2016–17 UEFA Europa League

The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

2016–17 UEFA Europa League
Friends Arena in Solna hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
28 June – 25 August 2016
Competition proper:
15 September 2016 – 24 May 2017
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 155+33 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsEngland Manchester United (1st title)
Runners-upNetherlands Ajax
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored565 (2.76 per match)
Attendance4,494,039 (21,922 per match)
Top scorer(s)Edin Džeko (Roma)
Giuliano (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
8 goals each
Best player(s)Paul Pogba (Manchester United)[1]

The final was played between Ajax and Manchester United at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden.[2][3] Manchester United beat Ajax 2–0 to win their first title.[4] With this victory, they became the fifth club – after Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea – to have won all three major European trophies (European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup).[5]

Manchester United qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, and also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup.

As the title holders, Sevilla qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. Having won the last three Europa League tournaments, Sevilla were unable to defend their titles as they reached the Champions League knockout stage, where they were eliminated by Leicester City in the round of 16.

Association team allocation

A total of 188 teams from 54 of the 55 UEFA member associations were expected to participate in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League (the exception being Kosovo, whose participation was not accepted in their first attempt as UEFA members). The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[6]

The UEFA Executive Committee approved in December 2014 changes to the rewards given according to the Respect Fair Play ranking, and starting from the 2016–17 season, the three Fair Play berths were no longer allocated to the Europa League.[8]

Association ranking

For the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2015 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2010–11 to 2014–15.[9][10]

Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below:

  • (CL) – Additional teams transferred from Champions League
  • (EL) – Vacated berth due to Europa League title holders playing in Champions League
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
1 Spain99.9993+1(CL)
−1(EL)
2 England80.391+1(CL)
3 Germany79.415+1(CL)
4 Italy70.510+1(CL)
5 Portugal61.382
6 France52.416+1(CL)
7 Russia50.498+1(CL)
8 Ukraine45.166+1(CL)
9 Netherlands40.979+1(CL)
10 Belgium37.200+1(CL)
11 Switzerland34.375+1(CL)
12 Turkey32.600+2(CL)
13 Greece31.900+2(CL)
14 Czech Republic29.125+2(CL)
15 Romania26.299+2(CL)
16 Austria25.675+1(CL)
17 Croatia23.500
18 Cyprus22.300+1(CL)
19 Poland21.500+1(CL)
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
20 Israel21.0003+1(CL)
21 Belarus20.750+1(CL)
22 Denmark19.800+1(CL)
23 Scotland17.900
24 Sweden17.725
25 Bulgaria16.750+1(CL)
26 Norway14.375+1(CL)
27 Serbia13.875+1(CL)
28 Slovenia13.625
29 Azerbaijan12.500+1(CL)
30 Slovakia11.250+1(CL)
31 Hungary11.000
32 Kazakhstan10.375+1(CL)
33 Moldova10.000
34 Georgia9.375+1(CL)
35 Finland8.200
36 Iceland8.000
37 Bosnia and Herzegovina7.500
RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes
38 Liechtenstein6.0001
39 Macedonia5.8753
40 Republic of Ireland5.750+1(CL)
41 Montenegro5.625
42 Albania5.375+1(CL)
43 Luxembourg5.125
44 Northern Ireland4.875
45 Lithuania4.500
46 Latvia4.250
47 Malta4.208
48 Estonia3.500
49 Faroe Islands3.500
50 Wales2.875
51 Armenia2.750
52 Andorra0.8332
53 San Marino0.499
54 Gibraltar0.2501
55 Kosovo[Note KOS]0.0000
Notes

Distribution

In the default access list, Sevilla enter the third qualifying round (as the seventh-placed team of the 2015–16 La Liga).[6][15] However, since they qualified for the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, the spot which they qualified for in the Europa League third qualifying round is vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system are made:[16][17]

