2015–16 UEFA Europa League

45th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA UEFA Europa League 2015–16 St-Jakob-Park.jpg 275px The St. Jakob-Park in Basel hosted the final Qualifying:30 June – 27 August 2015Competition proper:17 September 2015 – 18 May 2016 Competition proper: 48+8Total: 158+33 54 ESP Sevilla 5 ENG Liverpool 205 536 Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao)10 goals 2014–15 2016–17 The 2015–16 UEFA Europa League was the 45th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the seventh season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played between Liverpool and Sevilla at the St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland,http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=2149868.html Milan to host 2016 UEFA Champions League final UEFA.org 18 September 2014 and won by Sevilla, their fifth title (extending their own record) and third win in a row (also a tournament record).https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/36057186 Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla BBC 18 May 2016 Sevilla initially started the 2015–16 European club season in the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, but qualified for the Europa League by finishing third in the Champions League group stage, and successfully defended their title. As the winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, they qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League,https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d815b511df0-9f0b4bbcb5c0-1000--road-to-cardiff-the-2016-17-season-calendar/ Spain has five clubs in Champions League UEFA 18 May 2016 and also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup.https://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/news/0250-0c5112185f92-bb13acef9423-1000--real-madrid-play-sevilla-in-uefa-super-cup/ Real Madrid play Sevilla in UEFA Super Cup UEFA 29 May 2016 Format changes The UEFA Executive Committee held in May and September 2013 approved the following changes to the UEFA Europa League starting from the 2015–16 season (for the three-year cycle until the 2017–18 season):http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=1956131.html Added bonus for UEFA Europa League winners UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 24 May 2013 The title holders of the UEFA Europa League will qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and therefore no Europa League berth will be reserved for them (although it is still possible for them to defend their title if they drop down to the Europa League after Champions League elimination). All associations will have a maximum of three teams entering the Europa League (excluding those transferred from the Champions League); previously associations 7–9 each had four entrants (the only exception is when both the Champions League title holders and the Europa League title holders are from the same top three ranked association and do not qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League through domestic competitions, and the fourth-placed team of their association enter the Europa League instead of the Champions League because a maximum of five teams from one association can enter the Champions League, meaning in this case, four teams from their association enter the Europa League). The number of teams directly qualifying for the group stage will be increased to 16 teams (from the top 12 associations); previously six teams (from the top six associations) directly qualified for the group stage. Should the domestic cup winners qualify for the Champions League or Europa League through league performance, the cup runners-up will no longer be granted a spot in the Europa League, and the spot will be given to the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions.UEFA.com 2013-09-20 Strategic talks in Dubrovnik https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0253-0d7eeaa71d98-7ddf54a81673-1000--strategic-talks-in-dubrovnik/ 2024-05-19 UEFA enUEFA.com 2014-08-29 New approach broadens Europa League appeal UEFA Europa League https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0257-0def7f60e195-fd6dc0500321-1000--new-approach-broadens-europa-league-appeal/ 2024-05-19 UEFA en Association team allocation A total of 191 teams from all 54 UEFA member associations participated in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/02/23/69/59/2236959_DOWNLOAD.pdf Regulations of the UEFA Europa League 2015/16 Season UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 1 May 2015 Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify. As the winners of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, Sevilla qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League; the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League berth they would otherwise have earned for finishing fifth in the 2014–15 La Liga was vacated and not passed to another Spanish team. Associations 52–53 each had two teams qualify. Liechtenstein and Gibraltar