2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final
The 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final was the final match of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, the third season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was held at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, Greece, on 29 May 2024,[5][6] between Greek club Olympiacos and Italian club Fiorentina.
 Final's official match programme | |||||||
| Event | 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| After extra time | |||||||
| Date | 29 May 2024 | ||||||
| Venue | Agia Sophia Stadium, Athens | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 26,842[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Cloudy 21 °C (70 °F) 51% humidity[4] | ||||||
Olympiacos won the match 1–0 after extra time for their first UEFA Europa Conference League title, becoming the first Greek club to win a European trophy.[7] As winners, they qualified for the league phase of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League. Meanwhile, Fiorentina lost their second consecutive final, becoming the first team to lose two consecutive finals since Benfica in 2012-13 and 2013-14 UEFA Europa League finals. In extra time, Olympiacos got the winning goal with a header by Ayoub El Kaabi assisted by Santiago Hezze.[8]
Background
editThis was Olympiacos' first European final and only the second to feature a Greek team, the other coming in the 1971 European Cup final which Panathinaikos lost to Ajax. Five weeks prior to this final, Olympiacos' under-19 team had won the 2023–24 UEFA Youth League, the first UEFA competition win for a Greek club at any level. Fiorentina became the first club to play in two UEFA Europa Conference League finals and the first to contest them consecutively.[9] Fiorentina were looking to win their first major trophy since winning the 2000–01 Coppa Italia, and their first European title since winning the 1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Both managers were seeking their first Europa Conference League title, with Olympiacos' José Luis Mendilibar the more experienced in winning a European trophy, having won the previous year's Europa League final with Sevilla. With a win, Mendilibar would become the first manager to win two different major European trophies in consecutive seasons since fellow Spaniard Rafael Benítez won the 2003–04 UEFA Cup with Valencia and the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League with Liverpool.
Previous finals
edit| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
 Olympiacos
|
None |
 Fiorentina
|
1 (2023) |
Venue
editThe Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, known as the OPAP Arena for sponsorship reasons, was home of AEK Athens, one of Olympiacos' local rivals. The stadium opened in September 2022,[10] and had a capacity of 31,100.[11] The match was the eighth single-leg UEFA club final to be played in Greece, having hosted three European Cup/Champions League finals (in 1983, 1994 and 2007), three Cup Winners' Cup finals (in 1971, 1973 and 1987) and the 2023 UEFA Super Cup.
Host selection
editOn 21 June 2022, UEFA opened the bidding process for the final, which was held in parallel with that of the 2025 final. Interested bidders could bid for either one or both of the finals. The proposed venues had to include natural grass and be ranked as a UEFA category four stadium, with a gross capacity of between 30,000 and 50,000 preferred. The bidding timeline was as follows:[5]
- 21 June 2022: Applications formally invited
- 31 August 2022: Closing date for registering intention to bid
- 7 September 2022: Bid requirements made available to bidders
- 3 November 2022: Submission of preliminary bid dossier
- 23 February 2023: Submission of final bid dossier
- 28 June 2023: Appointment of host
The UEFA Executive Committee appointed the Agia Sophia Stadium as the host during their meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, on 28 June 2023. As the stadium is new and has never been operated by the club for international competitions, the venue is subject to an observation period until November 2023 for matches played in UEFA club competitions and UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying. Should the venue meet the requirements, the appointment will be officially confirmed in December 2023.[12]
Route to the final
editNote: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Olympiacos
|
Round | Fiorentina
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europa League | Europa Conference League | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Qualifying phase (EL, ECL) | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Genk
|
2–1 | 1–0 (H) | 1–1 (A) | Third qualifying round | Bye | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Čukarički
|
6–1 | 3–1 (H) | 3–0 (A) | Play-off round |  Rapid Wien
|
2–1 | 0–1 (A) | 2–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Result | Group stage (EL, ECL) | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 SC Freiburg
|
2–3 (H) | Matchday 1 | Genk
|
2–2 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TSC
|
2–2 (A) | Matchday 2 |  Ferencváros
|
2–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 West Ham United
|
2–1 (H) | Matchday 3 | Čukarički
|
6–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Ham United
|
0–1 (A) | Matchday 4 | Čukarički
|