  • The domestic cup winners of association 18 (Cyprus) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The domestic cup winners of associations 27 (Serbia) and 28 (Slovenia) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(96 teams)
  • 26 domestic cup winners from associations 29–54
  • 35 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–53 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 35 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–51 (except Liechtenstein)
Second qualifying round
(66 teams)
  • 10 domestic cup winners from associations 19–28
  • 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17
  • 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 48 winners from first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(58 teams)
  • 6 domestic cup winners from associations 13–18
  • 9 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–15
  • 5 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 5–9
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France)
  • 2 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England) (except Europa League title holders)
  • 33 winners from second qualifying round
Play-off round
(44 teams)
  • 29 winners from third qualifying round
  • 15 losers from Champions League third qualifying round
Group stage
(48 teams)
  • 12 domestic cup winners from associations 1–12
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 4
  • 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3
  • 22 winners from play-off round
  • 10 losers from Champions League play-off round
Knockout phase
(32 teams)
  • 12 group winners from group stage
  • 12 group runners-up from group stage
  • 8 third-placed teams from Champions League group stage

Redistribution rules

A Europa League place is vacated when a team qualifies for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualifies for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place is vacated, it is redistributed within the national association by the following rules (regulations Articles 3.03 and 3.04):[6]

  • When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualify for the Champions League, their Europa League place is vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions qualify for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finish above them in the league moved up one "place".
  • When the domestic cup winners also qualify for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position is vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions qualify for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finish above them in the league moved up one "place" if possible.
  • For associations where a Europa League place is reserved for the League Cup winners, they always qualify for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier. If the League Cup winners have already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place is taken by the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions.

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:[18][19][20]

