2015–16 UEFA Europa League

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2015–16 UEFA Europa League
The St. Jakob-Park in Basel hosted the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
30 June – 27 August 2015
Competition proper:
17 September 2015 – 18 May 2016
TeamsCompetition proper: 48+8
Total: 158+33 (from 54 associations)
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Sevilla (5th title)
Runners-upEngland Liverpool
Tournament statistics
Matches played205
Goals scored536 (2.61 per match)
Attendance4,487,160 (21,889 per match)
Top scorer(s)Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao)
10 goals

The 2015–16 UEFA Europa League was the 45th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the seventh season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

The

2016 UEFA Europa League Final was played between Liverpool and Sevilla at the St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland,[1] and won by Sevilla, their fifth title (extending their own record) and third win in a row (also a tournament record).[2]

Real Madrid, in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup.[4]

Format changes

The UEFA Executive Committee held in May and September 2013 approved the following changes to the UEFA Europa League starting from the 2015–16 season (for the three-year cycle until the 2017–18 season):[5]

  • The title holders of the UEFA Europa League will qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and therefore no Europa League berth will be reserved for them (although it is still possible for them to defend their title if they drop down to the Europa League after Champions League elimination).
  • All associations will have a maximum of three teams entering the Europa League (excluding those transferred from the Champions League); previously associations 7–9 each had four entrants (the only exception is when both the Champions League title holders and the Europa League title holders are from the same top three ranked association and do not qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League through domestic competitions, and the fourth-placed team of their association enter the Europa League instead of the Champions League because a maximum of five teams from one association can enter the Champions League, meaning in this case, four teams from their association enter the Europa League).
  • The number of teams directly qualifying for the group stage will be increased to 16 teams (from the top 12 associations); previously six teams (from the top six associations) directly qualified for the group stage.
  • Should the domestic cup winners qualify for the Champions League, the cup runners-up will no longer be granted a spot in the Europa League, and the spot will be given to the highest-placed team in the league which have not yet qualified for European competitions.[6]

Association team allocation

A total of 191 teams from all 54 UEFA member associations participated in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:[7]

  • Associations 1–51 (except Liechtenstein) each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 52–53 each have two teams qualify.
  • Liechtenstein and Gibraltar each have one team qualify (Liechtenstein organises only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Gibraltar as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee).[6]
  • The top three associations of the 2014–15 UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking each gain an additional berth (the 2015–16 season will be the last where Fair Play berths are allocated to the Europa League).[8]
  • Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League.

Association ranking

For the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2014 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2009–10 to 2013–14.[9][10]

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

  • (FP) – Additional berth via Fair Play ranking (Netherlands, England, Republic of Ireland)[11]
  • (CL) – Additional teams transferred from Champions League
  • (EL) – Vacated berth due to Europa League title holders playing in Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1 Spain Spain 97.713 3 −1(EL)
+2(CL)
2 England England 84.748 +1(FP)
+1(CL)
3 Germany Germany 81.641 +1(CL)
4 Italy Italy 66.938 +1(CL)
5 Portugal Portugal 62.299 +2(CL)
6 France France 56.500 +1(CL)
7 Russia Russia 46.998
8 Netherlands Netherlands 44.312 +1(FP)
+1(CL)
9
Ukraine
 40.966 +1(CL)
10 Belgium Belgium 36.300 +1(CL)
11 Turkey Turkey 34.200 +2(CL)
12 Greece Greece 33.600 +2(CL)
13 Switzerland Switzerland 33.225 +2(CL)
14 Austria Austria 30.925 +2(CL)
15 Czech Republic Czech Republic 29.350 +2(CL)
16 Romania Romania 27.257 +1(CL)
17 Israel Israel 26.875
18 Cyprus Cyprus 23.250 +1(CL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
19 Denmark Denmark 21.300 3 +1(CL)
20 Croatia Croatia 19.625
21 Poland Poland 18.875 +1(CL)
22 Belarus Belarus 18.625
23 Scotland Scotland 16.566 +1(CL)
24 Sweden Sweden 16.325
25 Bulgaria Bulgaria 15.625
26
Norway
 14.275 +1(CL)
27 Serbia Serbia 14.125 +1(CL)
28 Hungary Hungary 11.625 +1(CL)
29 Slovenia Slovenia 11.000
30 Slovakia Slovakia 11.000
31 Moldova Moldova 10.375 +1(CL)
32 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 10.375 +1(CL)
33 Georgia (country) Georgia 9.875
34
Kazakhstan
 8.250
35 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.500
36 Finland Finland 7.175 +1(CL)
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
37 Iceland Iceland 6.750 3
38 Latvia Latvia 6.250
39 Montenegro Montenegro 6.000
40
Albania
 5.500 +1(CL)
41 Lithuania Lithuania 5.250
42 North Macedonia Macedonia 5.250
43 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 5.125 +1(FP)
44 Luxembourg Luxembourg 4.875
45 Malta Malta 4.833
46 Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 4.500 1
47 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3.625 3
48 Wales Wales 3.000
49 Armenia Armenia 2.875
50 Estonia Estonia 2.875
51 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 2.125
52 San Marino San Marino 0.999 2
53 Andorra Andorra 0.833
54 Gibraltar Gibraltar 0.000 1

