UEFA unveil Europa League plans

17th June 2020

UEFA has today revealed how it intends to complete the 2019/20 Europa League season.

The competition has been on hold since Thursday 12^th March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but a revised schedule to conclude this season's competition was confirmed following Wednesday’s UEFA Executive Committee meeting.

The Europa League quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played as a straight knockout tournament across four cities in Germany in August: Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen, with all these ties being single-leg fixtures.

However, a decision is pending on whether the round of 16 second legs will take place at the home team’s stadium or in Germany on either 5^th or 6^th August. The venue, date and kick-off time of Wolves’ second leg with Olympiacos will be released on wolves.co.uk and Wolves’ social media accounts once confirmed.

Speaking about the decisions, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, said: “I am delighted that we are able to resume almost all of our competitions. I am confident that we will not have to endure the fans’ absence for long and that they will be allowed into stadiums sooner rather than later.

“UEFA took a bold decision when it decided to postpone Euro 2020. But in doing so, we created the space which has allowed domestic club competitions across the continent to resume, where possible, and play to a conclusion.

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“While the game has suffered huge difficulties as a result of the pandemic, those blows would have landed much harder if we had not shown leadership in those early days.

“The football community has worked together and shown tremendous unity during this unprecedented crisis. I would like to thank FIFA, our sister confederations, national associations, clubs, leagues, players and the relevant authorities for their continuous support and commitment and I am convinced that we come out of this crisis stronger and with closer links than ever before.

“It is of the utmost importance for us not only to complete our men’s and women’s competitions but also to finish our youth and futsal competitions whenever possible. We are firm believers of their importance and significance of the overall growth and development of the game, and I am delighted that we found solutions to stage the final rounds of all those competitions.

“Finally, I would like to convey a heartfelt message of appreciation and gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of unsung heroes who worked tirelessly on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is their dedication and bravery that has allowed our societies and football to return so quickly. Without their effort and sacrifices, none of this would have been possible.”

The draws for the 2019/20 Europa League quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place on 10^th July at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, and the exact match schedule will be communicated following the draw.