  • CW: Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • RW: Regular season winners
  • PW: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
  • CL: Transferred from Champions League
    • GS: Third-placed teams from group stage
    • PO: Losers from play-off round
    • Q3: Losers from third qualifying round
Round of 32
Ludogorets Razgrad (CL GS) Borussia Mönchengladbach (CL GS) Tottenham Hotspur (CL GS) Copenhagen (CL GS)
Beşiktaş (CL GS) Rostov (CL GS) Legia Warsaw (CL GS) Lyon (CL GS)
Group stage
Athletic Bilbao (5th) Fiorentina (5th) Zürich (CW) Steaua București (CL PO)
Celta Vigo (6th) Braga (CW) Konyaspor (3rd)[Note TUR] Roma (CL PO)
Manchester United (CW) Nice (4th) Viktoria Plzeň (CL PO) Ajax (CL PO)
Southampton (6th) Zenit Saint Petersburg (CW) Hapoel Be'er Sheva (CL PO) Young Boys (CL PO)
Schalke 04 (5th) Zorya Luhansk (4th)[Note UKR] APOEL (CL PO) Villarreal (CL PO)
Mainz 05 (6th) Feyenoord (CW) Dundalk (CL PO)
Internazionale (4th) Standard Liège (CW) Red Bull Salzburg (CL PO)
Play-off round
Rosenborg (CL Q3) Trenčín (CL Q3) Red Star Belgrade (CL Q3) Shakhtar Donetsk (CL Q3)
Dinamo Tbilisi (CL Q3) Qarabağ (CL Q3) Partizani (CL Q3) Anderlecht (CL Q3)
Olympiacos (CL Q3) Astra Giurgiu (CL Q3) PAOK (CL Q3) Fenerbahçe (CL Q3)
Astana (CL Q3) BATE Borisov (CL Q3) Sparta Prague (CL Q3)
Third qualifying round
West Ham United (7th) Krasnodar (4th) Luzern (3rd) Viitorul Constanța (5th)[Note ROU]
Hertha BSC (7th) Spartak Moscow (5th) İstanbul Başakşehir (4th)[Note TUR] Rapid Wien (2nd)
Sassuolo (6th) Vorskla Poltava (5th) AEK Athens (CW) Rijeka (2nd)
Arouca (5th) FC Oleksandriya (6th)[Note UKR] Panathinaikos (3rd) Apollon Limassol (CW)
Rio Ave (6th) AZ (4th) Mladá Boleslav (CW)
Lille (5th) Heracles Almelo (PW) Slovan Liberec (3rd)
Saint-Étienne (6th) Gent (3rd) Pandurii Târgu Jiu (3rd)
Second qualifying round
Genk (PW) CSM Politehnica Iași (7th)[Note ROU] Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (CW) Strømsgodset (2nd)
Grasshopper (4th) Austria Wien (3rd) SønderjyskE (2nd) Partizan (CW)
Osmanlıspor (5th)[Note TUR] Hajduk Split (3rd) Hibernian (CW) Maribor (CW)
PAS Giannina (6th)[Note GRE] Piast Gliwice (2nd) BK Häcken (CW)
Slavia Prague (5th) Maccabi Haifa (CW) Levski Sofia (2nd)[Note BUL]
First qualifying round
Admira Wacker Mödling (4th) Gabala (3rd) Radnik Bijeljina (CW) Sūduva Marijampolė (4th)
Lokomotiva (4th) Kapaz (5th)[Note AZE] Sloboda Tuzla (2nd) Jelgava (CW)
AEK Larnaca (2nd) Neftçi Baku (6th)[Note AZE] Široki Brijeg (3rd) Ventspils (3rd)
Omonia (4th) Slovan Bratislava (2nd) Vaduz (CW) Spartaks Jūrmala (5th)[Note LVA]
Zagłębie Lubin (3rd) Spartak Myjava (3rd) Shkëndija (CW) Hibernians (2nd)
Cracovia (4th) Spartak Trnava (4th) Sileks (3rd) Birkirkara (3rd)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (2nd) Videoton (2nd) Rabotnički (4th) Balzan (4th)[Note MLT]
Beitar Jerusalem (3rd) Debrecen (3rd) Cork City (2nd) Levadia Tallinn (2nd)
Dinamo Minsk (2nd) MTK Budapest (4th) Shamrock Rovers (3rd) Nõmme Kalju (3rd)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk (3rd) Kairat (CW) St Patrick's Athletic (4th) Infonet Tallinn (4th)
Midtjylland (3rd) Aktobe (3rd) Rudar Pljevlja (CW) Víkingur Gøta (CW)
Brøndby (4th) Ordabasy (4th) Budućnost Podgorica (2nd) NSÍ Runavík (2nd)
Aberdeen (2nd) Zaria Bălți (CW) Bokelj (4th) HB (4th)
Heart of Midlothian (3rd) Dacia Chișinău (2nd) Kukësi (CW) Bala Town (2nd)
IFK Göteborg (2nd) Zimbru Chișinău (3rd) Partizani (2nd)[Note ALB] Llandudno (3rd)
AIK (3rd) Samtredia (2nd) Teuta (4th) Connah's Quay Nomads (PW)
Beroe Stara Zagora (3rd) Dila Gori (3rd) Fola Esch (2nd) Banants (CW)
Slavia Sofia (4th)[Note BUL] Chikhura Sachkhere (4th) Differdange 03 (3rd) Shirak (2nd)
Stabæk (3rd) IFK Mariehamn (CW) Jeunesse Esch (4th) Pyunik (3rd)
Odd (4th) RoPS (2nd) Glenavon (CW) UE Santa Coloma (CW)
Čukarički (3rd) HJK (3rd) Linfield (2nd) Lusitanos (2nd)
Vojvodina (4th) Valur (CW) Cliftonville (PW) La Fiorita (CW)
Domžale (3rd) Breiðablik (2nd) Trakai (2nd) Folgore (3rd)
Gorica (4th) KR (3rd) Atlantas (3rd) Europa (2nd)

Notably two teams took part in the competition that were not playing in their national top division, Zürich (2nd tier) and Hibernian (2nd tier).

Notes

Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[41][6][42]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round20 June 201630 June 20167 July 2016
Second qualifying round14 July 201621 July 2016
Third qualifying round15 July 201628 July 20164 August 2016
Play-offPlay-off round5 August 201618 August 201625 August 2016
Group stageMatchday 126 August 2016
(Monaco)
15 September 2016
Matchday 229 September 2016
Matchday 320 October 2016
Matchday 43 November 2016
Matchday 524 November 2016
Matchday 68 December 2016
Knockout phaseRound of 3212 December 201616 February 201723 February 2017
Round of 1624 February 20179 March 201716 March 2017
Quarter-finals17 March 201713 April 201720 April 2017
Semi-finals21 April 20174 May 201711 May 2017
Final24 May 2017 at Friends Arena, Solna

Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds could also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

Qualifying rounds

In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2016 UEFA club coefficients,[43][44][45] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.