each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Gibraltar as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=1999120.html Strategic talks in Dubrovnik UEFA 20 September 2013 The top three associations of the 2014–15 UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking each gained an additional berth (the 2015–16 season was the last where Fair Play berths were allocated to the Europa League).http://www.uefa.org/social-responsibility/news/newsid=2210098.html New Respect Fair Play reward criteria UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 16 February 2015 Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League. Association ranking For the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2014 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2009–10 to 2013–14.http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/season=2014/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130612002949/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/season=2014/index.html dead June 12, 2013 Country coefficients 2013/14 UEFA.org Union of European Football Associationshttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/data/method4/crank2014.html UEFA Country Ranking 2014 Bert Kassies Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below: (FP) – Additional berth via Fair Play ranking (Netherlands, England, Republic of Ireland)http://www.uefa.org/social-responsibility/news/newsid=2244170.html Netherlands, England, Ireland get Fair Play bonus UEFA 8 May 2015 8 May 2015 (CL) – Additional teams transferred from Champions League (EL) – Vacated berth due to Europa League title holders playing in Champions League RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes1ESP97.7133−1(EL)+2(CL)2ENG84.748+1(FP)+1(CL)3GER81.641+1(CL)4ITA66.938+1(CL)5POR62.299+2(CL)6FRA56.500+1(CL)7RUS46.9988NED44.312+1(FP)+1(CL)9UKR40.966+1(CL)10BEL36.300+1(CL)11TUR34.200+2(CL)12GRE33.600+2(CL)13SUI33.225+2(CL)14AUT30.925+2(CL)15CZE29.350+2(CL)16ROU27.257+1(CL)17ISR26.87518CYP23.250+1(CL)RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes19DEN21.3003+1(CL)20CRO19.62521POL18.875+1(CL)22BLR18.62523SCO16.566+1(CL)24SWE16.32525BUL15.62526NOR14.275+1(CL)27SRB14.125+1(CL)28HUN11.625+1(CL)29SVN11.00030SVK11.00031MDA10.375+1(CL)32AZE10.375+1(CL)33GEO9.87534KAZ8.25035BIH7.50036FIN7.175+1(CL)RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes37ISL6.750338LVA6.25039MNE6.00040ALB5.500+1(CL)41LTU5.25042MKD Macedonia5.25043IRL5.125+1(FP)44LUX4.87545MLT4.83346LIE4.500147NIR3.625348WAL3.00049ARM2.87550EST2.87551FRO2.12552SMR0.999253AND0.83354GIB0.0001 Distribution In the default access list, Sevilla entered the group stage (as the fifth-placed team of the 2014–15 La Liga).http://kassiesa.net/uefafiles/2015-16-uefa-access-list.pdf Preliminary Access List 2015/16 Bert Kassies 11 July 2014 7 May 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190507115713/https://kassiesa.net/uefafiles/2015-16-uefa-access-list.pdf deadhttp://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2015/accesslist/nextseason/index.html UEFA Europa League Access list 2015/2016 UEFA.com Union of European Football Associations dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150429114946/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season%3D2015/accesslist/nextseason/index.html 29 April 2015 However, since they qualified for the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, the spot which they qualified for in the Europa League group stage was vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system were made:https://kassiesa.net/uefa/access2015.html Access list 2015/2016 Bert Kassies 25 May 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150810160506/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/access2015.html 10 August 2015 http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=2249541.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150525001940/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=2249541.html dead 25 May 2015 Who is in Champions League and Europa League? UEFA.com Union of European Football Associations 7 June 2015 The domestic cup winners of association 13 (Switzerland) were promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage. The domestic cup winners of association 18 (Cyprus) were promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round. The domestic cup winners of associations 24 (Sweden) and 25 (Bulgaria) were promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round. Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions LeagueFirst qualifying round(102 teams)29 domestic cup winners from associations 26–54 35 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–53 (except Liechtenstein) 35 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–51 (except Liechtenstein) 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play rankingSecond qualifying round(66 teams)7 domestic cup winners from associations 19–25 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–1551 winners from first qualifying roundThird qualifying round(58 teams)5 domestic cup winners from associations 14–18 9 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–15 5 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 5–9 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France) 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)33 winners from second qualifying roundPlay-off round(44 teams)29 winners from third qualifying round15 losers from Champions League third qualifying roundGroup stage(48 teams)13 domestic cup winners from associations 1–13 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 4 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (except Europa League title holders)22 winners from play-off round10 losers from Champions League play-off roundKnockout phase(32 teams)12 group winners from group stage 12 group runners-up from group stage8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage Redistribution rules A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the following rules (regulations Articles 3.03 and 3.04): When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one "place" (the 2015–16 season was the first with this particular arrangement where the domestic cup runners-up were no longer guaranteed a place in the Europa League in this scenario). When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one "place" if possible. For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for the League Cup winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions. A Fair Play place was taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table which had not yet qualified for European competitions. Teams The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/accesslist/listofparticipants/index.html 2015/16 UEFA Europa League list of participants UEFA.com Union of European Football Associations 18 June 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160128091000/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season%3D2016/accesslist/listofparticipants/index.html 28 January 2016 https://kassiesa.net/uefa/qual2015.html Qualification for European Cup Football 2015/2016 Bert Kassies dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150427003339/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/qual2015.html 27 April 2015 TH: Title holders CW: Cup winners 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position LC: League Cup winners PW: End-of-season Europa League play-off winners FP: Fair Play CL: Transferred from Champions League GS: Third-placed teams from group stage PO: Losers from play-off round Q3: Losers from third qualifying round Round of 32UKR Shakhtar Donetsk (CL GS)TUR Galatasaray (CL GS)GER Bayer Leverkusen (CL GS)POR Porto (CL GS)ENG Manchester United (CL GS)ESP SevillaTH (CL GS)GRE Olympiacos (CL GS)ESP Valencia (CL GS)Group stageESP Villarreal (6th)POR Braga (4th)GRE Asteras Tripolis (3rd)ITA Lazio (CL PO)ENG Tottenham Hotspur (5th)FRA Marseille (4th)SUI Sion (CW)BEL Club Brugge (CL PO)ENG Liverpool (6th)RUS Lokomotiv Moscow (CW)CYP APOEL (CL PO)POR Sporting CP (CL PO)GER FC Augsburg (5th)NED Groningen (CW)ALB Skënderbeu (CL PO)AUT Rapid Wien (CL PO)GER Schalke 04 (6th)UKR Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (3rd)SCO Celtic (CL PO)FRA Monaco (CL PO)ITA Fiorentina (4th)BEL Anderlecht (3rd)SUI Basel (CL PO)ITA Napoli (5th)TUR Beşiktaş (3rd)SRB Partizan (CL PO)Play-off roundPOL Lech Poznań (CL Q3)ROU Steaua București (CL Q3)HUN Videoton (CL Q3)CZE Sparta Prague (CL Q3)MDA Milsami Orhei (CL Q3)DEN Midtjylland (CL Q3)AUT Red Bull Salzburg (CL Q3)NED Ajax (CL Q3)FIN HJK (CL Q3)CZE Viktoria Plzeň (CL Q3)GRE Panathinaikos (CL Q3)TUR Fenerbahçe (CL Q3)AZE Qarabağ (CL Q3)NOR Molde (CL Q3)SUI Young Boys (CL Q3)Third qualifying roundESP Athletic Bilbao (7th)FRA Bordeaux (6th)BEL Standard Liège (4th)CZE Jablonec (3rd)ENG Southampton (7th)RUS Krasnodar (3rd)TUR İstanbul Başakşehir (4th)ROU Târgu Mureș (2nd)GER Borussia Dortmund (7th)RUS Rubin Kazan (5th)Note RUSGRE Atromitos (4th)ISR Ironi Kiryat Shmona (2nd)ITA Sampdoria (7th)Note ITANED AZ (3rd)SUI Zürich (3rd)CYP AEK Larnaca (2nd)POR Vitória de Guimarães (5th)NED Vitesse (PW)AUT Rheindorf Altach (3rd)POR Belenenses (6th)UKR Zorya Luhansk (4th)AUT Sturm Graz (4th)FRA Saint-Étienne (5th)UKR Vorskla Poltava (5th)CZE Slovan Liberec (CW)Second qualifying roundBEL Charleroi (PW)AUT Wolfsberger AC (5th)DEN Copenhagen (CW)SCO Inverness CT (CW)TUR Trabzonspor (5th)CZE Mladá Boleslav (4th)CRO Rijeka (2nd)SWE IFK Göteborg (CW)GRE PAOK (5th)ROU Astra Giurgiu (4th)Note ROUPOL Legia Warsaw (CW)BUL Cherno More (CW)SUI Thun (4th)ISR Hapoel Be'er Sheva (3rd)BLR Dinamo Minsk (2nd)First qualifying roundROU Botoșani (8th)Note ROUHUN Debrecen (4th)ISL FH (2nd)LIE Vaduz (CW)ISR Beitar Jerusalem (4th)SVN Koper (CW)ISL Víkingur Reykjavík (4th)NIR Glentoran (CW)CYP Apollon Limassol (3rd)SVN Celje (2nd)LVA Jelgava (CW)NIR Linfield (2nd)CYP Omonia (4th)SVN Domžale (3rd)LVA Skonto (2nd)NIR Glenavon (3rd)DEN Brøndby (3rd)SVK Žilina (2nd)LVA Spartaks Jūrmala (6th)Note LVAWAL Bala Town (2nd)DEN Randers (4th)SVK Slovan