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Historical Background

The UEFA Europa League, better known by fans of tv sports as the Europa Leauge, is a European football club tournament held annually. First organised in 1971, the competition has gained immense popularity on the continent, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch live football on tv. Whilst the Champions League maintains its position as Europe's top club competition, the Europa League is considered to be the second biggest event.

Before the Europa League, Europe had the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which saw 64 teams competing for the winner's title until 1971. Due to the increasing popularity of the tournament, fueled, in part, by a rising number of football tv fans, UEFA took it over and renamed it to UEFA Cup.

The First UEFA Cup final, held in 1972, saw some of the best English football on tv, with Tottenham Hotspurs beating Wolverhampton Wanderers. Liverpool won the tournament's second edition the following year.

In the 2009-2010 season, UEFA rebranded the competition, marking the birth of the Europa League as it is known today. Nevertheless, the past successes and records of the UEFA Cup are counted to be part of Europa League's history, which is why the tournament is treated as one and the same.

The Format of the League

The Europa League is made up of 48 European football clubs split into 12 groups of four teams each. Through a double round robin mechanism, the two teams with the highest points in each group move to the next stage.

In this next stage, the remaining teams play two-legged knockout rounds, until the final two teams compete in a final. The final is normally played in May, on a Wednesday, 10 days before the Champions League final. Its location varies, but it is always played out in a UEFA category 4 stadium. Tens of thousands are normally present in the stadium, with millions watching the Europa League on tv.

Trophy and Anthem

Winners of the Europa League raise the UEFA Cup amid the celebration of their jubilant fans. Back when the competition was known as the UEFA Cup, the trophy was kept at the winning team for a year, before being replaced by a smaller version of it. Teams which won the trophy three times in a row or five times overall would keep the original cup for good.

However, following the rebranding of the competition, UEFA keeps the real trophy at all times, with the winning team taking home a full-size replica. Teams who win the competition three times in a row or five times overall receive special badges.

The Europa League Anthem is played before the start of each game and broadcast on football tv. The latest version was composed by MassiveMusic and debuted in the 2018-2019 competition.

Qualification

The mechanism used for qualifying teams for the tournament is based on UEFA coefficients. For most associated member countries, three teams are sent to play in the Europa League. Often times, these teams are runner-ups of top-flight national leagues and winners of main cups. Commonly, the nation's top winners are sent to the Champions League, but there are exceptions, such as Belgium.

Smaller member nations are able to send a lower number of teams. Andorra and San Marino, for example, are only able to send two teams respectively. Gibraltar, ranked 55 on the UEFA coefficients list, can only send one team.

In recent years, clubs that are knocked out of the qualifying round at the group stage in the Champions League are able to join the Europa League at different stages.

Prize Money and Sponsorship

The prize money mechanism of the Europa League is similar to that used in the Champions League. The money paid to the clubs is based on their overall performance as well as their value to football tv. This is one of the reasons why teams make a continual effort to attract new fans to watch live football on tv and improve their reputational standing.

Prizes for the 2018-2019 season include a €4,500,000 prize for the losing finalist, a €1,000,000 for group winners, and an €8,500,000 prize for the Europa League winners.

Thanks to the millions of worldwide fans who watch live sports on tv, the Europa League is able to attract major sponsors every season. Individual football clubs are only permitted one sponsor per jersey, not counting the manufacturer.

Notable Records and Stats

With over 40 years of history, the Europa League boasts numerous records and stunning statistics. The winner of the competition, before it was rebranded, was the Ukrainian team, Shakhtar Donetsk. After rebranding in 2010, the first winner was Atlético Madrid.

The Spanish team of Seville holds the highest number of cup titles, with a total of five. It is followed by four teams who have each won the title three times. These are Liverpool, Juventus, Inter, and fellow compatriots, Atlético Madrid.

In fact, Spanish clubs won the tournament the highest number of times, with 11 victories. They are followed closely by Italian clubs, with 9 victories. As fans who love English football on tv would know, the nation's clubs won the competition a total of eight times.

Top Scorers

Over the years several football legends have built their fame and reputation competing in the Europa League and the UEFA Cup. Sweden's Henrik Larsson holds the record for most goals scored, with a total of 40 goals in 56 games. During his Europa League career, Larsson played with Feyenoord, Celtic, and Helsingborg.

Columbian Radamel Falcao holds a higher goal ratio to Larsson, with 31 goals scored in 33 games. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, loved by Dutch football tv fans, scored 34 goals in 52 games. Aritz Aduriz from Spain scored 31 goals over 47 matches.

If you would like to watch live football on tv today you can visit the Europa League section and check out upcoming matches. You can also see live football on tv fixtures to check out the results of your favourite teams as well as potential threats. You can then sit back and enjoy free football on tv today through a variety of channels.