Spain join Italy at top of all-time rankings

Sevilla FC's UEFA Europa League triumph in Warsaw was the ninth time a Spanish club have claimed the trophy, moving the Iberian country level with Italy's record total of nine tournament wins.

Sides from the Liga have enjoyed an impressive run in the competition, with seven successes in 12 seasons as well as two runners-up finishes. Sevilla now boast four victories, surpassing a mark set by Juventus, FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC, while Valencia CF prevailed in 2004 and Club Atlético de Madrid lifted the trophy in 2010 and 2012.

England was for a long time the dominant force in the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, the tone established in the inaugural final as Tottenham Hotspur FC beat domestic rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers FC. Liverpool took the trophy north the following year before Feyenoord broke the English stranglehold in 1974.

Liverpool then regained the title in 1976 and there were further successes for Ipswich Town FC (1981) and Tottenham (1984) as England won five of the first 13 editions. They have mustered just two more triumphs in the three decades since, Chelsea FC champions in 2013 and Liverpool in 2001.

The 1980s and 90s witnessed an era of Italian supremacy – Serie A producing six out of seven victors, and four runners-up, between 1988/89 and 1994/95 – while the balance of power has shifted towards Spain this century. Liga teams have taken the honours seven times in 12 campaigns, though remarkably in that context, their only previous successes had belonged to Real Madrid CF, back-to-back winners in 1985 and 1986.

Ukraine, whose footballers landed the trophy through FC Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009, has now won one final and lost the other.

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League winners by country (runners-up in brackets)
Italy – 9 (6)
Spain – 9 (5)
England – 7 (5)
Germany – 6 (8)
Netherlands – 4 (2)
Portugal – 2 (5)