Bratislava (3rd)MNE Mladost Podgorica (CW)WAL Airbus UK Broughton (3rd)CRO Hajduk Split (3rd)SVK Spartak Trnava (4th)MNE Sutjeska (2nd)WAL Newtown (PW)CRO Lokomotiva Zagreb (4th)MDA Sheriff Tiraspol (CW)MNE Budućnost Podgorica (3rd)ARM Ulisses (2nd)POL Jagiellonia Białystok (3rd)MDA Dacia Chișinău (2nd)ALB Laçi (CW)ARM Shirak (3rd)POL Śląsk Wrocław (4th)MDA Saxan (5th)Note MDAALB Kukësi (2nd)ARM Alashkert (4th)BLR Shakhtyor Soligorsk (3rd)AZE Inter Baku (2nd)ALB Partizani (3rd)EST Nõmme Kalju (CW)BLR Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (4th)AZE Gabala (3rd)LTU Kruoja Pakruojis (2nd)EST Sillamäe Kalev (2nd)SCO Aberdeen (2nd)AZE Neftçi (4th)LTU Atlantas (3rd)EST Flora (3rd)SCO St Johnstone (4th)GEO Dinamo Tbilisi (CW)LTU Trakai (4th)FRO Víkingur Gøta (CW)SWE AIK (3rd)GEO Dinamo Batumi (2nd)MKD Rabotnicki (CW)FRO HB (2nd)SWE IF Elfsborg (4th)GEO Tskhinvali (4th)MKD Shkëndija (3rd)FRO NSÍ (4th)BUL Beroe Stara Zagora (2nd)KAZ Kairat (CW)MKD Renova (4th)SMR Juvenes/Dogana (2nd)BUL Litex Lovech (4th)Note BULKAZ Aktobe (2nd)IRL St Patrick's Athletic (CW)SMR La Fiorita (3rd)NOR Rosenborg (2nd)KAZ Ordabasy (4th)IRL Cork City (2nd)AND Sant Julià (CW)NOR Odd (3rd)BIH Olimpic (CW)IRL Shamrock Rovers (4th)AND Lusitanos (2nd)NOR Strømsgodset (4th)BIH Željezničar (2nd)LUX Differdange 03 (CW)GIB Europa (2nd)SRB Čukarički (CW)BIH Zrinjski Mostar (3rd)LUX F91 Dudelange (3rd)NED Go Ahead Eagles (FP)FC Twente wint ARAG Fair Play competitie, Europees ticket voor Go Ahead Eagles http://home.knvb.nl/nieuws/fc-twente-wint-arag-fair-play-competitie-europees-ticket-voor-go-ahead-eagles/ KNVB 18 May 2015 nl https://web.archive.org/web/20150602234628/http://home.knvb.nl/nieuws/fc-twente-wint-arag-fair-play-competitie-europees-ticket-voor-go-ahead-eagles 2015-06-02 deadSRB Red Star Belgrade (2nd)FIN SJK (2nd)LUX Progrès Niederkorn (4th)ENG West Ham United (FP)West Ham get UEFA Europa League place after topping Fair Play Table http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2014-15/may/260515-west-ham-top-fair-play-league.html Premier League 26 May 2015 6 July 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150706015924/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2014-15/may/260515-west-ham-top-fair-play-league.html deadSRB Vojvodina (4th)FIN Lahti (3rd)MLT Birkirkara (CW)IRL UCD (FP)http://www.sseairtricityleague.ie/news/5843-ireland-leading-uefa-fair-play-league Ireland leading UEFA Fair Play League SSE Airtricity League 15 January 2015http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/national-league/ucd-set-for-europa-league-after-topping-fair-play-standings-1.2205045 UCD set for Europa League after topping Fair Play standings Irish Times 8 May 2015 8 May 2015HUN Ferencváros (CW)FIN VPS (4th)MLT Valletta (2nd)HUN MTK Budapest (3rd)ISL KR (CW)MLT Balzan (4th) Notably two teams took part in the competition that were not playing in their national top-division. They were Go Ahead Eagles (2nd tier) and UCD (2nd tier). Notes disc Note BUL Bulgaria (BUL): Lokomotiv Sofia, the third-placed team of the 2014–15 A Group, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence. As a result, the berth was given to Litex Lovech, the fourth-placed team of the league.http://www.bfunion.bg/news/5443 Съобщение на Лицензионната комисия bg Communication from the licensing committee Bulgarian Football Union 20 May 2015 1 June 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150923184325/http://www.bfunion.bg/news/5443 2015-09-23 deadhttp://www.novinite.com/articles/168683/Football+Union+Reportedly+Revokes+Licences+of+Bulgaria's+CSKA,+Lokomotiv+Sofia Football Union Reportedly Revokes Licences of Bulgaria's CSKA, Lokomotiv Sofia noinvite.com 20 May 2015 1 June 2015 An appeal was denied on 1 June 2015.http://www.bfunion.bg/news/5476 https://web.archive.org/web/20150602015536/http://www.bfunion.bg/news/5476 dead 2 June 2015 Апелативната комисия потвърди решенията на Лицензионната комисия bg The appeals panel upheld the licensing committee Bulgarian Football Union 1 June 2015 1 June 2015 Note ITA Italy (ITA): Genoa, the sixth-placed team of the 2014–15 Serie A, would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence. As a result, the berth was given to Sampdoria, the seventh-placed team of the league. Genoa withdrew their appeal on 3 June 2015.http://www.corriere.it/sport/15_giugno_03/genoa-niente-europa-league-ricorso-la-licenza-uefa-e82a4052-0a00-11e5-b7a5-703d42ecd92c.shtml Genoa, niente Europa: ritirato il ricorso per la licenza Uefa Corriere della Sera 3 June 2015 Note LVA Latvia (LVA): Liepāja, the fourth-placed team of the 2014 Latvian Higher League, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence as they were affiliated with the Latvian Football Federation for less than three years after reforming from the dissolved Liepājas Metalurgs. As a result, the berth was given to Spartaks Jūrmala, the sixth-placed team of the league, as Daugava Daugavpils, the fifth-placed team, also failed to obtain a UEFA licence.http://www.delfi.lv/sports/news/football/news/lff-apelacijas-komisija-atstaj-speka-aizliegumu-fk-liepaja-piedalities-eirokausos.d?id=46031553 LFF Apelācijas komisija atstāj spēkā aizliegumu FK 'Liepāja' piedalīties Eirokausos Delfi Sports 28 May 2015 Note MDA Moldova (MDA): Tiraspol, the fourth-placed team of the 2014–15 Moldovan National Division, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but were dissolved at the end of the 2014–15 season.http://fc-tiraspol.