Europa League group stage: meet the teams

Five past UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League winners are among the 32 teams looking to make it all the way to the final in Seville in this season's competition.

UEFA.com profiles all the contenders.

Braga

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 43
How they qualified: directly, fourth in Portugal
Last season: round of 32 (L 5-1agg vs Roma)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: Runners-up (2010/11)

Brøndby

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 163
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 4-2agg vs Salzburg)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (1990/91)

Celtic

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 46
How they qualified: play-offs (W 3-2agg vs AZ Alkmaar)
Last season: group stage (fourth place)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: runners-up (2002/03)

Crvena zvezda

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 50
How they qualified: play-offs (W 6-1agg vs CFR Cluj)
Last season: round of 32 (L on away goals vs AC Milan)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: runners-up (1978/79)

Dinamo Zagreb

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 33
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 3-0agg vs Sheriff)
Last season: quarter-finals (L 3-1agg vs Villarreal)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (2020/21)

Eintracht Frankfurt

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 49
How they qualified: directly, fifth in Germany
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: winners (1979/80)

Fenerbahçe

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 86
How they qualified: play-offs (W 6-2agg vs HJK Helsinki)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (2012/13)

Ferencváros

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 114
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 6-4agg vs Young Boys)
Last season: UEFA Champions League group stage (fourth in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (1971/72)

Galatasaray

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 96
How they qualified: play-offs (W 3-2agg vs Randers)
Last season: play-offs (L 2-1 vs Rangers)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: winners (1999/2000)

Genk

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 55
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (L 4-2agg vs Shakhtar)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (2016/17)

Lazio

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 34
How they qualified: directly, fifth in Serie A
Last season: UEFA Champions League round of 16 (L 6-2agg vs Bayern München)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: runners-up (1997/98)

Legia Warszawa

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 98
How they qualified: play-offs (W 4-3agg vs Slavia Praha)
Last season: play-offs (L 3-0 vs Qarabağ)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (1985/86)

Leicester City

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 51
How they qualified: directly, fifth in England
Last season: round of 32 (L 2-0agg vs Slavia Praha)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 32 (2020/21)

Leverkusen 

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 25
How they qualified: directly, sixth in Germany
Last season: round of 32 (L 6-3agg vs Young Boys)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: winners (1997/98)

Lokomotiv Moskva

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 54
How they qualified: directly, third in Russia
Last season: UEFA Champions League group stage (fourth in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (2017/18)

Ludogorets

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 58
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 3-2agg vs Malmö)
Last season: group stage (fourth in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (2013/14)

Lyon

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 19
How they qualified: directly, fourth in France
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (2016/17)

Marseille

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 57
How they qualified: directly, fifth in France
Last season: UEFA Champions League group stage (fourth in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: runners-up (1997/98, 2003/04, 2017/18)

Midtjylland

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 113
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (L 4-0agg vs PSV Eindhoven)
Last season: UEFA Champions League group stage (fourth in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 32 (2015/16)

Monaco

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 40
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 3-2agg vs Shakhtar Donetsk)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (1996/97)

Napoli

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 20
How they qualified: directly, fifth in Serie A
Last season: round of 32 (L 3-2agg vs Granada)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: winners (1998/99)

Olympiacos

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 37
How they qualified: play-offs (W 5-2agg vs Slovan Bratislava)
Last season: round of 16 (L 3-2agg vs Arsenal)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (1989/90, 2004/05, 2011/12, 2016/17, 2019/20, 2020/21)

PSV Eindhoven

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 56
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League play-offs (L 2-1agg vs Benfica)
Last season: round of 32 (L 5-4agg vs Olympiacos)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: winners (1977/78)

Rangers

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 52
How they qualified: play-offs (W 1-0agg vs Alashkert)
Last season: round of 16 (L 3-1agg vs Slavia Praha)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: runners-up (2007/08)

Rapid Wien

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 95
How they qualified: play-offs (W 6-2agg vs Zorya Luhansk)
Last season: group stage (third place)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (1971/72, 1981/82, 1989/90, 1997/98)

Real Betis 

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 82
How they qualified: directly, sixth in Spain
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: round of 16 (1998/99, 2005/06, 2013/14)

Real Sociedad

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 79
How they qualified: directly, fifth in Spain
Last season: round of 32 (L 4-0agg vs Man. United)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (1988/89)

Royal Antwerp

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 125
How they qualified: play-offs (W on penalties vs Omonoia)
Last season: round of 32 (L 9-5agg vs Rangers)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (1989/90)

Spartak Moskva

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 89
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (L 4-0agg vs Benfica)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: semi-finals (1997/98)

Sparta Praha

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 92
How they qualified: UEFA Champions League third qualifying round (L 5-1agg vs Monaco)
Last season: group stage (third in section)
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (1983/84, 2015/16)

Sturm Graz

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 159
How they qualified: play-offs (W 5-1agg vs Mura)
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: quarter-finals (1983/84)

West Ham

UEFA coefficient ranking (end of 2020/21): 76
How they qualified: directly, sixth in England
Last season: did not feature in UEFA club competition
Best UEFA Cup/Europa League performance: second round (1999/2000), group stage (2021/22)