Rule changes for this season's Europa League
Monday, August 3, 2020
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Can teams register new players? What are the new rules around substitutes? How has the format been amended?
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The remainder of the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League season has been mapped out, and it is not just dates and venues that have changed.
UEFA.com runs through the key amendments.
How has the format changed?
Semi-finals, quarter-finals and the two round of 16 ties that have not yet started (Inter vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma) will now take place as single-leg ties.
Where will matches take place?
From the quarter-finals, all matches take place at four stadiums in Germany:
Stadion Köln in Cologne
MSV Arena in Duisburg
Dusseldorf Arena in Düsseldorf
Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen
The round of 16 ties where the first legs were postponed (Inter vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma) will be played as single matches at German venues. Round of 16 second legs will be held either at the club’s home ground.
The final will be staged at Cologne’s Stadion Köln.
Can clubs register new players?
Yes, teams can register a maximum of three new ‘List A’ players. But there are a couple of caveats:
- Each squad is still limited to 25 List A players (players can be removed to make room);
- Players must have been already registered and eligible to play for the club at domestic level since 3 February or in any case by no later than before the first leg of the round of 16 as initially scheduled for the relevant team.
Will there be more substitutes?
Teams will be able to make five substitutions but, to limit the number of stoppages, they will only be allowed to make these changes at three points in the game. These three occasions do not include changes at half-time, between the end of normal playing time and extra time, and at half-time during extra time. One additional substitution will be allowed during extra time.
There will also be more player to choose from: a total of 23 players will be allowed on the match sheet instead of 18, something usually only permitted for the final.
When are the matches?
Round of 16 5/6 August (kick-off 18:55, 21:00 CET)
Quarter-finals 10/11 August (21:00 CET)
Semi-finals 16/17 August (21:00 CET)
Final 21 August (21:00 CET)
