UEFA Europa League

For eligible European football clubs, the UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL) is an annual club tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and held every year. Since 1971, when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued, it has been the second-tier competition in European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Europa Conference League. Prior to that, it had been the third-tier competition, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Europa League. Participants in the tournament are determined by their performances in national leagues and cup competition.

The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was succeeded by the UEFA Cup, which was established in 1971. It was decided in 1999 that the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup would be amalgamated with the UEFA Cup, and the competition was officially dissolved. A group stage was introduced before the knockout phase beginning with the 2004–05 season. Following a change in format in the 2009–10 season, the tournament has been referred to as the Europa League since. The 2009 re-branding featured a merger with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which resulted in an extended competition structure, which included an expanded group stage as well as a modification in the qualification requirements for the tournament. UEFA Europa League winners are automatically qualified for the UEFA Super Cup and, from the 2014–15 season, into the next season's UEFA Champions League, where they compete in the group stages.

Clubs from Spain have the largest number of triumphs (thirteen), followed by clubs from England and Italy (nine wins each). A total of 29 clubs have won the championship, with thirteen of them claiming it on more than one occasion. A total of six championships have been won by Sevilla, making them the most successful team in the league. A penalty shootout victory against Manchester United in the 2021 Champions League final gave Villarreal their first title since 1986.