Distribution

In the default access list, Sevilla enter the group stage (as the fifth-placed team of the 2014–15 La Liga).[12][13] However, since they qualified for the Champions League as the Europa League title holders, the spot which they qualified for in the Europa League group stage is vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system are made:[14][15]

  • The domestic cup winners of association 13 (Switzerland) are promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage.
  • 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 24 (Sweden) and 25 (Bulgaria) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round Teams transferred from Champions League
First qualifying round
(102 teams)
  • 29 domestic cup winners from associations 26–54
  • 35 domestic league runners-up from associations 18–53 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 35 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–51 (except Liechtenstein)
  • 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play ranking
Second qualifying round
(66 teams)
  • 7 domestic cup winners from associations 19–25
  • 2 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–17
  • 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15
  • 51 winners from first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(58 teams)
  • 5 domestic cup winners from associations 14–18
  • 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)
  • 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)
  • 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)
  • 13 domestic cup winners from associations 1–13
  • 1 domestic league fourth-placed team from association 4
  • 2 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (except Europa League title holders)
  • 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):[7]

  • 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" (the 2015–16 season will be the first with this particular arrangement where the domestic cup runners-up are no longer guaranteed a place in the Europa League in this scenario).
  • 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.
  • A Fair Play place is taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table 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:[16][17]