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1654 Коммюнике FC Tiraspol 26 May 2015 ru usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20150526132138/http://fc-tiraspol.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1654 2015-05-26 As a result, the berth was given to Saxan, the fifth-placed team of the league.http://newsmaker.md/rus/novosti/fk-saksan-zamenit-tiraspol-v-lige-evropy-13257 ФК "Саксан" заменит "Тирасполь" в Лиге Европы Newsmaker 27 May 2015 Note ROU Romania (ROU): CFR Cluj, the third-placed team of the 2014–15 Liga I, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but were banned by UEFA after failing to settle overdue payables.http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/OfficialDocument/uefaorg/ClubFinancialControl/02/23/00/51/2230051_DOWNLOAD.pdf CFR 1907 Cluj – CFCB adjudicatory chamber decision – March 2015 UEFA.org 30 March 2015 As a result, Astra Giurgiu, the fourth-placed team of the league, entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, while the first qualifying round berth was given to Botoșani, the eighth-placed team of the league, as Petrolul Ploiești, Universitatea Craiova and Dinamo București, the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-placed teams of the league respectively, all failed to obtain UEFA licences.http://www.frf.ro/comunicate-frf/sanc%C8%9Biunile-dictate-de-comisia-de-licen%C8%9Biere-instan%C8%9Ba-de-fond-6581.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150521033409/http://www.frf.ro/comunicate-frf/sanc%C8%9Biunile-dictate-de-comisia-de-licen%C8%9Biere-instan%C8%9Ba-de-fond-6581.html dead 21 May 2015 SANCȚIUNILE DICTATE DE COMISIA DE LICENȚIERE - INSTANȚA DE FOND FEDERAȚIA ROMÂNĂ DE FOTBAL 18 May 2015http://www.monitorulbt.ro/Stiri/Sport/2015-05-26/FC+Botosani+cap+de+serie+in+turul+intai+preliminar+al+Ligii+Europa.html FC Botoșani cap de serie în turul întâi preliminar al Ligii Europa Monitorul de Botoșani ro 31 May 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150622203419/http://www.monitorulbt.ro/Stiri/Sport/2015-05-26/FC+Botosani+cap+de+serie+in+turul+intai+preliminar+al+Ligii+Europa.html 22 June 2015 dead Note RUS Russia (RUS): Dynamo Moscow, the fourth-placed team of the 2014–15 Russian Premier League, would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round, but they were referred to the UEFA's Club Financial Control Body adjudicatory chamber on 24 April 2015 for violating the Financial Fair Play break-even requirements after the club was not able to reach the settlement with UEFA.UEFA http://www.uefa.org/mediaservices/newsid=2239253.html FC Dinamo Moskva referred to Adjudicatory Chamber for break-even requirement breach 24 April 2015 The meeting regarding the sanctions for the violation was held on 16 June 2015,Russian News Agency "TASS" http://tass.ru/sport/2046082 ru:"Динамо" изложило УЕФА свою позицию по нарушениям правил финансового fair play 16 June 2015 ru and on 19 June 2015, it was announced that Dynamo Moscow were excluded from the UEFA Europa League for the 2015–16 season.Rossiya Segodnya http://rsport.ru/football/20150619/840603225.html ru:УЕФА отстранил "Динамо" от участия в ЛЕ-2015/16 за нарушение финансового fair play 19 June 2015 ru As a result, the berth was given to Rubin Kazan, the fifth-placed team of the league. Round and draw dates The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0222-0e91167213bf-ad67c808ae10-1000--2015-16-europa-league-all-you-need-to-know/ 2015/16 Europa League: All you need to know UEFA.com Union of European Football Associations 8 June 2015https://kassiesa.net/uefa/calendar2015.html UEFA European Football Calendar 2015/2016 Bert Kassies dead https://web.archive.org/web/20141221150453/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/calendar2015.html 21 December 2014 PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifyingFirst qualifying round22 June 20152 July 20159 July 2015Second qualifying round16 July 201523 July 2015Third qualifying round17 July 201530 July 20156 August 2015Play-offPlay-off round7 August 201520 August 201527 August 2015Group stageMatchday 128 August 2015(Monaco)17 September 2015Matchday 21 October 2015Matchday 322 October 2015Matchday 45 November 2015Matchday 526 November 2015Matchday 610 December 2015Knockout phaseRound of 3214 December 201518 February 201625 February 2016Round of 1626 February 201610 March 201617 March 2016Quarter-finals18 March 20167 April 201614 April 2016Semi-finals15 April 201628 April 20165 May 2016Final18 May 2016 at St. Jakob-Park, Basel Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts. Qualifying rounds 