The 2022–23 UEFA Europa League group stage began on 8 September 2022 and ended on 3 November 2022. A total of 32 teams competed in the group stage to decide 16 of the 24 places in the
knockout phase of the
2022–23 UEFA Europa League.
Bodø/Glimt,
Nantes,
Union Berlin and
Union Saint-Gilloise made their debut appearances in the Europa League group stage. Union Saint-Gilloise made their debut appearance in a UEFA competition group stage.
A total of 23 national associations were represented in the group stage.
Draw
The draw for the group stage was held on 26 August 2022 in
Istanbul, Turkey. The 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four. For the draw, the teams were seeded into four pots, each of eight teams, based on their 2022
UEFA club coefficients.[1] Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed pairings of teams from the same association, including those playing in the
Europa Conference League group stage (one pairing for associations with two or three teams, two pairings for associations with four or five teams), based on television audiences, where one team was drawn into Groups A–D and another team was drawn into Groups E–H, so that the two teams would have different kick-off times. The following pairings were announced by UEFA after the group stage teams were confirmed (the second team in a pairing marked by UECL played in the Europa Conference League group stage):[2]
Teams were ranked according to
points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If two or more teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (see Article 16 Equality of points – group stage, Regulations of the UEFA Europa League):[3]
Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
Goal difference in all group matches;
Goals scored in all group matches;
Away goals scored in all group matches;
Wins in all group matches;
Away wins in all group matches;
Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
Due to the abolition of the
away goals rule, head-to-head away goals were no longer applied as a tiebreaker starting from last season. However, total away goals were still applied as a tiebreaker.[4]
Groups
The fixtures were announced on 27 August 2022, the day after the draw.[5] The matches were played on 8 September, 15 September, 6 October, 13 October, 27 October and 3 November 2022. The scheduled kick-off times were 18:45 and 21:00 CET/CEST.
Times are
CET/
CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times, if different, are in parentheses).
^
abcdTied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference is used as the tiebreaker. Between Feyenoord and Midtjylland, overall goals scored is used as the tiebreaker.
^CEST (
UTC+2) for dates up to 29 October 2022 (matchdays 1–5), and
CET (
UTC+1) for date thereafter (matchday 6).
^Zürich played their first home match at Kybunpark, St. Gallen, instead of their regular stadium,
Letzigrund,
Zürich, due to a music concert and athletic event.[6]
^The Arsenal v PSV Eindhoven match, originally scheduled to be played on 15 September 2022, 21:00 (20:00
BST), was rescheduled to 20 October 2022, 19:00 (18:00 BST), due to conditions related to the
death of Elizabeth II.[14]
^
abcDue to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[22] Therefore, Dynamo Kyiv played at Stadion Cracovii im. Józefa Piłsudskiego, Kraków, Poland, instead of their regular stadium
NSC Olimpiyskiy,
Kyiv.
^
abcUnion Saint-Gilloise played their home matches at Den Dreef, Leuven, instead of their regular stadium,
Joseph Marien Stadium,
Brussels, which did not meet UEFA requirements.
Note: Between the 2004–05 and 2008–09 seasons, the competition was still known as the UEFA Cup, but is included as it followed a group stage—knockout phase format.