First qualifying round

The draws for the first and second qualifying round were held on 20 June 2016.[46][47] The first legs were played on 28 and 30 June, and the second legs were played on 5, 6 and 7 July 2016.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Midtjylland 2–0 Sūduva Marijampolė1–01–0
Heart of Midlothian 6–3[A] Infonet Tallinn2–14–2
Connah's Quay Nomads 1–0[A] Stabæk0–01–0
Ventspils 4–0 Víkingur Gøta2–02–0
Linfield 1–2 Cork City0–11–1
Levadia Tallinn 3–1 HB1–12–0
Atlantas 1–3 HJK0–21–1
IFK Göteborg 7–1 Llandudno5–02–1
St Patrick's Athletic 2–2 (a) Jeunesse Esch1–01–2
KR 8–1 Glenavon2–16–0
Shamrock Rovers 1–3 RoPS0–21–1
Valur 1–10 Brøndby1–40–6
Aberdeen 3–2 Fola Esch3–10–1
Trakai 3–5[A] Nõmme Kalju2–11–4
Dinamo Minsk 4–1 Spartaks Jūrmala2–12–0
Breiðablik 4–5 Jelgava2–32–2
NSÍ Runavík 0–7 Shakhtyor Soligorsk0–20–5
AIK 4–0 Bala Town2–02–0
Differdange 03 1–3 Cliftonville1–10–2
Odd 3–1 IFK Mariehamn2–01–1
Domžale 5–2 Lusitanos3–12–1
Bokelj 1–6 Vojvodina1–10–5
AEK Larnaca 6–1 Folgore3–03–1
Dila Gori 1–1 (1–4 p) Shirak1–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Široki Brijeg 1–3 Birkirkara1–10–2
Videoton 3–2 Zaria Bălți3–00–2
UE Santa Coloma 2–7 Lokomotiva1–31–4
Europa 3–2[A] Pyunik2–01–2
Čukarički 6–3 Ordabasy3–03–3
Rabotnički 1–2 Budućnost Podgorica1–10–1
Zimbru Chișinău 3–3 (a) Chikhura Sachkhere0–13–2
Sloboda Tuzla 0–1 Beitar Jerusalem0–00–1
Kukësi 2–1 Rudar Pljevlja1–11–0
Balzan 2–3[A] Neftçi Baku0–22–1
Admira Wacker Mödling 4–3 Spartak Myjava1–13–2
Beroe Stara Zagora 2–0 Radnik Bijeljina0–02–0
La Fiorita 0–7 Debrecen0–50–2
Vaduz 5–2 Sileks3–12–1
Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–0 Gorica3–01–0
Gabala 6–3 Samtredia5–11–2
Teuta 0–6 Kairat0–10–5
Spartak Trnava 6–0 Hibernians3–03–0
Banants 1–5 Omonia0–11–4 (a.e.t.)
Shkëndija 4–1 Cracovia2–02–1
Slavia Sofia 1–3 Zagłębie Lubin1–00–3
Aktobe 1–3 MTK Budapest1–10–2
Partizani w/o[B] Slovan Bratislava0–0Cancelled
Kapaz 1–0 Dacia Chișinău0–01–0
Notes

