What is the difference between Champions League and Europa League?

[Chaminda]

Pardon me for my ignorance. I am from Sri Lanka and new to football. I am doing reading on the different championships. From what I understand, the BEST club in Europe is decided by the Champions League.

But what is the Europa League? Is it just another Euro club tournament. If the winner of the Champions League is the best club is Europe, what is the status of the winner of the Europa League?

 

[Cule Angles]

The Europa league is a secondary competition that used to be known as the UEFA cup. Teams that have won domestic cups and finished lower down the leagues enter it and the winner doesn't really have a status other than being the winner of that particular competition and the pride that comes with having beaten teams from around the continent

 

[Chaminda]

What is the point in having a competition for the teams that has finished lower down the their leagues? I mean, isn't it like a
cup for the loosers??

 

[Hamzah]

not really it is still a good trophy to have.

 

[el tren]

Franz Beckenbauer once indeed dubbed it the "cup of losers". But actually its just another competition with clubs from around europe, with lower level than the CL, but still with good teams and good football.

 

[AnfieldEd]

The Uefa Cup was a very prestigous trophy to have in the 70's and 80's as during those decades only the champions were allowed into the european cup/Champions League, so all the up and coming teams entered into this trophy and it was as hard to win as the european cup because there was so many tough teams in there.

Mnay teams who won the uefa cup in the 70s and 80s went on to lift the european cup. The uefa cup in those days was a precursor to the the teams that would go on to better things. Like Liverpool we won the uefa cup in 73 and 76 then went on to win the european cup in 77 and 78.

In terms of prestige it has gone downhill for sure, but it is a european trophy at the end of the day, so it should be treated with respect.

 

[Barcafan 2304]

Isnt there a huge difference in prize money as well in terms that a team who makes it to the group stages of the CL (and gets no further into the knock-out rounds) earn a hell of a lot more prize money that the team that actually wins the Europa League

 

[AnfieldEd]

I believe the europa league winners get around £6.5m in prize and tv money.

 

[Antimilan]

And then the icing on the cake, UEFA European Supercup, that is contested from the winners of that season's Champions League and Uefa Europa League.

 

[Cal-FCB]

I miss the Cup Winners' Cup. They should never have scrapped it. Was always hugely entertaining.

 

[Barcafan 2304]

I miss the Cup Winners' Cup. They should never have scrapped it. Was always hugely entertaining.

I agree, missed it

 

[Chaminda]

I still don't get the point of having a Euro level championship for lower ranked teams. Anway, If I am right, in the UEFA European Supercup, all the time the Champions League winner must have won it, right? Or was their an occation where the lower ranked competion winner (i.e. Europa Cup) beat the top club in Europe (i.e. Champions League winner).

 

[Cule Angles]

I still don't get the point of having a Euro level championship for lower ranked teams. Anway, If I am right, in the UEFA European Supercup, all the time the Champions League winner must have won it, right? Or was their an occation where the lower ranked competion winner (i.e. Europa Cup) beat the top club in Europe (i.e. Champions League winner).

Mate, go to www.uefa.com and review the history of each competition.

 

[Chaminda]

Why do you miss the Cup Winners Cup? I thought it was the same as the Europa cup?

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

Europa League is like the best of the rest. It used to have much more meaning, it's not as prestigious anymore but still, the one who wins it had to beat a lot of European sides to get it.

It's interesting too because a lot of leagues have more or less the same top teams year after year so the Champions League can get pretty stagnant when it comes to the teams who get entered (not necessarily who gets the trophy though, as good league performance doesn't always mean good European performance), whereas Europa League is more of a revolving door depending on which of the "lesser" sides manage to finish just below the non-CL teams.