UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Betting Odds, Tips & Live Stream Soccer
The 2nd-tier of European club soccer returns for the 2025/26 season, featuring some of the most popular teams from across Europe. All of the Europa League matches are available to bet on at Stake Sportsbook, with a wide range of soccer betting options.
What is the UEFA Europa League?
The UEFA Europa League, also known as the UEL, is one of the three European club soccer competitions organised by UEFA. It features teams from all over Europe, which can qualify based on their domestic league performance or by winning their domestic cup, such as the FA Cup. The 5th-best teams from each of the top seven ranked leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue 1, will automatically qualify.
Other teams have to progress through the qualifying stage to reach the Europa League proper, which consists of a 36-team league phase, before the top sides progress to the knockout rounds. The tournament might be the 2nd tier of European soccer, but it’s still hugely popular, and winning teams will automatically qualify for the next season’s Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.
History of the UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Cup was introduced in the 1971/72 season, replacing the Inter-Cities Fairs European Cup. In its inaugural season, the trophy was lifted by Tottenham Hotspur, who are also the current champions after winning the Europa League in 2025.
Originally, the UEFA Cup was a straight knockout competition, but a group stage was introduced for the 2004/05 season, and in 2009, it was rebranded as the Europa League. The rebranding also coincided with an expansion to feature 32 teams.
For the 2024/25 season, the Europa League changed once more, moving away from the group stage and instead introducing a league format.
Format & Schedule of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League
Teams enter the Europa League either through automatic qualification or by progressing through the 4 qualifying rounds. The league stage then begins, and the top teams enter the knockout phase to determine the champions.
Qualifying Rounds
53 teams take part in the Europa League qualifying rounds. Teams enter this round based on the coefficient ranking of the association they play in, and some enter from the Champions League qualifying rounds. Ultimately, 12 winners progress from the play-offs, with the remaining teams entering the UEFA Conference League qualifying stage.
10 Jul and 17 July - First round
24 July and 31 July - Second round
7 August and 14 August - Third round
21 August and 28 August - Play-offs
League Phase
The league phase begins with the draw, which determines the opponents that each team faces for their 4 home games and 4 away games. After the final matchday, the top 8 teams progress to the round of 16, while teams ranked from 9th to 24th must play in the play-offs.
4 August - League draw
24-25 September - Matchday 1
2 October - Matchday 2
23 October - Matchday 3
6 November - Matchday 4
27 November - Matchday 5
11 December - Matchday 6
22 January - Matchday 7
29 January - Matchday 8
Knockout Round
During the knockout round, teams play a home and away fixture against their drawn opponent. Winners are determined by aggregate score. However, the tie is settled by extra time and penalties if the score is still level after two legs.
30 January - Knockout play-offs draw
19 February and 26 February - Knockout play-offs
27 February - Knockout draw
12 March and 19 March - Round of 16
9 April and 16 April - Quarter-finals
30 April and 7 May - Semi-finals
20 May - Final
Which Teams Play in the UEFA Europa League?
Some of the teams playing in the 2025/26 Europa League include:
Aston Villa
Crystal Place
Bologna
Roma
Celta Vigo
Real Betis
Frieburg
VfB Stuttgart
Lille
Lyon
How to Bet on the UEFA Europa League & Types of Soccer Betting
You can get started with betting on soccer and Europa League games at Stake as soon as you’ve set up your account. If you need pointers, take a look at our sports betting guide or follow the steps below:
Log in to your Stake.com account or register if you haven’t already.
Check your available balance in the wallet and select the deposit button to add funds.
Set your coins safely in the Stake vault, then search Soccer > International Club > Europa League to see upcoming games.
Select any match to see the full array of betting options and pick one to add to your bet slip.
Enter your stake, check your potential payout, and then confirm to place your bet.
There are loads of different ways to bet on the UEFA Europa League at Stake, with plenty of football betting markets available on every match in the competition. Some of the most popular options include:
Live betting is available on Europa League matches too, with pre-match and live betting options on all games at Stake. If you want to see the latest live odds as the action is happening, simply log in and open the live section of the sportsbook. Select any live game to see a full range of live markets and stats. You can even watch free live streams of soccer, including Europa League qualifiers, when you log in to your Stake account.