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2015 UEFA club coefficients,http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/season=2015/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20140716052833/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/season=2015/index.html dead July 16, 2014 Club coefficients 2014/15 UEFA.org Union of European Football Associationshttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/data/method4/trank2015.html UEFA Team Ranking 2015 Bert Kassieshttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/seedel2015.html Seeding in the Europa League 2015/2016 Bert Kassies 2015-05-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20150709145953/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/seedel2015.html 2015-07-09 dead and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. First qualifying round The draw for the first and second qualifying round was held on 22 June 2015.http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000654/index.html https://archive.today/20150625011108/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000654/index.html dead June 25, 2015 Draws — First qualifying round UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 22 June 2015http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000655/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150624005808/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000655/index.html dead June 24, 2015 Draws — Second qualifying round UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 22 June 2015https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0222-0e9121f5de1c-d82d337928b9-1000--largest-draw-starts-new-europa-league-season/ Largest draw starts new UEFA Europa League season UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 22 June 2015 22 June 2015 With 102 teams involved, it was UEFA's biggest ever tournament draw. Q1 Second qualifying round Q2 Third qualifying round The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 17 July 2015.http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000656/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150707215737/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/draws/round=2000656/index.html dead July 7, 2015 Draws — Third qualifying round UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 17 July 2015https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0223-0e913f67d3b5-b6d1dc132e8a-1000--uefa-europa-league-third-qualifying-round-draw/ UEFA Europa League third qualifying round draw UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 17 July 2015 17 July 2015 Q3 Play-off round 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying#Play-off round 2015–16 UEFA Europa League play-off round The draw for the play-off round was held on 7 August 2015.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000657/ Draws — Play-off round UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 7 August 2015UEFA Europa League play-off draw results https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0224-0e915e30a742-ca86d3f43161-1000--uefa-europa-league-play-off-draw-results/ UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 7 August 2015 7 August 2015 PO Group stage 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage Europe 650 right Location of teams of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage.8px Red: Group A; 8px Yellow: Group B; 8px Green: Group C; 8px Dark Green: Group D;8px Purple: Group E; 8px Pink: Group F; 8px Blue: Group G; 8px Orange: Group H;8px Brown: Group I; 8px Deep pink: Group J; 8px Cyan: Group K; 8px Spring green: Group L. Europe 39.944128 -0.103472 75 Villarreal Purple pog.svg right Europe 43.256944 -2.923611 75 Athletic SpringGreen pog.svg left Europe 51.603333 -0.065833 75 Tottenham DeepPink pog.svg left Europe 53.430819 -2.960828 75 Liverpool Yellow pog.svg right Europe 48.323131 10.885997 75 Augsburg SpringGreen pog.svg left Europe 51.554503 7.067589 75 Schalke Cyan pog.svg bottom Europe 51.516667 7.466667 75 Dortmund Green pog.svg right Europe 41.933886 12.454786 75 Lazio Blue pog.svg left Europe 43.780792 11.282725 75 Fiorentina Brown pog.svg right Europe 40.827924 14.192718 75 Napoli Dark Green 004040 pog.svg left Europe 38.761194 -9.160783 75 Lisbon Black pog.svg right Europe 41.56252 -8.429904 75 Braga Pink pog.svg right Europe 38.761194 -9.160783 Black pog.svg top Europe 43.727606 7.415614 75 Monaco DeepPink pog.svg bottom Europe 43.269806 5.395922 75 Marseille Pink pog.svg left Europe 45.460767 4.490117 75 St-Étienne Blue pog.svg bottom Europe 44.896944 -0.563333 75 Bordeaux Yellow pog.svg left Europe 55.803611 37.741111 75 Lokomotiv Orange pog.svg right Europe 45.025278 38.999444 75 Krasnodar Green pog.svg right Europe 55.796944 49.098889 75 Rubin Yellow pog.svg right Europe 52.630860 4.750430 75 AZ SpringGreen pog.svg left Europe 52.314167 4.941944 75 Ajax Red pog.svg right Europe 53.206111 6.591389 75 Groningen Pink pog.svg right Europe 48.460333 35.032472 75 Dnipro Blue pog.svg right Europe 51.21667 3.233333 75 Brugge Dark