Second qualifying round

The first legs were played on 14 July, and the second legs were played on 20 and 21 July 2016.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Shirak 1–3 Spartak Trnava1–10–2
Dinamo Minsk 2–1 St Patrick's Athletic1–11–0
Partizan 0–0 (3–4 p) Zagłębie Lubin0–00–0 (a.e.t.)
Vojvodina 3–1 Connah's Quay Nomads1–02–1
Maccabi Haifa 2–2 (3–5 p)[C] Nõmme Kalju1–11–1 (a.e.t.)
Hibernian 1–1 (3–5 p) Brøndby0–11–0 (a.e.t.)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2–3 Domžale1–11–2
Austria Wien 5–1 Kukësi1–04–1
MTK Budapest 1–4 Gabala1–20–2
Beroe Stara Zagora 1–2 HJK1–10–1
RoPS 1–4 Lokomotiva1–10–3
Neftçi Baku 0–1 Shkëndija0–00–1
KR 4–5[C] Grasshopper3–31–2
Midtjylland 5–2 Vaduz3–02–2
Zimbru Chișinău 2–7 Osmanlıspor2–20–5
PAS Giannina 4–3 Odd3–01–3 (a.e.t.)
Birkirkara 2–1 Heart of Midlothian0–02–1
Maribor 1–1 (a) Levski Sofia0–01–1
Piast Gliwice 0–3 IFK Göteborg0–30–0
Slovan Bratislava 0–3 Jelgava0–00–3
Beitar Jerusalem 3–3 (a) Omonia1–02–3
Admira Wacker Mödling 3–0 Kapaz1–02–0
Aberdeen 4–0 Ventspils3–01–0
BK Häcken 1–2 Cork City1–10–1
Kairat 2–3 Maccabi Tel Aviv1–11–2
Debrecen 1–3 Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino1–20–1
CSM Politehnica Iași 3–4 Hajduk Split2–21–2
Videoton 3–1 Čukarički2–01–1
Cliftonville 2–5 AEK Larnaca2–30–2
AIK 2–0 Europa1–01–0
Levadia Tallinn 3–3 (a) Slavia Prague3–10–2
Genk 2–2 (4–2 p) Budućnost Podgorica2–00–2 (a.e.t.)
SønderjyskE 4–3 Strømsgodset2–12–2 (a.e.t.)
Notes

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2016.[49][50] The first legs were played on 28 July, and the second legs were played on 3 and 4 August 2016.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Lokomotiva 3–2 Vorskla Poltava0–03–2
Saint-Étienne 1–0 AEK Athens0–01–0
AEK Larnaca 2–1 Spartak Moscow1–11–0
Pandurii Târgu Jiu 2–5 Maccabi Tel Aviv1–31–2
Vojvodina 3–1 Dinamo Minsk1–12–0
Zagłębie Lubin 2–3 SønderjyskE1–21–1
Luzern 1–4 Sassuolo1–10–3
Slavia Prague 1–1 (a) Rio Ave0–01–1
Birkirkara 1–6 Krasnodar0–31–3
AZ 3–1 PAS Giannina1–02–1
Jelgava 1–4 Beitar Jerusalem1–10–3
Austria Wien 1–1 (5–4 p) Spartak Trnava0–11–0 (a.e.t.)
Panathinaikos 3–0[D] AIK1–02–0
Osmanlıspor 3–0 Nõmme Kalju1–02–0
Aberdeen 1–2 Maribor1–10–1
Lille 1–2 Gabala1–10–1
Oleksandriya 1–6 Hajduk Split0–31–3
Hertha BSC 2–3 Brøndby1–01–3
İstanbul Başakşehir 2–2 (a) Rijeka0–02–2
Heracles Almelo 1–1 (a) Arouca1–10–0
Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 0–3 Rapid Wien0–00–3
Genk 3–1 Cork City1–02–1
Shkëndija 2–1 Mladá Boleslav2–00–1
Domžale 2–4[D] West Ham United2–10–3
Videoton 1–2 Midtjylland0–11–1 (a.e.t.)
IFK Göteborg 3–2 HJK1–22–0
Admira Wacker Mödling 1–4 Slovan Liberec1–20–2
Gent 5–0 Viitorul Constanța5–00–0
Grasshopper 5–4 Apollon Limassol2–13–3 (a.e.t.)
Notes

Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2016.[51][52] The first legs were played on 17 and 18 August, and the second legs were played on 25 August 2016.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Astana 4–2 BATE Borisov2–02–2
Arouca 1–3 Olympiacos0–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Midtjylland 0–3 Osmanlıspor0–10–2
Trenčín 2–4 Rapid Wien0–42–0
Lokomotiva 2–4 Genk2–20–2
AEK Larnaca 0–4 Slovan Liberec0–10–3
Dinamo Tbilisi 0–5 PAOK0–30–2
Austria Wien 4–2 Rosenborg2–12–1
Beitar Jerusalem 1–2 Saint-Étienne1–20–0
Vojvodina 0–3 AZ0–30–0
Gabala 3–2[E] Maribor3–10–1
Slavia Prague 0–6 Anderlecht0–30–3
Astra Giurgiu 2–1 West Ham United1–11–0
Fenerbahçe 5–0 Grasshopper3–02–0
Panathinaikos 4–1[E] Brøndby3–01–1
Krasnodar 4–0 Partizani4–00–0
Gent 6–1 Shkëndija2–14–0
İstanbul Başakşehir 1–4 Shakhtar Donetsk1–20–2
SønderjyskE 2–3 Sparta Prague0–02–3
Sassuolo 4–1 Red Star Belgrade3–01–1
IFK Göteborg 1–3 Qarabağ1–00–3
Maccabi Tel Aviv 3–3 (4–3 p) Hajduk Split2–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Notes

Group stage

Location of teams of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Red: Group A; Yellow: Group B; Green: Group C; Dark Green: Group D;
Purple: Group E; Pink: Group F; Blue: Group G; Orange: Group H;
Brown: Group I; Deep pink: Group J; Cyan: Group K; Spring green: Group L.

The draw for the group stage was held on 26 August 2016, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.[53] The 48 teams were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots based on their 2016 UEFA club coefficients.[43][44][45]

In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advance to the round of 32, where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League group stage. The matchdays are 15 September, 29 September, 20 October, 3 November, 24 November, and 8 December 2016.

A total of 21 national associations are represented in the group stage. Astana, Celta Vigo, Dundalk, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Konyaspor, Mainz 05, Manchester United, Nice, Olympiacos, Osmanlıspor, Sassuolo, Southampton and Zorya Luhansk made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (although Celta Vigo and Olympiacos had appeared in the UEFA Cup group stage and Manchester United and Olympiacos had already competed in the UEFA Europa League knockout phase after a third place in the UEFA Champions League group stage).[54]

Location of Benelux teams of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage.
Red: Group A; Green: Group C; Dark Green: Group D; Pink: Group F; Blue: Group G; Orange: Group H.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification FEN MU FEY ZOR
1 Fenerbahçe641186+213Advance to knockout phase2–11–02–0
2 Manchester United6402124+8124–14–01–0
3 Feyenoord621337−470–11–01–0
4 Zorya Luhansk602428−621–10–21–1
Source: UEFA

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification APO OLY YB AST
1 APOEL640286+212Advance to knockout phase2–01–02–1
2 Olympiacos622276+180–11–14–1
3 Young Boys622274+383–10–13–0
4 Astana6123511−652–11–10–0
Source: UEFA

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SET AND MNZ QAB
1 Saint-Étienne633085+312Advance to knockout phase1–10–01–0
2 Anderlecht6321168+8112–36–13–1
3 Mainz 056231810−291–11–12–0
4 Gabala6006514−901–21–32–3
Source: UEFA

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification ZEN AZ MTA DUN
1 Zenit Saint Petersburg6501178+915Advance to knockout phase5–02–02–1
2 AZ6222610−483–21–21–1
3 Maccabi Tel Aviv621379−273–40–02–1
4 Dundalk611458−341–20–11–0
Source: UEFA

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification ROM AG PLZ AW
1 Roma6330167+912Advance to knockout phase4–04–13–3
2 Astra Giurgiu6222710−380–01–12–3
3 Viktoria Plzeň6132710−361–11–23–2
4 Austria Wien61231114−352–41–20–0
Source: UEFA

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification GNK ATH RW SAS
1 Genk6402139+412Advance to knockout phase2–01–03–1
2 Athletic Bilbao63121011−1105–31–03–2
3 Rapid Wien613278−163–21–11–1
4 Sassuolo6123911−250–23–02–2
Source: UEFA

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification AJX CLT STL PAN
1 Ajax6420116+514Advance to knockout phase3–21–02–0
2 Celta Vigo6231107+392–21–12–0
3 Standard Liège614186+271–11–12–2
4 Panathinaikos6015313−1011–20–20–3
Source: UEFA

