There are several main differences between the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Europa League:
The tournament levels are different. The UEFA Cup is the second tier of the UEFA soccer league, and the UEFA Confederation is the third tier, which includes the UEFA International Toto Cup and some Eastern European cups. These include the UEFA International Toto Cup and some Eastern European cups.
The role of the winner is different. UEFA Cup winners get to play the following season
European crown
, while the UEFA Confederation champions are able to participate in the UEFA Cup the following season.
Overall, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Europa League are both European soccer competitions, but they differ in terms of tournament class and the role of the champion.
The differences between the Champions League, UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup are as follows:
I. Differences in nature
1. UEFA Cup
The UEFA Cup, generally referred to as the UEFA Europa League, is a knockout tournament held annually by UEFA and contested by European clubs, second only to the UEFA Champions League in terms of importance in European intercontinental level competitions.
2. European Championships
UEFA Champions League generally refers to the Champions League, is the annual soccer competition hosted by the Union of European Football Associations, representing the highest level and honor of European club soccer, is recognized as the world's most influential as well as the highest level of club competitions.
3. European Association Cup
The UEFA Europa League (UEFA Europa League) is an annual knockout tournament for European clubs organized by UEFA, to be held for the first time in 2021. The UEFA Europa League is the third tier of club competitions in Europe, after the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, and clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in domestic league and cup competitions.
II. Historical differences
1. UEFA Cup
Formerly known as the European Union Cup, the format was changed from the 2009/10 season and the tournament was renamed to its current name. The changed format carries over the records of the European Cup since its inception in 1971, which cannot be counted separately.
2. European Championships
Formerly known as the UEFA European Club Champions Cup, it was founded by UEFA in 1954 and changed to its current name in 1992. Although the Champions League has gone through a number of changes to the competition system, the records of the tournament since its inception have never been counted separately, and the winner's trophy still retains the old name "European Club Champions Cup".
3. European Association Cup
On December 2, 2018, UEFA announced that the new tournament would be launched in a three-year cycle from 2021-24, initially tentatively called "Europa League 2". "On September 24, 2019, UEFA officially announced that the new competition would be called the UEFA Europa League.
III. Different periods of organization
1. UEFA Cup
June to about May each year.
2. European Championships
July to about May each year.
3. European Association Cup
September through about May of the following month each year.
Champions League tournament system:
The UEFA Champions League is divided into three parts: the qualifying phase, the play-off phase and the main round. The qualifying phase consists of the Preliminary Round (semi-finals and finals, one match to decide the winner), the First Qualifying Round, the Second Qualifying Round and the Third Qualifying Round. The UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds (excluding the preliminary rounds) and the UEFA Champions League play-offs are home-and-away two-legged matches, with the second qualifying round, third qualifying round and play-offs divided into the "Road to the Championship" and the "Road to the League".
A total of 32 teams will participate in the group stage, divided into 8 groups of 4 teams each, with the top 2 teams going through to the knockout stage, and the third place in the group stage taking part in the Europa League knockout play-offs.The 1/8th, 1/4th and semi-finals will be a two-legged home-and-away competition, and the final will be played at a neutral venue, with no third- or fourth-place matches. In the event of a draw at the end of 90 minutes of regulation time, the match will go into 30 minutes of extra time, and if the match is not decided in extra time, it will go into a penalty shootout.
