2024–25 UEFA Conference League league phase
The 2024–25 UEFA Conference League league phase began on 2 October and will end on 19 December 2024. A total of 36 teams are competing in the league phase to decide the 24 places in the knockout phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League.
Borac Banja Luka, Celje, Cercle Brugge, 1. FC Heidenheim, Jagiellonia Białystok, Larne, Noah, Pafos, Petrocub Hîncești, The New Saints and Víkingur Reykjavík made their debut appearances in a major UEFA competition group or league phase. Noah became the first club in Conference League history to successfully navigate all four rounds of qualification, while The New Saints and Larne were the first teams from the Wales and Northern Ireland associations, respectively, to play in a major UEFA competition group or league stage.[note 1] A total of 29 national associations are represented in the league phase.
This is the first season with the single-league format, which replaces the group format used until the previous season.[1] With the format change, the number of matches prior to the knockout phase will increase from 96 to 108. Vitória de Guimarães' Samu was the first-ever goalscorer of the competition's league phase.
Format
[edit]Each team will play six matches, three at home and three away, against six different opponents, with all 36 teams ranked in a single league table. Teams were separated into six pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients, and each team will play one team from each of the six pots. The top eight ranked teams will receive a bye to the round of 16. The teams ranked from 9th to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs, with the teams ranked from 9th to 16th seeded for the draw. Teams ranked from 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition.
Tiebreakers
[edit]Teams will be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points upon completion of the league phase, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine their rankings:[2]
- Goal difference;
- Goals scored;
- Away goals scored;
- Wins;
- Away wins;
- Higher number of points obtained collectively by league phase opponents;
- Superior collective goal difference of league phase opponents;
- Higher number of goals scored collectively by league phase opponents;
- Lower disciplinary points total (direct red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points);
- UEFA club coefficient.
During the league phase, criteria 1 to 5 will be used to rank teams who have equal number of points. Should any teams be equal on points and tied on the first five criteria, they will be considered equal in position and sorted alphabetically. Criteria 6 to 10 will only be used to break ties upon completion of all matches.[3]
Teams and seeding
[edit]The 36 teams were divided into six pots of six teams each, with teams allocated to pots based on their 2024 UEFA club coefficients.[4][5] The participants include:
- 24 winners of the play-off round (5 from the Champions Path, 19 from the Main Path)
- 12 losers of the Europa League play-off round
Key to colours |
---|
Teams ranked 1 to 8 advance to the round of 16 as a seeded team |
Teams ranked 9 to 16 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as a seeded team |
Teams ranked 17 to 24 advance to the knockout phase play-offs as an unseeded team |
Notes
- ECL-CP Winners of play-off round (Champions Path)
- ECL-MP Winners of play-off round (Main Path)
- EL-PO Losers of Europa League play-off round
Draw
[edit]The draw for the league phase pairings was held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on 30 August 2024, 14:30 CEST.[6][7] All 36 teams were manually drawn using physical balls. For every team manually drawn, automated software digitally drew their opponents at random, determining which of their matches were at home and which ones were away. Each team will face one opponent from each of the six pots, three of which they will face at home and three away. For the purposes of determining match venues, adjacent pots were paired (Pot 1 with 2, 3 with 4, and 5 with 6) so that, for each pot pairing, teams faced one opponent at home and one away. Teams could not face opponents from their own association, and could only be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same association. The draw started with Pot 1, assigning opponents to all teams, one after the other, and continued with the other pots in ascending order until all teams were assigned their opponents.[8][9][10]
The switch to a primarily computer-based draw was made due to issues with the complexity and duration required by a manual draw.[11] The draw software, developed by AE Live, will guarantee total randomness within the framework of the draw conditions and prevent any deadlock situations. The software was reviewed by external auditor Ernst & Young, which will also provide review and control of the manual and digital draw operations on-site.[8]
The venue for each club's fixtures is shown in brackets below (H: home; A: away).