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SHK GNT BRA KON
1 Shakhtar Donetsk6600215+1618Advance to knockout phase5–02–04–0
2 Gent6222913−483–52–22–0
3 Braga6132911−262–41–13–1
4 Konyaspor6015212−1010–10–11–1
Source: UEFA

Group I

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SCH KRA SAL NCE
1 Schalke 04650193+615Advance to knockout phase2–03–12–0
2 Krasnodar621388070–11–15–2
3 Red Bull Salzburg621366072–00–10–1
4 Nice6204511−660–12–10–2
Source: UEFA

Group J

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification FIO PAOK QRB LIB
1 Fiorentina6411156+913Advance to knockout phase2–35–13–0
2 PAOK631276+1100–00–12–0
3 Qarabağ6213712−571–22–02–2
4 Slovan Liberec6114712−541–31–23–0
Source: UEFA

Group K

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification SPP HBS SOU INT
1 Sparta Prague640286+212Advance to knockout phase2–01–03–1
2 Hapoel Be'er Sheva622266080–10–03–2
3 Southampton622264+283–01–12–1
4 Internazionale6204711−462–10–21–0
Source: UEFA

Group L

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification OSM VIL ZUR STE
1 Osmanlıspor6312107+310Advance to knockout phase2–22–02–0
2 Villarreal623198+191–22–12–1
3 Zürich613257−262–11–10–0
4 Steaua București613257−262–11–11–1
Source: UEFA

Knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round is as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records are seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage are unseeded. The seeded teams are drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association can be drawn against each other.

Bracket

Round of 32Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
                  
Ludogorets Razgrad101
Copenhagen202
Copenhagen202
Ajax123
Legia Warsaw000
Ajax011
Ajax (a.e.t.)224
Schalke 04033
PAOK011
Schalke 04314
Schalke 04 (a)123
Borussia Mönchengladbach123
Borussia Mönchengladbach044
Fiorentina123
Ajax415
Lyon134
AZ112
Lyon4711
Lyon415
Roma224
Villarreal011
Roma404
Lyon (p)213 (7)
Beşiktaş033 (6)
Olympiacos033
Osmanlıspor000
Olympiacos112
Beşiktaş145
Hapoel Be'er Sheva112
Beşiktaş325
Ajax0
Manchester United2
Celta Vigo (a.e.t.)022
Shakhtar Donetsk101
Celta Vigo224
Krasnodar101
Krasnodar112
Fenerbahçe011
Celta Vigo314
Genk213
Gent123
Tottenham Hotspur022
Gent213
Genk516
Astra Giurgiu202
Genk213
Celta Vigo011
Manchester United112
Athletic Bilbao303
APOEL224
APOEL000
Anderlecht112
Anderlecht (a)213
Zenit Saint Petersburg033
Anderlecht112
Manchester United (a.e.t.)123
Rostov415
Sparta Prague011
Rostov101
Manchester United112
Manchester United314
Saint-Étienne000

Round of 32

The draw for the round of 32 was held on 12 December 2016.[55] The first legs were played on 16 February, and the second legs were played on 22 and 23 February 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Athletic Bilbao 3–4 APOEL3–20–2
Legia Warsaw 0–1 Ajax0–00–1
Anderlecht 3–3 (a) Zenit Saint Petersburg2–01–3
Astra Giurgiu 2–3 Genk2–20–1
Manchester United 4–0 Saint-Étienne3–01–0
Villarreal 1–4 Roma0–41–0
Ludogorets Razgrad 1–2 Copenhagen1–20–0
Celta Vigo 2–1 Shakhtar Donetsk0–12–0 (a.e.t.)
Olympiacos 3–0 Osmanlıspor0–03–0
Gent 3–2 Tottenham Hotspur1–02–2
Rostov 5–1 Sparta Prague4–01–1
Krasnodar 2–1 Fenerbahçe1–01–1
Borussia Mönchengladbach 4–3 Fiorentina0–14–2
AZ 2–11 Lyon1–41–7
Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2–5 Beşiktaş1–31–2
PAOK 1–4 Schalke 040–31–1

Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 24 February 2017.[56] The first legs were played on 9 March, and the second legs were played on 16 March 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Celta Vigo 4–1 Krasnodar2–12–0
APOEL 0–2 Anderlecht0–10–1
Schalke 04 3–3 (a) Borussia Mönchengladbach1–12–2
Lyon 5–4 Roma4–21–2
Rostov 1–2 Manchester United1–10–1
Olympiacos 2–5 Beşiktaş1–11–4
Gent 3–6 Genk2–51–1
Copenhagen 2–3 Ajax2–10–2

Quarter-finals

The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 17 March 2017.[57] The first legs were played on 13 April, and the second legs were played on 20 April 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Anderlecht 2–3 Manchester United1–11–2 (a.e.t.)
Celta Vigo 4–3 Genk3–21–1
Ajax 4–3 Schalke 042–02–3 (a.e.t.)
Lyon 3–3 (7–6 p) Beşiktaş2–11–2 (a.e.t.)

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was held on 21 April 2017.[58] The first legs were played on 3 and 4 May, and the second legs were played on 11 May 2017.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Ajax 5–4 Lyon4–11–3
Celta Vigo 1–2 Manchester United0–11–1

Final

The final was played on 24 May 2017 at Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden.[2][3][59] The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the semi-final draw.

Ajax 0–2 Manchester United
Report
Attendance: 46,961[60]

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

Top goalscorers

Rank[61]PlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Edin Džeko Roma8524
Giuliano Zenit Saint Petersburg710
3 Aritz Aduriz Athletic Bilbao7484
4 Alexandre Lacazette Lyon6537
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Manchester United817
Kasper Dolberg Ajax933
7 Guillaume Hoarau Young Boys5342
Nikola Kalinić Fiorentina496
Łukasz Teodorczyk Anderlecht673
Iago Aspas Celta Vigo865
Zlatan Ibrahimović Manchester United897

Top assists

Rank[62]PlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played
1 Bořek Dočkal Sparta Prague6537
2 Francesco Totti Roma5384
Giuliano Zenit Saint Petersburg710
4 Nikola Kalinić Fiorentina4496
Talisca Beşiktaş496
Nabil Fekir Lyon518
Marlos Shakhtar Donetsk612
Sofiane Hanni Anderlecht674
Marcus Rashford Manchester United767
Zlatan Ibrahimović Manchester United897
Alejandro Pozuelo Genk928
Hakim Ziyech Ajax998
Bertrand Traoré Ajax1106

Squad of the season

The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament.[63]

Pos.PlayerTeam
GK Sergio Álvarez Celta Vigo
Sergio Romero Manchester United
DF Eric Bailly Manchester United
Gustavo Cabral Celta Vigo
Jérémy Morel Lyon
Matthijs de Ligt Ajax
Daley Blind Manchester United
Antonio Valencia Manchester United
MF Pablo Hernández Celta Vigo
Ander Herrera Manchester United
Paul Pogba Manchester United
Youri Tielemans Anderlecht
Corentin Tolisso Lyon
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Manchester United
Amin Younes Ajax
FW Zlatan Ibrahimović Manchester United
Alexandre Lacazette Lyon
Bertrand Traoré Ajax

Player of the season

A new UEFA Europa League Player of the Season award was introduced for the 2016–17 season.[64] Votes were cast by coaches of the 48 teams in the group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA's member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams. Jury members selected their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The shortlist of the top three players were announced on 4 August 2017.[65] The award winner was announced and presented to during the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August 2017.[66]

RankPlayerTeamPoints
Shortlist of top three
1 Paul Pogba[1] Manchester United140
2 Henrikh Mkhitaryan Manchester United129
3 Zlatan Ibrahimović Manchester United109
Players ranked 4–10
4 Alexandre Lacazette Lyon70
5 Kasper Dolberg Ajax40
6 Marcus Rashford Manchester United37
7 Ander Herrera Manchester United33
Davy Klaassen Ajax
9 Bertrand Traoré Ajax28
10 Edin Džeko Roma23

See also

References

External links