UEFA Cup format

[RobB]

Does antone know what the format will be for the uefa cup in 04/05? I heard it was Rd1 - 80 teams KO to 40. Rd2 - 8 Groups of 5 teams. Rd3 - 8 Groups of 4 teams. Rd4/5/6/7 - 16 teams KO to an eventual winner. That would make 23 games for the finalists. Am I wrong? If so what is the format.

[Wide Boy]

Does antone know what the format will be for the uefa cup in 04/05? I heard it was Rd1 - 80 teams KO to 40. Rd2 - 8 Groups of 5 teams. Rd3 - 8 Groups of 4 teams. Rd4/5/6/7 - 16 teams KO to an eventual winner. That would make 23 games for the finalists. Am I wrong? If so what is the format.

Feeling confident about Saturday, are we? :)

I was dimly aware that the second round would involve groups, but I hadn't realised that the third round would as well.

Maybe we are doing the right thing by avoiding qualification .....

[Wide Boy]

I couldn't find anything about next year's format on uefa.com, but Bert Kassies - who is usually well ahead of the game - says that there will only be one group stage, in the second round.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/uc2004.html

[RobB]

Feeling confident about Saturday, are we? :)

I was dimly aware that the second round would involve groups, but I hadn't realised that the third round would as well.

Maybe we are doing the right thing by avoiding qualification .....

Not too confident no. But if there are a decent number of games guaranteed it makes it worth while getting into it. I had been abit unsure of whether th UEFA cup was worth it but you could easily end up playing 10 or 12 games with a good draw.

[RobB]

I couldn't find anything about next year's format on uefa.com, but Bert Kassies - who is usually well ahead of the game - says that there will only be one group stage, in the second round.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/uc2004.html


Thanks for that link. Looks like they know what they`re talking about.

[Forza AZ]

The new format is final. You can find the regulations here: http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/178353.pdf

So a groupstage in Round 2 with teams only playing each other once. Top 3 from each group progress and are joined by the 8 teams finishing 3rd in the CL group stage.
So 15 games for the finalists.

These 32 teams go on with the knock-out system as it has been for a number of years.

[Wide Boy]

Thanks, Forza, that makes it clear.

As the teams play each other only once, the order of the draw that determines home advantage could become important.

Playing each other once should also limit the danger of empty games, after the three qualifiers have in practice been determined.

[um_chili]

I don't want to start a whole new thread on this, but wanted to ask--why is it that England has only the one UEFA Cup spot this year (Newcastle)? Is it because the others go to the League Cup and FA Cup winners? Even so, I thought England would get more than three UEFA Cup spots. Tough for Aston Villa to have such a good year yet get shut out of Europe.

[Wide Boy]

Yep, the Cup winners (or more likely the beaten finalists in this year's FA Cup) get the other places.

It is balanced by having 4 Champions League places, albeit that 2 of those will have to play in the final qualifying round (and go into the UEFA Cup if they are eliminated, as happened to Newcastle last season).

[NateP]

Yep, the Cup winners (or more likely the beaten finalists in this year's FA Cup) get the other places.

It is balanced by having 4 Champions League places, albeit that 2 of those will have to play in the final qualifying round (and go into the UEFA Cup if they are eliminated, as happened to Newcastle last season).

Is that a change for this season? Looking at the participating teams for this year's UEFA Cup Liverpool and Blackburn are listed as in for finishing 5th and 6th respectively, and Newcastle as you mentioned for failing in the CL 3rd Qualifying Round. Next year though will be Newcastle (EPL 5), Millwall (FA Cup) and Man U or Liverpool if they fail to qualify for the CL Group stage?

Thanks in advance.

[Wide Boy]

Blackburn got in on the basis of winning the League Cup (the Worthington Cup that year).

I am sure that the UEFA and English FA sites will give the full detail, but my understanding is that the national Cup winners (i.e. the FA Cup in England) must be offered a place - which goes to the beaten finalists if the winners already qualify (as was the case with Southampton last year and which will apply to Millwall next season) and the two other places are allocated at the discretion of the FA.

The English FA uses its discretion to award one place to the winners of the League Cup (Middlesbrough for next season) - otherwise no even relatively major club would bother to try winning that tournament.

It is possible for other teams to qualify on the basis of the UEFA "Fair Play" rankings - Man Citeh last season - or by "winning" the InterToto Cup (done by West Ham, Villa and (I think) Fulham in recent years).

[interpag]

hi sorry but do you know on which channel will they show the uefa cup final pacific time in the uSA ?

thank you

[BocaFan]

Is that a change for this season? Looking at the participating teams for this year's UEFA Cup Liverpool and Blackburn are listed as in for finishing 5th and 6th respectively, and Newcastle as you mentioned for failing in the CL 3rd Qualifying Round. Next year though will be Newcastle (EPL 5), Millwall (FA Cup) and Man U or Liverpool if they fail to qualify for the CL Group stage?

Thanks in advance.

Remember last year Liverpool beat Man United in the League Cup. So they got in that way (it was only a coincidence that they also finished 5th in the table).
Also, I think if BOTH finalists of a cup would have qualified for Europe anyway (ie. finished top 5 in the table), then the 6th-placed team also qualifies for the uefa cup. For example, had Arsenal played Man United in the FA Cup final this season, then Villa would be in the UEFA Cup next year.

[NateP]

WB, Boca thanks for the clarification. I forgot that Liverpool was in the league cup last year bumping Rovers up to the EPL table spot. I blame UEFA.com 's list of participating teams for throwing me off.

[kevbrunton]

England has 4 Champions League spots and 3 UEFA Cup spots as does Spain & Italy.

Germany, France & Greece have 3 CL spots and 3 UEFA spots.

Portugal & Holland have 2 CL spots and 4 UEFA spots.

Then the number of spots drops from there on down.

In addition to those awarded by the performance of each relative country's leagues, there are Fair Play participants and Intertoto Cup winners added into the UEFA Cup, so those countries can get additional participants like Man City last year.

UEFA dictates that the first UEFA Cup spot goes to that country's Cup Winner. If the Cup Winner is already otherwise qualified, it goes to the other Cup Finalist. Only if the finalist is also already otherwise qualified does it fall back to the next line in the league.

Beyond that each country determines how to award the other 2 or 3 spots. In most countries, it just goes to the next league position(s). However, in England, they give it to the League Cup winner. If the League Cup winner is already otherwise qualified, that spot reverts to the next league position. The other League Cup finalist does not qualify.

Last year, Southampton, Liverpool, Blackburn & Man City were in the UEFA Cup. Newcastle wound up in the UEFA Cup only by missing out on CL qualifying.

Arsenal was the FA Cup winner but was already in the CL. So Southampton took the Cup Winner's spot in the UEFA Cup by being the other FA Cup finalist.

Liverpool qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing 5th in the league.

Liverpool was also the League Cup winner, but was already otherwise qualified, so that spot dropped back to the next position in the league. Blackburn was the beneficiary of that and qualified by finishing 6th in the league.

Man City was awarded a spot in the UEFA Cup from the Fair Play award.


Next year, England will have Millwall, Middlesbrough and Newcastle in the UEFA Cup. By having lower division Millwall as the other FA Cup finalist and by having lower in the table Middlesbrough win the League Cup, Aston Villa in 6th place in the league gets left out of the UEFA Cup. It's unfortunate in my opinion. I don't know if there will be a Fair Play entrant from England and if so, who that would be.

[RobB]

I don't know if there will be a Fair Play entrant from England and if so, who that would be.


Charlton.

[kevbrunton]

I don't know if there will be a Fair Play entrant from England and if so, who that would be.

Charlton.

That's great.