2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage
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The 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage began on 20 September 2023 and ended on 14 December 2023. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide 8 of the 16 places in the knockout phase of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League.
All teams besides AZ, Ballkani, Bodø/Glimt, Fiorentina, Gent, HJK, Maccabi Tel Aviv, PAOK, Slovan Bratislava and Zorya Luhansk made their debut appearances in the group stage. Breiðablik, Čukarički, KÍ, Olimpija Ljubljana and Zrinjski Mostar made their debut appearances in a UEFA competition group stage. Breiðablik, KÍ and Zrinjski Mostar were the first teams from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively, to play in a UEFA competition group stage. Breiðablik also became the first ever team to qualify for the group stages of a UEFA club competition after starting in a preliminary round.
A total of 28 national associations were represented in the group stage .
This was the final season with the group stage format, which was replaced by the league phase format starting from the next season.[1]
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 1 September 2023, 14:30 CEST, in Monaco. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their 2023 UEFA club coefficients.[2] Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association, including those playing in the Europa League group stage (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams), based on television audiences, where one team was into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would have different kick-off times. The following pairings were announced by UEFA after the group stage teams were confirmed (the second team in a pairing marked by UEL played in the Europa League group stage):[3]
Bodø/Glimt and Molde (UEL)
Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion (UEL)
Club Brugge and Union Saint-Gilloise (UEL)
Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa (UEL)
Lille and Toulouse (UEL)
PAOK and AEK Athens (UEL)
Čukarički and TSC (UEL)
Lugano and Servette (UEL)
Legia Warsaw and Raków Częstochowa (UEL)- Gent and Genk
Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş
Slovan Bratislava and Spartak Trnava
Teams
Below were the participating teams (with their 2023 UEFA club coefficients),[2] grouped by their seeding pot. They included:
- 22 winners of the play-off round (5 from Champions Path, 17 from Main Path)
- 10 losers of the Europa League play-off round
| Key to colours |
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| Group winners advanced directly to round of 16 |
| Group runners-up advanced to knockout round play-offs |
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Notes
- ECL-CP Winners of play-off round (Champions Path).
- ECL-MP Winners of play-off round (Main Path).
- EL-PO Losers of Europa League play-off round
Format
In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The winners of each group advanced to the round of 16, while the runners-up advanced to the knockout round play-offs. The third-placed and fourth-placed teams were eliminated from European competitions for the season.
Tiebreakers
Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see Article 16 Equality of points – group stage, Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League):[4]
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Away goals scored in all group matches;
- Wins in all group matches;
- Away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
Groups
The fixtures were announced on 2 September 2023, the day after the draw. The matches were played on 20–21 September, 5 October, 26 October, 9 November, 30 November and 14 December 2023. The scheduled kick-off times were 18:45 and 21:00 CET/CEST, with possible exceptions at 16:30 CET/CEST due to geographical reasons.
Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LOSC | SLO | LJU | KÍ | |
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| 1 |  Lille |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 14 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 |  Slovan Bratislava |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | |
| 3 |  Olimpija Ljubljana |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 6 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 |  KÍ |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 4 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — |
| KÍ | 3–0 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
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| Slovan Bratislava | 1–1 | Lille |
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| KÍ | 1–2 | Slovan Bratislava |
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| Slovan Bratislava | 1–2 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
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Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MTA | GNT | ZOR | BRE | |
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| 1 |  Maccabi Tel Aviv |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 15 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | |
| 2 |  Gent |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 13 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–0 | — | 4–1 | 5–0 | |
| 3 |  Zorya Luhansk |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 7 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | 4–0 | ||
| 4 |  Breiðablik |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | — |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–2 | Breiðablik |
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| Zorya Luhansk | 1–1 | Gent |
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| Breiðablik | 0–1 | Zorya Luhansk |
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| Gent | 2–0 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
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| Gent | 5–0 | Breiðablik |
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| Breiðablik | 2–3 | Gent |
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| Breiðablik | 1–2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
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| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–1 | Gent |
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Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PLZ | DZG | AST | BAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Viktoria Plzeň |
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 18 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 |  Dinamo Zagreb |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 0–1 | — | 5–1 | 3–0 | |
| 3 |  Astana |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 4[a] | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 4 |  Ballkani |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4[a] | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — |
- Ranked on head-to-head points: Astana 4, Ballkani 1.