  • TH: Title holders
  • CW: Cup winners
  • 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
  • LC: League Cup winners
  • PW: End-of-season Europa League play-off winners
  • FP: Fair Play
  • 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
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (CL GS) Turkey Galatasaray (CL GS) Germany Bayer Leverkusen (CL GS) Portugal Porto (CL GS)
England Manchester United (CL GS) Spain SevillaTH (CL GS) Greece Olympiacos (CL GS) Spain Valencia (CL GS)
Group stage
Spain Villarreal (6th) Portugal Braga (4th)
3rd
)
Lazio (CL PO
)
England Tottenham Hotspur (5th) France Marseille (4th) Switzerland Sion (CW) Belgium Club Brugge (CL PO)
England Liverpool (6th) Russia Lokomotiv Moscow (CW) Cyprus APOEL (CL PO)
Sporting CP (CL PO
)
Germany Augsburg (5th) Netherlands Groningen (CW) Albania Skënderbeu (CL PO) Austria Rapid Wien (CL PO)
Germany Schalke 04 (6th)
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (3rd
) 		Scotland Celtic (CL PO) France Monaco (CL PO)
Italy Fiorentina (4th) Belgium Anderlecht (3rd) Switzerland Basel (CL PO)
Napoli (5th
) 		Turkey Beşiktaş (3rd) Serbia Partizan (CL PO)
Play-off round
Poland Lech Poznań (CL Q3) Romania Steaua București (CL Q3)
Videoton (CL Q3
) 		Czech Republic Sparta Prague (CL Q3)
Moldova Milsami Orhei (CL Q3) Denmark Midtjylland (CL Q3) Austria Red Bull Salzburg (CL Q3) Netherlands Ajax (CL Q3)
Finland HJK (CL Q3) Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň (CL Q3) Greece Panathinaikos (CL Q3) Turkey Fenerbahçe (CL Q3)
Azerbaijan Qarabağ (CL Q3) Norway Molde (CL Q3) Switzerland Young Boys (CL Q3)
Third qualifying round
Spain Athletic Bilbao (7th) France Bordeaux (6th) Belgium Standard Liège (4th)
Jablonec (3rd
)
England Southampton (7th) Russia Krasnodar (3rd) Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir (4th) Romania Târgu Mureș (2nd)
Germany Borussia Dortmund (7th) Russia Rubin Kazan (5th)[Note RUS]
4th
) 		Israel Ironi Kiryat Shmona (2nd)
Sampdoria (7th)[Note ITA]
 Netherlands AZ (3rd) Switzerland Zürich (3rd)
AEK Larnaca (2nd
)
Portugal Vitória de Guimarães (5th)
Vitesse (PW
) 		Austria Rheindorf Altach (3rd)
Portugal Belenenses (6th) Ukraine Zorya Luhansk (4th) Austria Sturm Graz (4th)
France Saint-Étienne (5th) Ukraine Vorskla Poltava (5th) Czech Republic Slovan Liberec (CW)
Second qualifying round
Charleroi (PW
) 		Austria Wolfsberger AC (5th) Denmark Copenhagen (CW) Scotland Inverness CT (CW)
Turkey Trabzonspor (5th) Czech Republic Mladá Boleslav (4th) Croatia Rijeka (2nd) Sweden IFK Göteborg (CW)
5th
) 		Romania Astra Giurgiu (4th)[Note ROU] Poland Legia Warsaw (CW) Bulgaria Cherno More Varna (CW)
Switzerland Thun (4th) Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva (3rd) Belarus Dinamo Minsk (2nd)
First qualifying round
Romania Botoșani (8th)[Note ROU] Hungary Debrecen (4th) Iceland FH (2nd) Liechtenstein Vaduz (CW)
Israel Beitar Jerusalem (4th) Slovenia Koper (CW) Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík (4th) Northern Ireland Glentoran (CW)
Apollon Limassol (3rd
) 		Slovenia Celje (2nd)
Jelgava (CW
) 		Northern Ireland Linfield (2nd)
Cyprus Omonia (4th) Slovenia Domžale (3rd) Latvia Skonto (2nd) Northern Ireland Glenavon (3rd)
Denmark Brøndby (3rd) Slovakia Žilina (2nd) Latvia Spartaks Jūrmala (6th)[Note LVA] Wales Bala Town (2nd)
Denmark Randers (4th) Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (3rd)
Mladost Podgorica (CW
) 		Wales Airbus UK Broughton (3rd)
Croatia Hajduk Split (3rd) Slovakia Spartak Trnava (4th) Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić (2nd) Wales Newtown (PW)
Lokomotiva (4th
) 		Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (CW) Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (3rd) Armenia Ulisses (2nd)
Poland Jagiellonia Białystok (3rd) Moldova Dacia Chișinău (2nd) Albania Laçi (CW)
Shirak (3rd
)
Poland Śląsk Wrocław (4th)
Saxan (5th)[Note MDA]
2nd
)
Alashkert (4th
)
Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk (3rd)
Inter Baku (2nd
)
3rd
) 		Estonia Nõmme Kalju (CW)
Belarus Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino (4th)
Gabala (3rd
) 		Lithuania Kruoja Pakruojis (2nd) Estonia Sillamäe Kalev (2nd)
Scotland Aberdeen (2nd)
Neftchi Baku (4th
) 		Lithuania Atlantas (3rd) Estonia Flora Tallinn (3rd)
Scotland St Johnstone (4th) Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi (CW)
Trakai (4th
) 		Faroe Islands Víkingur Gøta (CW)
Sweden AIK (3rd) Georgia (country) Dinamo Batumi (2nd) North Macedonia Rabotnički (CW) Faroe Islands HB (2nd)
Sweden Elfsborg (4th) Georgia (country) Tskhinvali (4th) North Macedonia Shkëndija (3rd) Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík (4th)
Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora (2nd) Kazakhstan Kairat (CW) North Macedonia Renova (4th)
Juvenes/Dogana (2nd
)
Bulgaria Litex Lovech (4th)[Note BUL] Kazakhstan Aktobe (2nd) Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic (CW)
La Fiorita (3rd
)
Norway Rosenborg (2nd) Kazakhstan Ordabasy (4th)
2nd
) 		Andorra Sant Julià (CW)
Norway Odd (3rd)
Olimpic (CW
)
4th
) 		Andorra Lusitanos (2nd)
Norway Strømsgodset (4th) Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar (2nd) Luxembourg Differdange 03 (CW)
Europa (2nd
)
Serbia Čukarički (CW) Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar (3rd) Luxembourg F91 Dudelange (3rd) Netherlands Go Ahead Eagles (FP)[18]
Serbia Red Star Belgrade (2nd) Finland SJK (2nd) Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn (4th) England West Ham United (FP)[19]
Serbia Vojvodina (4th) Finland Lahti (3rd) Malta Birkirkara (CW) Republic of Ireland UCD (FP)[20][21]
Hungary Ferencváros (CW) Finland VPS (4th) Malta Valletta (2nd)
Hungary MTK Budapest (3rd) Iceland KR (CW) Malta Balzan (4th)

