UEFA Europa Conference League Winner Prediction, Odds, Picks 2022/23

• The Europa Conference League is the third biggest tournament in Europe
• The competition was founded to promote continental competition for non-elite clubs
• West Ham United and Villarreal are among the early favorites to triumph

The Europa Conference League 2022/23 group stage begins in September. It is European soccer’s third continental club competition behind the Champions League and the Europa League. UEFA announced the upcoming launch of the new tournament in 2018, and the 2021/22 edition was the first.

The Champions League and the Europa League continue to attract most of the attention, but for most of the clubs involved the Conference League is a big deal. Some of them are taking part in a European tournament for the first time ever or in a long while, and fans of those teams will be particularly excited to see their clubs lock horns with foreign sides.

Europa Conference League Winner Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings

Who Will Win the Europa Conference League 2022/23?

Villarreal are the favorites to win the Europa Conference League ahead of the big kick-off in September. The Yellow Submarine demonstrated their credentials in continental competition by reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season, while their manager Unai Emery has won the Europa League four times to date.

West Ham United, Europa League semi-finalists in 2021/22, are expected to challenge. David Moyes’ side have strengthened in the summer transfer market and have the talent to go far in the Conference League, provided they take it seriously.

Nice, Koln and Fiorentina will be flying the flag for France, Germany and Italy respectively, and all three will hope to reach the latter stages at the very least.

If you would like to learn more about how to bet on soccer, including competitions like the Premier League and La Liga, check out our guide.

Who Won the Europa Conference League 2022?

Roma won the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League in 2021/22. They beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the final , having overcome Vitesse, Bodo/Glimt and Leicester City in previous knockout rounds on their way to the showpiece event.

What is the Europa Conference League Schedule 2022/23?

How Do You Qualify for the Europa Conference League?

There is more than one way to qualify for the Europa Conference League. UEFA ranks all 55 European leagues by their strength, and that ranking determines how teams from different countries enter the competition. A total of 72 clubs, all from the European leagues ranked between 29th and 55th, enter in the first qualifying round, either via a domestic cup win, domestic league runners-up placing, or a third-place finish in the league.

The second qualifying round is split into two sections: champions and non-champions, which refers to whether or not a club won their domestic league the previous season. The champions route features 20 teams eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers.

The non-champions route features the winners from the first qualifying round, plus 54 teams from the leagues ranked between seventh and 29th, and the team that finished fifth in the domestic league ranked sixth.

The third qualifying round maintains the champions and non-champions sections, with 10 teams in the former and 52 in the latter. After that comes the play-off round, where the five teams still standing from the champions route face five teams eliminated from the champions section of Europa League qualifying. The winners of those matches qualify for the group stage.

In the non-champions section, clubs from Europe’s top five leagues enter in the play-off round. They are joined by the 26 non-champions winners from the third qualifying round, as well as three teams eliminated from the non-champions section of Europa League qualifying. Seventeen matches are held, with the winners qualifying for the group stage.

The group stage contains 17 teams from the non-champions route of qualifying, five teams from the champions route of qualifying, and 10 teams who lost in the Europa League play-offs.

Why Did UEFA Create the Europa Conference League?

There are two main reasons why UEFA created the Europa Conference League. The first is that it helps to slim down the Europa League, which features 32 teams in the group stage rather than 48. There is now a neat symmetry to all three European tournaments, each of which has a 32-team group stage as of this campaign.

The primary reason, though, was to give clubs from smaller or weaker European nations the chance to participate in a continental competition.

What Happens if You Win the Europa Conference League?

The winners of the Europa Conference League will automatically qualify for the group stage of the following season’s Europa League unless they qualify for the Champions League by other means. The winning club will also receive a trophy, a set of medals, and €5m ($5.9m) in prize money.

How Can I Watch the Europa Conference League on TV?

Soccer fans based in the United States can watch the Europa Conference League on selected Thursdays on Paramount+.