Club | Pot 1 opponent | Pot 2 opponent | Pot 3 opponent | Pot 4 opponent | Pot 5 opponent | Pot 6 opponent | Avg coeff. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chelsea | Gent | 1. FC Heidenheim | Astana | Shamrock Rovers | Panathinaikos | Noah | 15.2 | ||||||
Copenhagen | Real Betis | İstanbul Başakşehir | Rapid Wien | Heart of Midlothian | Jagiellonia Białystok | Dinamo Minsk | 15.5 | ||||||
Gent | Chelsea | Molde | Omonia | Lugano | TSC | Larne | 25.8 | ||||||
Fiorentina | LASK | APOEL | Vitória de Guimarães | The New Saints | St. Gallen | Pafos | 13.7 | ||||||
LASK | Fiorentina | Djurgårdens IF | Olimpija Ljubljana | Cercle Brugge | Borac Banja Luka | Víkingur Reykjavík | 14.7 | ||||||
Real Betis | Copenhagen | Legia Warsaw | HJK | Mladá Boleslav | Petrocub Hîncești | Celje | 16.6 | ||||||
İstanbul Başakşehir | Copenhagen | 1. FC Heidenheim | Rapid Wien | Cercle Brugge | Petrocub Hîncești | Celje | 17.3 | ||||||
Molde | Gent | APOEL | HJK | Mladá Boleslav | Jagiellonia Białystok | Larne | 14.6 | ||||||
Legia Warsaw | Real Betis | Djurgårdens IF | Omonia | Lugano | TSC | Dinamo Minsk | 13.3 | ||||||
1. FC Heidenheim | Chelsea | İstanbul Başakşehir | Olimpija Ljubljana | Heart of Midlothian | St. Gallen | Pafos | 25.6 | ||||||
Djurgårdens IF | LASK | Legia Warsaw | Vitória de Guimarães | The New Saints | Panathinaikos | Víkingur Reykjavík | 14.2 | ||||||
APOEL | Fiorentina | Molde | Astana | Shamrock Rovers | Borac Banja Luka | Noah | 16.4 | ||||||
Rapid Wien | Copenhagen | İstanbul Başakşehir | Omonia | Shamrock Rovers | Petrocub Hîncești | Noah | 18.5 | ||||||
Omonia | Gent | Legia Warsaw | Rapid Wien | Heart of Midlothian | Borac Banja Luka | Víkingur Reykjavík | 15.6 | ||||||
HJK | Real Betis | Molde | Olimpija Ljubljana | Lugano | Panathinaikos | Dinamo Minsk | 15.1 | ||||||
Vitória de Guimarães | Fiorentina | Djurgårdens IF | Astana | Mladá Boleslav | St. Gallen | Celje | 14.6 | ||||||
Astana | Chelsea | APOEL | Vitória de Guimarães | The New Saints | TSC | Pafos | 23.4 | ||||||
Olimpija Ljubljana | LASK | 1. FC Heidenheim | HJK | Cercle Brugge | Jagiellonia Białystok | Larne | 14.2 | ||||||
Cercle Brugge | LASK | İstanbul Başakşehir | Olimpija Ljubljana | Heart of Midlothian | St. Gallen | Víkingur Reykjavík | 15.7 | ||||||
Shamrock Rovers | Chelsea | APOEL | Rapid Wien | The New Saints | Borac Banja Luka | Larne | 23.8 | ||||||
The New Saints | Fiorentina | Djurgårdens IF | Astana | Shamrock Rovers | Panathinaikos | Celje | 15.0 | ||||||
Lugano | Gent | Legia Warsaw | HJK | Mladá Boleslav | TSC | Pafos | 15.3 | ||||||
Heart of Midlothian | Copenhagen | 1. FC Heidenheim | Omonia | Cercle Brugge | Petrocub Hîncești | Dinamo Minsk | 17.0 | ||||||
Mladá Boleslav | Real Betis | Molde | Vitória de Guimarães | Lugano | Jagiellonia Białystok | Noah | 14.7 | ||||||
Petrocub Hîncești | Real Betis | İstanbul Başakşehir | Rapid Wien | Heart of Midlothian | Jagiellonia Białystok | Pafos | 15.5 | ||||||
St. Gallen | Fiorentina | 1. FC Heidenheim | Vitória de Guimarães | Cercle Brugge | TSC | Larne | 15.1 | ||||||
Panathinaikos | Chelsea | Djurgårdens IF | HJK | The New Saints | Borac Banja Luka | Dinamo Minsk | 23.8 | ||||||
TSC | Gent | Legia Warsaw | Astana | Lugano | St. Gallen | Noah | 15.1 | ||||||
Borac Banja Luka | LASK | APOEL | Omonia | Shamrock Rovers | Panathinaikos | Víkingur Reykjavík | 13.9 | ||||||
Jagiellonia Białystok | Copenhagen | Molde | Olimpija Ljubljana | Mladá Boleslav | Petrocub Hîncești | Celje | 18.2 | ||||||
Celje | Real Betis | İstanbul Başakşehir | Vitória de Guimarães | The New Saints | Jagiellonia Białystok | Pafos | 15.2 | ||||||