Notably two teams took part in the competition that were not playing in their national top-division. They were

2nd tier
).

Notes
  1. Lokomotiv Sofia, the third-placed team of the 2014–15 A Group, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence. As a result, the berth was given to Litex Lovech, the fourth-placed team of the league.[22][23] An appeal was denied on 1 June 2015.[24]
  • Sampdoria, the seventh-placed team of the league. Genoa withdrew their appeal on 3 June 2015.[25]
  • ^
    Latvia (LVA): Liepāja, the fourth-placed team of the 2014 Latvian Higher League, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence as they were affiliated with the Latvian Football Federation for less than three years after reforming from the dissolved Liepājas Metalurgs. As a result, the berth was given to Spartaks Jūrmala, the sixth-placed team of the league, as Daugava Daugavpils, the fifth-placed team, also failed to obtain a UEFA licence.[26]
  • Saxan, the fifth-placed team of the league.[28]
  • ^
    Romania (ROU): CFR Cluj, the third-placed team of the 2014–15 Liga I, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but were banned by UEFA after failing to settle overdue payables.[29] As a result, Astra Giurgiu, the fourth-placed team of the league, entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, while the first qualifying round berth was given to Botoșani, the eighth-placed team of the league, as Petrolul Ploiești, Universitatea Craiova and Dinamo București, the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-placed teams of the league respectively, all failed to obtain UEFA licences.[30][31]
  • ^
    Russia (RUS): Dynamo Moscow, the fourth-placed team of the 2014–15 Russian Premier League, would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round, but they were referred to the UEFA's Club Financial Control Body adjudicatory chamber on 24 April 2015 for violating the Financial Fair Play break-even requirements after the club was not able to reach the settlement with UEFA.[32] The meeting regarding the sanctions for the violation was held on 16 June 2015,[33] and on 19 June 2015, it was announced that Dynamo Moscow were excluded from the UEFA Europa League for the 2015–16 season.[34] As a result, the berth was given to Rubin Kazan, the fifth-placed team of the league.

    • Round and draw dates

    The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[12][35][36]

    Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
    Qualifying First qualifying round 22 June 2015 2 July 2015 9 July 2015
    Second qualifying round 16 July 2015 23 July 2015
    Third qualifying round 17 July 2015 30 July 2015 6 August 2015
    Play-off Play-off round 7 August 2015 20 August 2015 27 August 2015
    Group stage Matchday 1 28 August 2015
    (Monaco)     		17 September 2015
    Matchday 2 1 October 2015
    Matchday 3 22 October 2015
    Matchday 4 5 November 2015
    Matchday 5 26 November 2015
    Matchday 6 10 December 2015
    Knockout phase Round of 32 14 December 2015 18 February 2016 25 February 2016
    Round of 16 26 February 2016 10 March 2016 17 March 2016
    Quarter-finals 18 March 2016 7 April 2016 14 April 2016
    Semi-finals 15 April 2016 28 April 2016 5 May 2016
    Final 18 May 2016 at St. Jakob-Park, Basel

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

    Qualifying rounds

    Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase

    In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams are divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2015 UEFA club coefficients,[37][38][39] and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

    First qualifying round

    The draw for the first and second qualifying round was held on 22 June 2015.[40][41][42] With 102 teams involved, it was UEFA's biggest ever tournament draw. The first legs were played on 30 June and 2 July, and the second legs were played on 7 and 9 July 2015.