Green 004040 pog.svg left Europe 50.834194 4.298361 75 Anderlecht DeepPink pog.svg bottom Europe 41.039206 28.994742 75 Istanbul Black pog.svg top Europe 41.039206 28.994742 Black pog.svg top Europe 40.6138 22.9724 75 PAOK Green pog.svg right Europe 37.516667 22.383333 75 Asteras Cyan pog.svg left Europe 47.541575 7.620181 75 Basel Brown pog.svg left Europe 46.233333 7.366667 75 Sion Yellow pog.svg right Europe 48.207167 16.420528 75 Rapid Purple pog.svg right Europe 49.7475 13.3775 75 Plzeň Purple pog.svg left Europe 50.0997222 14.4155556 75 Sparta Cyan pog.svg right Europe 50.716667 15.066667 75 Liberec Pink pog.svg right Europe 35.114542 33.362864 75 APOEL Cyan pog.svg right Europe 56.133333 8.983333 75 Midtjylland Dark Green 004040 pog.svg left Europe 52.397222 16.858056 75 Lech Brown pog.svg top Europe 52.233333 21.016667 75 Legia Dark Green 004040 pog.svg bottom Europe 53.9 27.566667 75 Din. Minsk Purple pog.svg bottom Europe 55.858 -4.259 75 Celtic Red pog.svg right Europe 62.733333 7.147806 75 Molde Red pog.svg left Europe 63.429722 10.393333 75 Rosenborg Blue pog.svg right Europe 44.788742 20.459086 75 Partizan SpringGreen pog.svg right Europe 39.98 46.93 75 Qarabağ DeepPink pog.svg left Europe 40.9852 47.8425 75 Gabala Green pog.svg left Europe 40.616667 20.766667 75 Skënderbeu Orange pog.svg left Europe TransparentPlaceholder.png 1 65 55 75 Lisbon teams 8px Belenenses 8px Sporting CP Istanbul teams 8px Beşiktaş 8px Fenerbahçe right The draw for the group stage was held in Monaco on 28 August 2015.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000658/ Draws — Group stage UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 28 August 2015https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0224-0e918bf3da78-33ce105200d4-1000--full-uefa-europa-league-group-stage-draw/ Full UEFA Europa League group stage draw UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 28 August 2015 28 August 2015 The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots based on their 2015 UEFA club coefficients. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League group stage. The matchdays were 17 September, 1 October, 22 October, 5 November, 26 November, and 10 December 2015. A total of 24 national associations were represented in the group stage. FC Augsburg, Belenenses, Gabala, Groningen, Midtjylland, Monaco, Sion and Skënderbeu made their debut appearances in the group stage (although Monaco have appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage). Skënderbeu Korçë were the first team from Albania to play in the group stage of any UEFA club competition.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0253-0d809c400adb-120f21252c39-1000--europa-league-group-stage-number-crunching/ Europa League group stage number crunching UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 28 August 2015 TiebreakersThe teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied in the order given to determine the rankings (regulations Article 16.01): higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question; superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question; higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question; higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question; if, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 12 apply; superior goal difference in all group matches; higher number of goals scored in all group matches; higher number of away goals scored in all group matches; higher number of wins in all group matches; higher number of away wins in all group matches; lower disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received in all group matches (red card = 3 points, yellow card = 1 point, expulsion for two yellow cards in one match = 3 points); higher club coefficient. Group A Group A yes no_hide_class_rules Group B Group B yes no_hide_class_rules Group C Group C yes no_hide_class_rules Group D Group D yes no_hide_class_rules Group E Group E yes no_hide_class_rules Group F Group F yes no_hide_class_rules Group G Group G yes no_hide_class_rules Group H Group H yes no_hide_class_rules Group I Group I yes no_hide_class_rules Group J Group J yes no_hide_class_rules Group K Group K yes no_hide_class_rules Group L Group L yes no_hide_class_rules Knockout phase 2015–16 UEFA Europa League knockout phase In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows: In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other. In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. Bracket bracket Round of 32 The draw for the round of 32 was held on 14 December 2015.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000659/ Draws — Round of 32 UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 14 December 2015https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0228-0e92f9d04e6e-a6d7ee72ce4d-1000--uefa-europa-league-round-of-32-draw/ UEFA Europa League round of 32 draw UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 14 December 2015 14 December 2015 The first legs were played on 16 and 18 February, and the second legs were played on 24 and 25 February 2016. Rof32 Round of 16 The draw for the round of 16 was held on 26 February 2016.