Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League Conference
Founded in 2018, the first edition of Europa League Conference will take place in the 2021-22 season.
The Europa League Conference
The format of the Europa League Conference corresponds to that of the Europa League and the Champions League. The only difference is in the qualifying rounds as there are no teams that qualify directly for the group stage. The club that finished at the sixth place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats during the last season will participate in a play-off to qualify for the group stage, alongside the seventh-placed teams from England, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The 32 qualified teams are divided into eight groups, with the top team automatically qualifying for the knockout phase. The runners-up will have to play a play-off against the teams that finished third in the Europa League groups. The 16 teams that qualify for the finals will play each other in two-legged fixtures until the final. The final will be played on a neutral ground determined in advance by UEFA. The winner of the competition will earn a ticket to the group stages of the next Europa League, unless that club has finished its national championship in a position that allows the team to play in the Champions League next season. In this case, the winner will play in the Champions League while their opponent in the final will earn their place in the Europa League group stage.
French teams in the Europa League Conference
The last season's championship results determine which teams will compete in the competition. Rennes qualified for the group stage, thank to its sixth place in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in the 2020-21 season, and its victory in play-offs. The club from Bretagne is the first French club to participate in the competition. For its first participation, Bruno Genesio's men finished at the 1st position, above Tottenham and Vitesse Arnhem.
The main participants of the first edition
Some of the teams already look like serious contenders for the 2021-22 edition. Jose Mourinho's Roma finished seventh in Serie A in the 2020-21 season. This position allows them to participate into the group stage.
Hugo Lloris' team, Tottenham, will also be present for this edition. The club from London will represent the Premier League thanks to their 7th place finish in the league, ahead of their arch-rival Arsenal.