    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score     		Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Víkingur Reykjavík Iceland 2–3 Slovenia Koper 0–1 2–2
    Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 0–3 Norway Odd 0–3 0–0
    Kukësi Albania 2–0 Belarus Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino 2–0 0–0
    Alashkert Armenia
    		 2–2 (a) Scotland St Johnstone 1–0 1–2
    Jelgava Latvia
    		 3–3 (a) Bulgaria Litex Lovech 1–1 2–2
    Newtown Wales 4–2 Malta Valletta 2–1 2–1
    Dinamo Tbilisi Georgia (country) 2–3
    Gabala
    		 2–1 0–2
    Renova North Macedonia
    		 1–5 Moldova Dacia Chișinău 0–1 1–4
    Olimpic Bosnia and Herzegovina
    		 1–1 (a) Slovakia Spartak Trnava 1–1 0–0
    West Ham United England 4–0[A] Andorra Lusitanos 3–0 1–0
    Glenavon Northern Ireland 1–5 Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–2 0–3
    Differdange 03 Luxembourg 4–3 Wales Bala Town 3–1 1–2
    Shkëndija North Macedonia
    		 1–1 (a) Scotland Aberdeen 1–1 0–0
    Víkingur Gøta Faroe Islands 0–2 Norway Rosenborg 0–2 0–0
    SJK Finland 0–2 Iceland FH 0–1 0–1
    Linfield Northern Ireland 5–4[A] Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík 2–0 3–4
    Brøndby Denmark 11–0
    Juvenes/Dogana
    		 9–0 2–0
    MTK Budapest Hungary 1–3 Serbia Vojvodina 0–0 1–3
    Skonto Latvia 4–1 Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic 2–1 2–0
    Lahti Finland 2–7 Sweden Elfsborg 2–2 0–5
    Atlantas Lithuania 1–5 Bulgaria Beroe Stara Zagora 0–2 1–3
    Debrecen Hungary 3–2 Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 3–0 0–2
    Ordabasy Kazakhstan 1–2 Israel Beitar Jerusalem 0–0 1–2
    Balzan Malta 0–3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 0–2 0–1
    Sillamäe Kalev Estonia 3–7 Croatia Hajduk Split 1–1 2–6
    Budućnost Podgorica Montenegro 1–3[A] Latvia Spartaks Jūrmala 1–3 0–0
    Red Star Belgrade Serbia 1–4 Kazakhstan Kairat 0–2 1–2
    Flora Tallinn Estonia 1–2 North Macedonia Rabotnički 1–0 0–2
    Sant Julià Andorra 0–4 Denmark Randers 0–1 0–3
    Saxan Moldova
    		 0–4
    Apollon Limassol
    		 0–2 0–2
    Progrès Niederkorn Luxembourg 0–3 Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 0–0 0–3
    Aktobe Kazakhstan 0–1 Estonia Nõmme Kalju 0–1 0–0
    Dinamo Batumi Georgia (country) 1–2 Cyprus Omonia 1–0 0–2
    Kruoja Pakruojis Lithuania 0–9 Poland Jagiellonia Białystok 0–1 0–8
    Shirak Armenia
    		 3–2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar 2–0 1–2
    Cork City Republic of Ireland 2–3 Iceland KR 1–1
    a.e.t.
    )
    Go Ahead Eagles Netherlands 2–5 Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 1–4
    Trakai Lithuania
    		 7–1 Faroe Islands HB 3–0 4–1
    Laçi Albania 1–1 (a)
    Inter Baku
    		 1–1 0–0
    VPS Finland 2–6 Sweden AIK 2–2 0–4
    UCD Republic of Ireland 2–2 (a) Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 1–0 1–2
    Domžale Slovenia 0–1 Serbia Čukarički 0–1 0–0
    Glentoran Northern Ireland 1–7 Slovakia Žilina 1–4 0–3
    Strømsgodset Norway 4–1[A] Albania Partizani 3–1 1–0
    Neftchi Baku Azerbaijan
    		 3–3 (a)[A]
    Mladost Podgorica
    		 2–2 1–1
    Celje Slovenia 1–4 Poland Śląsk Wrocław 0–1 1–3
    La Fiorita San Marino
    		 1–10 Liechtenstein Vaduz 0–5 1–5
    Birkirkara Malta 3–1 Armenia Ulisses 0–0 3–1
    Airbus UK Broughton Wales 3–5
    Lokomotiva
    		 1–3 2–2
    Botoșani Romania 4–2 Georgia (country) Tskhinvali 1–1 3–1
    Europa Gibraltar 0–9 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 0–6 0–3
    Notes
    1. ^ a b c d e
      Order of legs reversed after original draw.