| Viktoria Plzeň | 1–0 | Ballkani |
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| Dinamo Zagreb | 5–1 | Astana |
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| Ballkani | 1–2 | Astana |
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| Ballkani | 0–1 | Viktoria Plzeň |
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Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BRU | BOD | BEŞ | LUG | |
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| 1 | Club Brugge |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 16 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| 2 |  Bodø/Glimt |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | 5–2 | |
| 3 |  Beşiktaş |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 4[a] | 0–5 | 1–2 | — | 2–3 | ||
| 4 |  Lugano |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 4[a] | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — |
- Ranked on head-to-head goal difference: Beşiktaş +1, Lugano –1.
| Club Brugge | 1–1 | Beşiktaş |
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| Lugano | 0–0 | Bodø/Glimt |
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| Bodø/Glimt | 0–1 | Club Brugge |
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| Lugano | 1–3 | Club Brugge |
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| Beşiktaş | 1–2 | Bodø/Glimt |
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| Bodø/Glimt | 5–2 | Lugano |
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| Beşiktaş | 0–5 | Club Brugge |
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| Club Brugge | 3–1 | Bodø/Glimt |
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Group E
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AVL | LEG | AZ | ZRI | |
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| 1 |  Aston Villa |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 13 | Advance to round of 16 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
| 2 |  Legia Warsaw |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 3–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 3 |  AZ |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 6 | 1–4 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 4 |  Zrinjski Mostar |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–3 | — |
| Zrinjski Mostar | 4–3 | AZ |
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| AZ | 1–0 | Legia Warsaw |
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| Aston Villa | 1–0 | Zrinjski Mostar |
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| Zrinjski Mostar | 1–2 | Legia Warsaw |
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| Legia Warsaw | 2–0 | Zrinjski Mostar |
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| Aston Villa | 2–1 | AZ |
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| AZ | 1–0 | Zrinjski Mostar |
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| Aston Villa | 2–1 | Legia Warsaw |
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| Legia Warsaw | 2–0 | AZ |
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| Zrinjski Mostar | 1–1 | Aston Villa |
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Group F
| Genk | 0–0 |  Ferencváros |
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Fiorentina  | 6–0 |  Čukarički |
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| Ferencváros | 1–1 | Genk |
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| Fiorentina | 2–1 | Genk |
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| Čukarički | 1–2 | Ferencváros |
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| Ferencváros | 1–1 | Fiorentina |
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Group G
PAOK  | 2–1 |  Eintracht Frankfurt |
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HJK  | 0–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
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Group H
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FEN | LUD | NOR | TRN | |
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| 1 | Fenerbahçe |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 12[a] | Advance to round of 16 | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | |
| 2 |  Ludogorets Razgrad |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 12[a] | Advance to knockout round play-offs | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 4–0 | |
| 3 |  Nordsjælland |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 10 | 6–1 | 7–1 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Spartak Trnava |
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 15 | −12 | 1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |
- Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference used as a tiebreaker.
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 4–0 | Spartak Trnava |
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| Fenerbahçe | 3–1 | Nordsjælland |
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| Spartak Trnava | 1–2 | Fenerbahçe |
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| Spartak Trnava | 0–2 | Nordsjælland |
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| Nordsjælland | 1–1 | Spartak Trnava |
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| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2–0 | Fenerbahçe |
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| Nordsjælland | 6–1 | Fenerbahçe |
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| Spartak Trnava | 1–2 | Ludogorets Razgrad |
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Notes
- The Lille v Olimpija Ljubljana match was played on Wednesday instead of Thursday to allow enough time for the stadium's pitch to be mended prior to hosting a Rugby World Cup match.[5]
- KÍ played their home matches at the Tórsvøllur, in Tórshavn, instead of their regular stadium, Við Djúpumýrar, in Klaksvík, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[19]
- Breiðablik played their first two home matches at the Laugardalsvöllur, in Reykjavík, instead of their regular stadium, Kópavogsvöllur, in Kópavogur, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- The match was played behind closed doors.[28]
- Ballkani played their home matches at the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, in Pristina, instead of their regular stadium, the Theranda City Stadium, in Suva Reka, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Ballkani played their last home match at the Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania, instead of their pre-selected stadium, the Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, due to deteriorated pitch conditions following recent matches.[42]
- Lugano played their home matches at the Letzigrund, in Zürich, instead of their regular stadium, the Cornaredo Stadium, in Lugano, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
- Čukarički played their home matches at the Dubočica Stadium, in Leskovac, instead of their regular stadium, Čukarički Stadium, in Belgrade, which did not meet UEFA requirements.