Fun Facts About the Europa League Final

Largest Final Attendance

Many teams have played in the Europa League over the years. In the days it was called the UEFA Cup and had a two legged final format, there were many surprising teams that won. During the period when the finals were played over two legs, both teams would host a game and the team that won on aggregate would become the new Europa League winner.

The highest attendance during the two legged final format was in 1985 when Real Madrid hosted Hungarian team Videoton. A total of 90,000 fans came to watch the final at the Santiago Bernabeu, and were disappointed when the Hungarian team beat Madrid 0-1. This did not really matter for Madrid, as they had already won the first leg 0-3 at Sostoi Stadion, Szekesfehervar in Hungary, although there they only played to 30,000 a third of the number that turned up to the Santiago Bernabeu.

In the modern era, with the single game final format, the highest attended final was in Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia in 1998. The final was played between Parma and Marseille in front of 61,000 fans. Parma beat Marseille 3-0 after efforts from Enrico Chiesa, Hernan Crespo and Paolo Vanoli.

How Many Countries Have Hosted the Finals?

After 1998, the Europa League final was changed to a single game format, and the venues were chosen ahead of time by UEFA. The Europa League final has been held in 16 different countries, with an additional 17th country in the 2022-2023 Europa League final.

France hosted the finals in 1998 in Parc de Princes in Paris, and in 2018 in Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Decines-Charpieu.

• Russia hosted the 1999 finals in Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
• Denmark hosted the 2000 finals in Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
• Germany hosted three finals, in 2001 in Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, in 2010 in Volksparkstadion in Hamburg and in 2020 in Rhein Energie Stadion in Cologne.
• The Netherlands hosted the finals in 2002 in De Kuip in Rotterdam, in 2006 in PSV Stadion in Eindhoven and in 2013 in Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam.
• Spain hosted the 2003 finals in Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla in Sevilla and will host the 2022 finals in Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Seville and the 2025 finals in San Mames in Bilbao.
• Sweden have hosted two finals, in 2004 in Nya Ullevi, Gothenburg and in the Friends Arena in Solna.
• Portugal hosted the 2005 finals in the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon.
• Scotland hosted the 2007 finals in Hampden Park in Glasgow.
• England hosted the 2008 finals in the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester.
• Turkey hosted the 2009 finals in Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.
• Ireland hosted the 2011 finals in Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin, and will host the 2024 finals in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
• Romania hosted the 2012 finals in the Arena Nationala in Bucharest.
• Italy hosted the 2014 finals in the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
• Poland hosted the finals in 2015 in the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw and in 2021, they hosted the finals in the Stadion Gdansk in Gdansk.
• Switzerland hosted the 2016 finals in St. Jakob-Park in Basel.
• Azerbaijan hosted the 2019 finals in the Olympic Stadium in Baku.

The 17th entry will be Hungary, who will host the 2023 finals in the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Which Team Has Played In the Most Finals?

Sevilla has played in the most finals, playing in 6 finals in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020, winning them all. Inter Milan are a close second, playing in 5 finals in 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 2020. Inter Milan have however played more finals matches than Sevilla. In the original format of the Europa League, teams that played in the finals had to play the match over two legs, with the winner on aggregate winning the Europa League trophy.

The change from two legged finals to a single match was made in 1997, meaning Inter Milan played in the very last finals in the old format, and the very first final of the new format. Technically Inter Milan have played in 8 Europa League finals matches, making them the team that has played the most final matches, including the two legs from the original format.

Which Nations Have Won the Europa League Finals?

The Europa League is a far more open competition than the Champions League as it has seen more finalists and comprises winning teams from 39 different nations:

• 17 teams from Germany and England
• 14 teams from Italy
• 12 teams from Portugal and Spain
• 11 teams from France.
• 9 teams from Ukraine, Netherlands, Russia and Turkey.
• 8 teams from Belgium, Switzerland and Romania
• 6 teams from Greece, Czech Republic, Austria and Denmark.
• 5 teams from Israel, Sweden and Cyprus
• 4 teams from Norway
• 3 teams from Croatia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary.
• 2 teams from Scotland, Serbia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland.
• 1 team from Moldova, Slovenia, Albania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Finland and North Macedonia

Which Teams from Each Nation Have Won the Europa League Finals?

Spain

With 13 titles and 5 runners up places, Spain is the most successful nation in the Europa League. Sevilla has won it 6 times, Atletico Madrid 3 times, Real Madrid twice, Valencia and Villareal have won it once each. Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao came runners up twice, and Alaves came runner up once.

England

English teams have won the title 9 times and come runners up 8 times. Liverpool has won it 3 times, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have both won it twice, and Ipswich Town and Manchester United have won it once each. Arsenal have come runners up twice, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester United have come runners up once each.

Italy

Italian teams dominated the Europa League in the late 80s and early 90s, winning 9 titles and coming runners up 7 times. Inter Milan and Juventus have both won it 3 times, Parma has won it twice and Napoli once. Inter Milan have also finished runners up twice, Fiorentina, Roma, Torino, Juventus and Lazio have all finished runners up once each.

Germany

Starting in the 1970s, German teams have won 6 titles and come runners up 8 times. Borussia Monchengladbach have won it twice, with Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 all winning once each. Borussia Monchengladbach have also finished runners up twice and so has Borussia Dortmund. Hamburger SV, FC Koln, VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen have finished runners up once each.

Netherlands

Dutch teams have won 4 titles and have come runners up 3 times. Feyenoord have won the competition twice, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax have won once each. Twente, AZ Alkmaar and Ajax have all finished runners up once each.

Portugal

Portuguese teams have won the competition twice, with Portugal also coming runners up 5 times. Porto won the competition twice, with Benfica coming runners up 3 times, and Sporting CP and Braga finishing as runners up once each.

France

Whilst mentioning the other top European footballing nations, France is the only one amongst the top 7 in the UEFA domestic league rankings that has never won the Europa League. Whilst the French league may not be as highly rated as the English, German, Spanish and Italian leagues, it has formidable teams, including Marseille who won the Champions League in 1993. Marseille have 3 runners up medals in the Europa League, with Bastia and Bordeaux having finished runners up once each. With 5 runners up places and no title winning club in the competition, the French teams must be keen to close the gap on the other dominant leagues in Europe.

Conclusion

The Europa League is definitely an interesting watch and can provide football fans with the fine footballing efforts of lesser known teams and players who have a chance to beat some of the better known teams. Many football fans turn up to watch the finals and explore the talent, and some may choose to increase the excitement by placing wagers on the finals.

Sports wagers can certainly add to the excitement and buzz whilst watching a game, but it is always important to gamble responsibly. If you feel that you have a problem, or you are chasing your losses, you can look up organisations such as gambleaware.co.uk for guidance and helpful information on gambling.