    Second qualifying round

    The first legs were played on 16 July, and the second legs were played on 21 and 23 July 2015.

    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score     		Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Kukësi Albania 4–3
    Mladost Podgorica
    		 0–1 4–2
    Lokomotiva Croatia
    		 2–7 Greece PAOK 2–1 0–6
    Slovan Bratislava Slovakia 6–1 Republic of Ireland UCD 1–0 5–1
    Ferencváros Hungary 0–3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 0–1 0–2
    Vaduz Liechtenstein 5–1 Estonia Nõmme Kalju 3–1 2–0
    Beroe Stara Zagora Bulgaria 0–1 Denmark Brøndby 0–1 0–0
    KR Iceland 0–4 Norway Rosenborg 0–1 0–3
    AIK Sweden 4–0
    Shirak
    		 2–0 2–0
    Legia Warsaw Poland 4–0 Romania Botoșani 1–0 3–0
    Dacia Chișinău Moldova 3–6 Slovakia Žilina 1–2 2–4
    Shamrock Rovers Republic of Ireland 1–4 Norway Odd 0–2 1–2
    Hapoel Be'er Sheva Israel 2–3 Switzerland Thun 1–1 1–2
    Kairat Kazakhstan 4–2
    Alashkert
    		 3–0 1–2
    Vojvodina Serbia 4–1 Latvia Spartaks Jūrmala 3–0 1–1
    Jagiellonia Białystok Poland 0–1 Cyprus Omonia 0–0 0–1
    Jelgava Latvia
    		 1–2 North Macedonia Rabotnički 1–0 0–2
    Čukarički Serbia 1–2
    Gabala
    		 1–0 0–2
    Shakhtyor Soligorsk Belarus 0–3 Austria Wolfsberger AC 0–1 0–2
    Trabzonspor Turkey 3–1 Luxembourg Differdange 03 1–0 2–1
    Charleroi Belgium
    		 9–2 Israel Beitar Jerusalem 5–1 4–1
    Randers Denmark 0–1 Sweden Elfsborg 0–0
    a.e.t.
    )
    Mladá Boleslav Czech Republic 2–2 (a) Norway Strømsgodset 1–2 1–0
    Cherno More Varna Bulgaria 1–5 Belarus Dinamo Minsk 1–1 0–4
    Rijeka Croatia 2–5 Scotland Aberdeen 0–3 2–2
    West Ham United England 1–1 (5–3 p) Malta Birkirkara 1–0
    a.e.t.
    )
    Apollon Limassol Cyprus
    		 4–0
    Trakai
    		 4–0 0–0
    Koper Slovenia 4–6 Croatia Hajduk Split 3–2 1–4
    FH Iceland 3–4
    Inter Baku
    		 1–2
    a.e.t.
    )
    Inverness CT Scotland 0–1 Romania Astra Giurgiu 0–1 0–0
    Spartak Trnava Slovakia 5–2 Northern Ireland Linfield 2–1 3–1
    Copenhagen Denmark 5–1 Wales Newtown 2–0 3–1
    Śląsk Wrocław Poland 0–2 Sweden IFK Göteborg 0–0 0–2
    Skonto Latvia 4–11 Hungary Debrecen 2–2 2–9

    Third qualifying round

    The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 17 July 2015.[43][44] The first legs were played on 29 and 30 July, and the second legs were played on 6 August 2015.