Larne | Gent | Molde | Olimpija Ljubljana | Shamrock Rovers | St. Gallen | Dinamo Minsk | 17.4 | ||||||
Dinamo Minsk | Copenhagen | Legia Warsaw | HJK | Heart of Midlothian | Panathinaikos | Larne | 16.5 | ||||||
Pafos | Fiorentina | 1. FC Heidenheim | Astana | Lugano | Petrocub Hîncești | Celje | 15.0 | ||||||
Víkingur Reykjavík | LASK | Djurgårdens IF | Omonia | Cercle Brugge | Borac Banja Luka | Noah | 13.8 | ||||||
Noah | Chelsea | APOEL | Rapid Wien | Mladá Boleslav | TSC | Víkingur Reykjavík | 23.5 |
League phase table
[edit]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chelsea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 9 | Advance to round of 16 (seeded) |
2 | Legia Warsaw | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 9 | |
3 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | |
4 | Rapid Wien | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 9 | |
5 | Vitória de Guimarães | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 | |
6 | 1. FC Heidenheim | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | |
7 | Shamrock Rovers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | |
8 | Fiorentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | |
9 | Pafos | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6[a] | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (seeded) |
10 | Olimpija Ljubljana | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6[a] | |
11 | Lugano | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
12 | Heart of Midlothian | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | |
13 | Gent | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6[b] | |
14 | Víkingur Reykjavík | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6[b] | |
15 | Cercle Brugge | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 4 | |
16 | Djurgårdens IF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
17 | APOEL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4[c] | Advance to knockout phase play-offs (unseeded) |
18 | Real Betis | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4[c] | |
19 | Borac Banja Luka | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | |
20 | Celje | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 3 | |
21 | Omonia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 | |
22 | Molde | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3[d] | |
23 | TSC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3[d] | |
24 | The New Saints | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
25 | Astana | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 3 | |
26 | HJK | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 3 | |
27 | St. Gallen | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 3 | |
28 | Noah | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 3 | |
29 | Copenhagen | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 | |
30 | LASK | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 | |
31 | Panathinaikos | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 1 | |
32 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 1 | |
33 | Mladá Boleslav | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | |
34 | Dinamo Minsk | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | |
35 | Larne | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 | |
36 | Petrocub Hîncești | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 |
Rules for classification: League phase tiebreakers
Notes:
Results summary
[edit]Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