1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SC Freiburg
|
0–5 (A) | Matchday 5 | Genk
|
2–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TSC
|
5–2 (H) | Matchday 6 | Ferencváros
|
1–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group A third place
Source: UEFA |
Final standings | Group F winners
Source: UEFA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Europa Conference League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ferencváros
|
2–0 | 1–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) | Knockout round play-offs | Bye | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Maccabi Tel Aviv
|
7–5 | 1–4 (H) | 6–1 (a.e.t.) (A) | Round of 16 | Maccabi Haifa
|
5–4 | 4–3 (A) | 1–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Fenerbahçe
|
3–3 (3–2 p) | 3–2 (H) | 0–1 (a.e.t.) (A) | Quarter-finals |  Viktoria Plzeň
|
2–0 | 0–0 (A) | 2–0 (a.e.t.) (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aston Villa
|
6–2 | 4–2 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Semi-finals | Club Brugge
|
4–3 | 3–2 (H) | 1–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-match
editIdentity
editThe original identity of the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final was unveiled at the group stage draw on 1 September 2023.[13]
Ticketing
editThe stadium has a capacity of 32,500, and 27,100 were made available of which 21,000 were on sale to the general public. Each club in the final received an allocation of 9,000 tickets each.[14]
Match
editSummary
editAfter a goalless ninety minutes, the match went into extra-time. In the 116th minute Olympiacos went in front when Ayoub El Kaabi got the only goal of the match when he stooped low to head the ball into the left corner of the net after a cross from the left by Santiago Hezze.[15] After a lengthy VAR check the goal was eventually awarded and Olympiacos went on to win their first European trophy.[16]
Details
editThe "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws.
| Olympiacos | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Fiorentina |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
          Olympiacos[4]
|
     Fiorentina[4]
|
|
Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[2]
|
Match rules[17]
|
Statistics
edit
|
|
|
|
Post-match
editAfter the match Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a post on social media platform X, describing Olympiacos as "a true legend". This win caused a big celebration with several thousand Olympiacos fans gathered in Piraeus, Greece.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "El Kaabi named official UEFA Europa Conference League final Player of the Match". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Referee teams for 2024 UEFA club competition finals announced". UEFA. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Full Time Report Final – Olympiacos v Fiorentina" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Tactical Lineups – Final – Wednesday 29 May 2024" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Invitation to bid for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 UEFA Europa Conference League finals and the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League final". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 40/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "International match calendar and access list for the 2023/24 season". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 65/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ "Olympiacos 1–0 Fiorentina (aet): El Kaabi swoops in to secure Greece's first major European title". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Olympiakos 1–0 Fiorentina: Ayoub El Kaabi scores winner in extra-time to secure Europa Conference League title". Sky Sports. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Olympiacos vs Fiorentina Europa Conference League final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups". UEFA.com. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Η ΑΕΚ επέστρεψε σπίτι της! Λαμπερά εγκαινία στην υπερσύγχρονη OPAP Arena - Όλα όσα έγιναν στη γιορτή της Ένωσης" [AEK returned home! Sparkling opening at the state-of-the-art OPAP Arena – All that happened at the Union's celebration]. Ethnos (in Greek). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "OPAP Arena". AEK Athens F.C. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ "Lisbon to host UEFA Women's Champions League final in 2025". Union of European Football Associations. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ UEFA.com (1 September 2023). "2024 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League final identities revealed | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ Calcutt, Robert (9 April 2024). "12k fans for each side in Europa League final and 25k fans at 90k Wembley". talkSPORT. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Olympiakos win Europa Conference League after El Kaabi floors Fiorentina". Guardian. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Olympiakos 1 Fiorentina 0". BBC Sport. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Europa Conference League, 2023/24 Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Team statistics" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 May 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Passionate Olympiakos fans celebrate historic victory". Reuters. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.