 32 teams will have earned their spot in the group stage. The other 10 teams will come from the Europa League play-offs.The group stage draw for the 2023/24 Europa Conference League will take place at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, on Friday September 1.
Following the conclusion of the group stages, the knockout round play-off draw will be held on December 18 and the draw for the last 16 will be on February 23, 2024.
The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be on March 15 2024.
HAS THE UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FORMAT CHANGED THIS YEAR?
The UEFA Europa Conference League format remains the same this season, with 32 teams in the group stage, spread across eight groups of four.From the 2024/25 season, the number of teams competing in the group stage will increase from 32 to 36, while the traditional group stage will change to a single league phase with clubs playing six matches against six different opponents.
HOW TO WATCH THE EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW
The group-stage draw gets underway at 13:30 UK time, live from Monaco on Friday, September 1.WHEN DOES THE EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE GROUP STAGE START?
The Europa Conference League group stage starts in September, shortly after the first international break of the season which runs from September 4-12.The group-stage dates are:
- Matchday 1: September 21 2023
- Matchday 2: October 5 2023
- Matchday 3: October 26 2023
- Matchday 4: November 9 2023
- Matchday 5: November 30 2023
- Matchday 6: December 14 2023
WHEN ARE THE UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE KNOCKOUT STAGES?
The 2023/24 UEFA Europa Conference League knockout matches begin in February 2024.The final will be played at the AEK Arena in Athens.
The schedule for the knockout stages is:
- Knockout round play-offs: February 15 & 22, 2024
- Round of 16: March 7 & 14, 2024
- Quarter-finals: April 11 & 18, 2024
- Semi-finals: May 2 & 9, 2024
- Final: May 29, 2024
FULL UEFA EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE DRAW
Group A- LOSC Lille
- Slovan Bratislava
- Olimpija Ljubljana
- KL Klaksvik
- Gent
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv
- Zorya Luhansk
- Breidablik
- Dinamo Zagreb
- Viktoria Plzen
- Astana
- Ballkani
- Club Brugge
- Bodo/Glimt
- Besiktas
- Lugano
- AZ Alkmaar
- Aston Villa
- Legia Warsaw
- Zrinjski
- Ferencvaros
- Fiorentina
- Genk
- Cukaricki
- Eintracht Frankfurt
- PAOK
- HJK Helsinki
- Aberdeen
- Fenerbahce
- Ludogorets
- Spartak Trnava
- Nordsjaelland