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000660/ Draws — Round of 16 UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 26 February 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160202092315/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season%3D2016/draws/round%3D2000660/index.html 2 February 2016 https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/022a-0e937de8c869-2fd2edc4f051-1000--europa-league-draw-liverpool-united-basel-sevilla/ Europa League draw: Liverpool-United, Basel-Sevilla UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 26 February 2016 26 February 2016 The first legs were played on 10 March, and the second legs were played on 17 March 2016. Rof16 Quarter-finals The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 18 March 2016.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000661/ Draws — Quarter-finals UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 18 March 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160510084620/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season%3D2016/draws/round%3D2000661/index.html 10 May 2016 https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/022b-0e93c16bba0c-b5fbe0fbfbcd-1000--uefa-europa-league-quarter-final-draw/ UEFA Europa League quarter-final draw UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 18 March 2016 The first legs were played on 7 April, and the second legs were played on 14 April 2016. QF Semi-finals The draw for the semi-finals was held on 15 April 2016.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/draws/2016/2000662/ Draws — Semi-finals UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 15 April 2016https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/022c-0e940fd300e4-2deeb3c93dbf-1000--uefa-europa-league-semi-final-draw/ UEFA Europa League semi-final draw UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 15 April 2016 The first legs were played on 28 April, and the second legs were played on 5 May 2016. SF Final F Statistics Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round. Top goalscorers RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played1ESP Aritz AdurizESP Athletic Bilbao109072COD Cédric BakambuESP Villarreal99423FRA Kevin GameiroESP Sevilla8674GAB Pierre-Emerick AubameyangGER Borussia Dortmund7725PAR Raúl BobadillaGER FC Augsburg6412ARG Erik LamelaENG Tottenham Hotspur5727CMR Aboubakar OumarouSRB Partizan5331BEL Dries MertensITA Napoli417ESP José CallejónITA Napoli448ARG Franco Di SantoGER Schalke 04451CZE David LafataCZE Sparta Prague558RUS Aleksandr SamedovRUS Lokomotiv Moscow720GER Marco ReusGER Borussia Dortmund742 Source:http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/statistics/round=2000658/players/type=topscorers/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160923072616/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/statistics/round=2000658/players/type=topscorers/index.html dead September 23, 2016 Statistics — Tournament phase — Player statistics — Goals UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 18 May 2016 Top assists RankPlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played1ESP Denis SuárezESP Villarreal69662CZE Bořek DočkalCZE Sparta Prague510293KOR Son Heung-minENG Tottenham Hotspur4504FRA Nolan RouxFRA Saint-Étienne538ESP VitoloESP Sevilla634ESP BeñatESP Athletic Bilbao733ARM Henrikh MkhitaryanGER Borussia Dortmund902POR Rafa SilvaPOR Braga1070915 players3 Source:http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/statistics/round=2000658/players/type=assists/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20170918231331/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2016/statistics/round=2000658/players/type=assists/index.html dead September 18, 2017 Statistics — Tournament phase — Player statistics — Assists UEFA.org Union of European Football Associations 18 May 2016 Squad of the Season The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament.UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/022d-0e946a347208-55be5902368b-1000--uefa-europa-league-squad-of-the-season/ UEFA 20 May 2016 Pos. PositionNameTeamGK GoalkeeperESP David SoriaESP SevillaESP David de GeaENG Manchester UnitedDF DefenderBEL Toby AlderweireldENG Tottenham HotspurGER Mats HummelsGER Borussia DortmundFRA Adil RamiESP SevillaBRA MarianoESP SevillaCRO Darijo SrnaUKR Shakhtar DonetskMF MidfielderGER Emre CanENG LiverpoolGER Gonzalo CastroGER Borussia DortmundBRA Philippe CoutinhoENG LiverpoolARG Éver BanegaESP SevillaPOL Grzegorz KrychowiakESP SevillaFRA Steven NzonziESP SevillaBRA MarlosUKR Shakhtar DonetskFW ForwardESP Aritz AdurizESP Athletic BilbaoGAB Pierre-Emerick AubameyangGER Borussia DortmundCOD Cédric BakambuESP VillarrealFRA Kevin GameiroESP Sevilla See also 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2016 UEFA Super Cup References External links 2015–16 UEFA Europa League 2015–16 2