UEFA Europa Conference League
Europa Conference League Betting Guide: Tips, Fixtures, and Predictions
The third inauguration of the Europa Conference League is already underway, with 32 teams from across Europe battling it out in European football’s third tier cup competition.
In this guide we run through all you need to know about the competition; history, stats, the teams involved, as well as tips when betting on the Europa Conference League.
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What is the Europa Conference League?
The Europa Conference League was created in 2021 as the tertiary European club competition after the Champions League and the Europa League.
It gives smaller clubs from across Europe the chance to compete in a European knockout competition and in doing so aids the development of some of Europe’s more minor football leagues.
Key Facts and Rules of the Europa Conference League
In this section we’ll take you through all the key aspects of the Europa Conference League.
Important facts and rules to know about the Europa Conference League
To qualify for the Europa Conference League, most teams have to get through up to three qualifying rounds and potentially a playoff round.
62 teams begin in the first qualifying round, with the 31 winners making it through to the second qualifying round where they face teams from other leagues that enter at that stage.
Throughout the process, further teams are added that drop out of Champions League and Europa League qualifying, until the sides are whittled down to 22 that qualify for the group stage through the qualifying process. A further 10 sides that have been eliminated from the Europa League playoff round also qualify for the group stages.
The number of clubs from each nation is determined by UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
Where and when is the Europa Conference League?
The Europa Conference League is hosted across Europe, at each of the home stadiums of the 32 competing teams. Only the final is hosted at a neutral venue, with this year’s finale set to take place in the Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens – the home of AEK Athens – on May 29th 2024.
The Europa Conference League began on July 12th with the first qualifying round and qualifying concluded at the end of August. The group stage began on September 20th.
Criteria and format of the Europa Conference League
Much like the Champions League and Europa League, the Europa Conference League initially features 32 clubs, divided into eight groups of four.
Teams play each other twice, home and away, and the team that amasses the most points over their six games wins the group. They then automatically qualify for the last 16 as group winners, while the eight group runners-up enter the preliminary knockout round where they face a match over two legs against a side that has dropped out of the second-tier competition, the Europa League. The winners of those ties then join the other group winners in the last 16.
Up until the final, all knockout rounds are played over two legs, with the winner the team that has the highest aggregate score. It’s important to remember that the away goal rule no longer applies.
The final is a one-off match at a neutral venue, with the winners crowned Europa Conference League champions and earning automatic qualification to the Europa League next season.
Teams in Europa Conference League 2023/2024
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lille | Gent | Dinamo Zagreb | Club Brugge | AZ Alkmaar | Ferencvaros | Eintracht Frankfurt | Fenerbache |
| Slovan Bratislava | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Viktoria Plzen | Bodo/Glimt | Aston Villa | Fiorentina | PAOK | Lodogorets |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | Â Zorya Luhansk | Astana | Besiktas | Legia | Genk | HJK | Spartak Trnava |
| KI Klaksvic | Breidablik | Ballkani | Lugano | Zrinjski | Cukaricki | Aberdeen | Nordsjaelland |
Top Teams and Players in the Europa Conference League
This year’s competition contains several former winners of the old European Cup. Here are our picks for the top five clubs and their main player to watch.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
Lille – Jonathan David
Eintracht Frankfurt – Mario Götze
Fiorentina – Nicolas Gonzalez
Fenerbahce – Sebastian Szymanski
How to Bet on the Europa Conference League
Betting on the Europa Conference League is much like betting on any knockout football tournament. You can bet on the outright tournament winner before the start and during the competition.
There are also a whole host of matchday betting markets available, from simply choosing the winner of a tie, to correct score and goalscorer betting.
Europa Conference League Fixtures and Schedule
Group Stage
Matchday 1 – 21st September
Matchday 2 – 5th October
Matchday 3 – 26th October
Matchday 4 – 9th November
Matchday 5 – 30th November
Matchday 6 – 14th December
Playoff Round
1st leg – 15th February 2024
2nd leg – 22nd February 2024
Round of 16
1st leg – 7th March 2024
2nd leg – 14th March 2024
Quarter Finals
1st leg – 11th April 2024
2nd leg – 18th April 2024
Semi Finals
1st leg – 2nd May 2024
2nd leg – 9th May 2024
Final
29th May 2024
Europa Conference League Betting Strategies
When betting on the Europa Conference League it’s important to assess the recent and past form of the teams competing, both in their domestic leagues and in European competition.
Looking in more detail at players that are in good form can give you an angle if betting on individual game markets. This can also be done in-play, so watching the match and assessing the different flows of play is also a viable betting strategy.
Europa Conference League Betting Tips and Predictions
Having finished seventh in the Premier League last season, there’s no doubt Aston Villa possess the squad to go deep in this season’s competition, and the Birmingham side are currently the 4/1 favourites. In Unai Emery, they also have a manager who has tasted success in Europe four times before; three times with Sevilla and most recently with Villareal in 2021. Given Emery’s expertise in guiding squads through European cup competitions, the Villans look to be worthy favourites at this stage.
Next in the betting at 7/1 are last season’s Europa Conference League runners-up, Italian side Fiorentina. They lost out narrowly to West Ham in a heated final last season and will be looking to avenge that loss by going one further this time around.
Third in the market at 9/1 are German side Eintracht Frankfurt, who won the Europa League in 2021/22 and they have a strong squad, which includes World Cup winner Mario Götze. They finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season and can be considered a big side at this level.
Other clubs that are often seen competing at a higher level in European competition are Lille (12/1), Fenerbahce (16/1), AZ Alkmaar (16/1) and Beşiktaş (20/1).
Bet on Europa Conference League 2023/2024 at William Hill
Europa Conference League Betting Promotions and Offers
Keep an eye on William Hill’s betting promotions page, particularly as the competition reaches it’s latter stages, for all the latest Europa Conference League betting promotions.