İstanbul Başakşehir | 1–2 | Rapid Wien |
Vitória de Guimarães | 3–1 | Celje |
1. FC Heidenheim | 2–1 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
Cercle Brugge | 6–2 | St. Gallen |
Astana | 1–0 | TSC |
Dinamo Minsk | 1–2 | Heart of Midlothian |
Noah | 2–0 | Mladá Boleslav |
Legia Warsaw | 1–0 | Real Betis |
Molde | 3–0 | Larne |
Omonia | 4–0 | Víkingur Reykjavík |
Fiorentina | 2–0 | The New Saints |
Chelsea | 4–2 | Gent |
Copenhagen | 1–2 | Jagiellonia Białystok |
Lugano | 3–0 | HJK |
Petrocub Hîncești | 1–4 | Pafos |
Borac Banja Luka | 1–1 | Panathinaikos |
LASK | 2–2 | Djurgårdens IF |
Shamrock Rovers | 1–1 | APOEL |
Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
Víkingur Reykjavík | 3–1 | Cercle Brugge |
APOEL | 0–1 | Borac Banja Luka |
Djurgårdens IF | 1–2 | Vitória de Guimarães |
St. Gallen | 2–4 | Fiorentina |
Heart of Midlothian | 2–0 | Omonia |
Jagiellonia Białystok | 2–0 | Petrocub Hîncești |
Gent | 2–1 | Molde |
Larne | 1–4 | Shamrock Rovers |
Celje | 5–1 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
Panathinaikos | 1–4 | Chelsea |
Rapid Wien | 1–0 | Noah |
Mladá Boleslav | 0–1 | Lugano |
TSC | 0–3 | Legia Warsaw |
HJK | 1–0 | Dinamo Minsk |
Olimpija Ljubljana | 2–0 | LASK |
Pafos | 0–1 | 1. FC Heidenheim |
Real Betis | 1–1 | Copenhagen |
The New Saints | 2–0 | Astana |
Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
Víkingur Reykjavík | 2–0 | Borac Banja Luka |
Petrocub Hîncești | 0–3 | Rapid Wien |
TSC | 4–1 | Lugano |
HJK | 0–2 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
Gent | 1–0 | Omonia |
Legia Warsaw | 4–0 | Dinamo Minsk |
Pafos | 1–0 | Astana |
Shamrock Rovers | 2–1 | The New Saints |
APOEL | 2–1 | Fiorentina |
Chelsea | 8–0 | Noah |
Djurgårdens IF | 2–1 | Panathinaikos |
Copenhagen | 2–2 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
Heart of Midlothian | 0–2 | 1. FC Heidenheim |
Jagiellonia Białystok | 3–0 | Molde |
Larne | 1–2 | St. Gallen |
LASK | 0–0 | Cercle Brugge |
Real Betis | 2–1 | Celje |
Vitória de Guimarães | 2–1 | Mladá Boleslav |
Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
İstanbul Başakşehir | 27 Nov | Petrocub Hîncești |
Astana | 28 Nov | Vitória de Guimarães |
1. FC Heidenheim | 28 Nov | Chelsea |
Cercle Brugge | 28 Nov | Heart of Midlothian |
Dinamo Minsk | 28 Nov | Copenhagen |
Noah | 28 Nov | Víkingur Reykjavík |
St. Gallen | 28 Nov | TSC |
Borac Banja Luka | 28 Nov | LASK |
Molde | 28 Nov | APOEL |
Celje | 28 Nov | Jagiellonia Białystok |
Panathinaikos | 28 Nov | HJK |
The New Saints | 28 Nov | Djurgårdens IF |
Fiorentina | 28 Nov | Pafos |
Lugano | 28 Nov | Gent |
Mladá Boleslav | 28 Nov | Real Betis |
Olimpija Ljubljana | 28 Nov | Larne |
Omonia | 28 Nov | Legia Warsaw |
Rapid Wien | 28 Nov | Shamrock Rovers |
Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
Astana | 12 Dec | Chelsea |
Fiorentina | 12 Dec | LASK |
Copenhagen | 12 Dec | Heart of Midlothian |
Dinamo Minsk | 12 Dec | Larne |
Noah | 12 Dec | APOEL |
Petrocub Hîncești | 12 Dec | Real Betis |
HJK | 12 Dec | Molde |
İstanbul Başakşehir | 12 Dec | 1. FC Heidenheim |
Legia Warsaw | 12 Dec | Lugano |
Olimpija Ljubljana | 12 Dec | Cercle Brugge |
St. Gallen | 12 Dec | Vitória de Guimarães |
Mladá Boleslav | 12 Dec | Jagiellonia Białystok |
Gent | 12 Dec | TSC |
Omonia | 12 Dec | Rapid Wien |
Pafos | 12 Dec | Celje |
Shamrock Rovers | 12 Dec | Borac Banja Luka |
The New Saints | 12 Dec | Panathinaikos |
Víkingur Reykjavík | 12 Dec | Djurgårdens IF |
Home team | Score | Away team |
---|---|---|
1. FC Heidenheim | 19 Dec | St. Gallen |
