The keys to the new Europa League that Athletic will play

It bears a slight resemblance European League that he Athletic It last played in 2018 and will meet in the 2024-25 season. His ticket is sealed from the moment he is declared champion of cupalthough up until a week ago it contained options for Champions. It can’t be. At least the lions tied in front of Seville fifth place they will occupy in 30 of the 38 days of the championship.

Six years without stepping Europe. So it’s time to do a little pedagogy of what the Zurigorri fan will see starting in the summer when they start some previews that he doesn’t have to play with. Athletic. It goes straight to the league stage. There are remarkable changes in relation to the latest adventures of the people of Bilbao in the old continent… and also in what we have learned this year. The contests UEFA They will not be like the ones that exist until now.

The entity that governs European football wants to give a twist to its competitions in the face of the hidden threat of Super League. More games and a major league format change. This is perhaps the biggest change since the group stages were introduced in the early 1990s. It won’t be easy, but it will be something that soaks everything up. Here are five big keys to the new European League that he will face Athletic.

1. NEW FORMAT

League of 36 and unrelated coefficients

The biggest shock for everyone was not seeing a group stage. They are no longer in any of the three competitions UEFA: Champions, Europa League, Conference. No more traditional drawing of balls with the names of each team. Now there will be a league stage in which all 36 teams will participate and a single classification.

Something similar to the format of Euroleague, though not played all against all. Each squad will play eight games in this round, four at home and four away, against eight different clubs. Having not participated in previous years, the coefficient of Athletic It is low. A priori it is between pot 3 and 4. But this is irrelevant in front of the difficulty of the rivals in this new configuration, since each team will face two rivals from each of the pots in this eternal league .

The top eight finishers go directly to the round of 16. From 9th to 24th they must play an intermediate round, seeded to 16th. From the playoffs onwards nothing new and everything will happen the same as now.

2. WATERTIGHT COMPETITION

No casualties since the Champions League

Another significant change related to the new format is that teams will not move from one competition to another. They will not fall from Champions in European League nor of European League in Meeting as soon as the respective league stages begin, although in the earlier ones. They will be watertight tournaments. This drops one point of difficulty as many of the favorites from the qualifying round finished third in the group of Champions.

The dates? On August 30, the league stage will be drawn. It is assumed that it will be similar to what is done in League, more computerized than manual. He Athletic will play their first game on Wednesday 25th or Thursday 26th, although the European League It continues to be played every Thursday.

The league stage, however, does not end in December before the Christmas break as it does now. Since there are eight days, this extends to January 23 and 30, dates for the seventh and eighth days, respectively. It will also cause a change in the national calendar, as there are weeks for cup. The Super Cup where the Athletic It is set between January 8 and 12 in Arabia.

3. PARTICIPANT TEAMS

There are many ‘roosters’ among the emerging rivals

Which teams will you face? This is the most interesting question. Both from a sporting point of view, thinking about going as far as possible to the tournament, and to plan an attractive trip. Six years without packing your bags for the old continent is too much for a fan who moves almost like zurigorri.

The answers become clearer as the days go by, as these are the end dates of national leagues and cups. So far there are nine clubs confirmed in the league stage of the Europa League: Tottenham, Athletic, Real Sociedad, Eintracht, Roma, Nice, Lyon, AZ and Porto. Others are like him Ajax or the Panties They will enter the second qualifying round and must go through three eliminatory rounds.

The second member of the Premier is Manchester United if he wins FA Cup and, if he loses it, it will be Chelsea. The champion of Meeting, Fiorentina o Olympiacos, there will also be a gap. Certainly the resolution of the current continental finals will clarify the panorama with respect to Bundesliga But the A series.

4. SAN MAMÉS: MAY 21, 2025

The illusion of playing the final at home

Between laughter, classic Bilbao swagger and absolute conviction. Some Zurigorris fans prefer that the Athletic argue the European League in Champions for the incentive and illusion where the final will be held San Mames on May 21, 2025.

Also because they believe that the level of competition better fits the current reality of the red and white entity. They see it as more affordable because the clubs don’t fall out of Champions. There are more options to advance to the final rounds, although less money will also reach the coffers of friend.

Bilbao will host a European club final for the first time. At least in a neutral way. In 76-77 it was played on San Mames the return of the final UEFA in between Athletic and the Juventus, but at that time it was two games. As a preview, the residence of Athletic will host this Saturday the final of Women’s Champions League in between Barça and the Lyon. And you can get an idea by looking at that Atalanta and Leverkusen fight for European League Tonight at Dublin.

5. FINANCE PRICES

26 million, at least, for the champion

The formats in UEFA They lasted three years. The current one will remain like this, at least until 2027. It also implies a new distribution of the economy in its competitions. About European Leagueits participants will share a total of 565 million euros.

27.5% of that amount will be shared equally between all clubs. 35% depends on the market value, which is linked to the audiovisual rights. The remaining 37.5% is related to sports performance in the competition itself.

Each of the 36 teams that will participate in the league stage will take 4.3 million in their coffers. For a victory they will get 450,000 euros and 150,000 for a draw. There is a fixed value for the final classification. From 75,000 euros for the latter up to a maximum of 2.7 ‘kilo’. The first eight will get an additional prize of 600,000 euros. Going into the second round is 1.75 million; in quarters they are 2.5; in the semifinals they were 4.2; finalists will take home 7 million; and the champion, another 6. Who will lift the title Bilbao It is insured, at least, close to 26 million euros. The ‘market pool’ does not count.