what is the europa conference league

The UEFA Europa Conference League is an annual football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It was introduced in the 2021/22 season as a third season-long UEFA mens football club competition, alongside the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The Europa Conference League is aimed at giving smaller countries more group-stage football, and it includes at least one team from each of UEFAs associations and clubs transferring from either the Champions League or Europa League. The competition runs on Thursday nights alongside the Europa League, and over 170 teams are involved over the course of the season. The format of the Europa Conference League is similar to that of the Champions League, with multiple qualifying rounds and a preliminary knockout round after the 32-team group stage. However, unlike either of them, no team is guaranteed a place in the group stage, and everyone must qualify. The Europa Conference League fixtures take place on Thursdays along with Europa League games, though the final takes place a week after the Europa League final. The eight Europa League group winners progress automatically to the round of 16, and the Europa Conference League winners automatically qualify for the following seasons Europa League.