    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score     		Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Zürich Switzerland 1–2 Belarus Dinamo Minsk 0–1
    a.e.t.
    )
    Kairat Kazakhstan 3–2 Scotland Aberdeen 2–1 1–1
    Žilina Slovakia 3–3 (a) Ukraine Vorskla Poltava 2–0
    a.e.t.
    )
    AZ Netherlands 4–1 Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir 2–0 2–1
    Bordeaux France 4–0
    AEK Larnaca
    		 3–0 1–0
    PAOK Greece 2–1 Slovakia Spartak Trnava 1–0 1–1
    Târgu Mureș Romania 2–4 France Saint-Étienne 0–3 2–1
    Debrecen Hungary 3–6 Norway Rosenborg 2–3 1–3
    Jablonec Czech Republic
    		 3–3 (a) Denmark Copenhagen 0–1 3–2
    Thun Switzerland 2–2 (a) Liechtenstein Vaduz 0–0 2–2
    Belenenses Portugal 2–1 Sweden IFK Göteborg 2–1 0–0
    Sampdoria Italy
    		 2–4 Serbia Vojvodina 0–4 2–0
    Kukësi Albania 0–4 Poland Legia Warsaw 0–3[note 1] 0–1
    Charleroi Belgium
    		 0–5 Ukraine Zorya Luhansk 0–2 0–3
    Sturm Graz Austria 3–4 Russia Rubin Kazan 2–3 1–1
    Elfsborg Sweden 2–3 Norway Odd 2–1 0–2
    Southampton England 5–0
    Vitesse
    		 3–0 2–0
    Slovan Liberec Czech Republic 5–1 Israel Ironi Kiryat Shmona 2–1 3–0
    Apollon Limassol Cyprus
    		 1–2[B]
    Gabala
    		 1–1 0–1
    Wolfsberger AC Austria 0–6 Germany Borussia Dortmund 0–1 0–5
    AIK Sweden 1–4 Greece Atromitos 1–3 0–1
    Standard Liège Belgium 3–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Željezničar 2–1 1–0
    West Ham United England 3–4 Romania Astra Giurgiu 2–2 1–2
    Athletic Bilbao Spain 2–0
    Inter Baku
    		 2–0 0–0
    Rabotnički North Macedonia 2–1 Turkey Trabzonspor 1–0
    a.e.t.
    )
    Brøndby Denmark 2–2 (a) Cyprus Omonia 0–0 2–2
    Rheindorf Altach Austria 6–2 Portugal Vitória de Guimarães 2–1 4–1
    Hajduk Split Croatia 4–0 Norway Strømsgodset 2–0 2–0
    Krasnodar Russia 5–3 Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 2–0 3–3
    Notes
    1. ^
      Order of legs reversed after original draw.

    Play-off round

    Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League play-off round

    The draw for the play-off round was held on 7 August 2015.[47][48] The first legs were played on 20 August, and the second legs were played on 27 August 2015.

    Team 1
    Agg.
    Tooltip Aggregate score     		Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
    Rheindorf Altach Austria 0–1 Portugal Belenenses 0–1 0–0
    Žilina Slovakia 3–3 (a) Spain Athletic Bilbao 3–2 0–1
    Steaua București Romania 1–3 Norway Rosenborg 0–3 1–0
    Zorya Luhansk Ukraine 2–4 Poland Legia Warsaw 0–1 2–3
    Viktoria Plzeň Czech Republic 5–0 Serbia Vojvodina 3–0 2–0
    Milsami Orhei Moldova 1–2 France Saint-Étienne 1–1 0–1
    Ajax Netherlands 1–0[D]
    Jablonec
    		 1–0 0–0
    Young Boys Switzerland 0–4 Azerbaijan Qarabağ 0–1 0–3
    Molde Norway 3–3 (a) Belgium Standard Liège 2–0 1–3
    PAOK Greece 6–1 Denmark Brøndby 5–0 1–1
    Bordeaux France 2–2 (a) Kazakhstan Kairat 1–0 1–2
    Lech Poznań Poland 4–0
    Videoton
    		 3–0 1–0
    Dinamo Minsk Belarus 2–2 (3–2 p) Austria Red Bull Salzburg 2–0
    a.e.t.
    )
    Rabotnički North Macedonia 1–2 Russia Rubin Kazan 1–1 0–1
    Slovan Liberec Czech Republic 2–0 Croatia Hajduk Split 1–0 1–0
    Atromitos Greece 0–4 Turkey Fenerbahçe 0–1 0–3
    Gabala Azerbaijan
    		 2–2 (a)[D] Greece Panathinaikos 0–0 2–2
    Southampton England 1–2 Denmark Midtjylland 1–1 0–1
    Astra Giurgiu Romania 3–4 Netherlands AZ 3–2 0–2
    Odd Norway 5–11 Germany Borussia Dortmund 3–4 2–7
    Krasnodar Russia 5–1 Finland HJK 5–1 0–0
    Sparta Prague Czech Republic 6–4[D] Switzerland Thun 3–1 3–3
    Notes
    1. ^ a b c
      Order of legs reversed after original draw.

    Group stage

    Main article: 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage
    Sporting CP

    Istanbul teams
    Beşiktaş
    Fenerbahçe
    class=notpageimage|
    Location of teams of the 2015–16 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.