APOEL | 19 Dec | Astana |
Cercle Brugge | 19 Dec | İstanbul Başakşehir |
Chelsea | 19 Dec | Shamrock Rovers |
Djurgårdens IF | 19 Dec | Legia Warsaw |
Lugano | 19 Dec | Pafos |
Borac Banja Luka | 19 Dec | Omonia |
TSC | 19 Dec | Noah |
Heart of Midlothian | 19 Dec | Petrocub Hîncești |
Jagiellonia Białystok | 19 Dec | Olimpija Ljubljana |
Larne | 19 Dec | Gent |
LASK | 19 Dec | Víkingur Reykjavík |
Molde | 19 Dec | Mladá Boleslav |
Celje | 19 Dec | The New Saints |
Panathinaikos | 19 Dec | Dinamo Minsk |
Real Betis | 19 Dec | HJK |
Rapid Wien | 19 Dec | Copenhagen |
Vitória de Guimarães | 19 Dec | Fiorentina |
Matches
[edit]The fixture list was announced on 31 August 2024, the day after the draw.[13][14][15] This was to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in Champions League and Europa League playing in the same cities.[8]
In principle, each team will not play more than two home matches or two away matches in a row, and will play one home match and one away match across both the first and last two matchdays. The matches will be played on 3 October, 24 October, 7 November, 28 November, 12 December and 19 December 2024 (exclusive week).[note 2] Matches will generally be played on Thursdays. In principle, the scheduled kick-off times will be 16:30, 18:45 and 21:00 CET/CEST. All fixtures on the final matchday will be played simultaneously at 21:00.[17][18]
Times are CET or CEST,[note 3] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Matchday 1
[edit]İstanbul Başakşehir | 1–2 | Rapid Wien |
---|---|---|
| Report[20] |
|
Vitória de Guimarães | 3–1 | Celje |
---|---|---|
Report[22] |
|
1. FC Heidenheim | 2–1 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
---|---|---|
Report[24] |
|
Cercle Brugge | 6–2 | St. Gallen |
---|---|---|
Report[26] |
Astana | 1–0 | TSC |
---|---|---|
| Report[29] |
Dinamo Minsk | 1–2 | Heart of Midlothian |
---|---|---|
| Report[32] |
|
Noah | 2–0 | Mladá Boleslav |
---|---|---|
Report[34] |
Legia Warsaw | 1–0 | Real Betis |
---|---|---|
| Report[36] |
Omonia | 4–0 | Víkingur Reykjavík |
---|---|---|
Report[40] |
Fiorentina | 2–0 | The New Saints |
---|---|---|
Report[42] |
Copenhagen | 1–2 | Jagiellonia Białystok |
---|---|---|
| Report[46] |
Lugano | 3–0 | HJK |
---|---|---|
| Report[49] |
Petrocub Hîncești | 1–4 | Pafos |
---|---|---|
Report[51] |
Borac Banja Luka | 1–1 | Panathinaikos |
---|---|---|
| Report[53] |
|
LASK | 2–2 | Djurgårdens IF |
---|---|---|
Report[55] |
Shamrock Rovers | 1–1 | APOEL |
---|---|---|
| Report[57] |
|
Matchday 2
[edit]Víkingur Reykjavík | 3–1 | Cercle Brugge |
---|---|---|
| Report[59] |
|
APOEL | 0–1 | Borac Banja Luka |
---|---|---|
Report[61] |
|
Djurgårdens IF | 1–2 | Vitória de Guimarães |
---|---|---|
| Report[63] |
St. Gallen | 2–4 | Fiorentina |
---|---|---|
Report[65] |
|
Heart of Midlothian | 2–0 | Omonia |
---|---|---|
Report[67] |
Jagiellonia Białystok | 2–0 | Petrocub Hîncești |
---|---|---|
| Report[69] |
Larne | 1–4 | Shamrock Rovers |
---|---|---|
| Report[73] |
Celje | 5–1 | İstanbul Başakşehir |
---|---|---|
Report[75] |
|
Panathinaikos | 1–4 | Chelsea |
---|---|---|
| Report[77] |
Rapid Wien | 1–0 | Noah |
---|---|---|
| Report[79] |
Mladá Boleslav | 0–1 | Lugano |
---|---|---|
Report[81] |
|
TSC | 0–3 | Legia Warsaw |
---|---|---|
Report[83] |
HJK | 1–0 | Dinamo Minsk |
---|---|---|
| Report[85] |
Olimpija Ljubljana | 2–0 | LASK |
---|---|---|
Report[87] |
Pafos | 0–1 | 1. FC Heidenheim |
---|---|---|
Report[89] |
|
Real Betis | 1–1 | Copenhagen |
---|---|---|
| Report[91] |
The New Saints | 2–0 | Astana |
---|---|---|