Spanish football club Sevilla prepares to face Juventus in the semifinal of the Europa League with the first leg on Thursday, May 11. Sevilla has managed to enter the final four of the Europa League again, with hopes of winning a seventh title. Although the team has struggled domestically, sitting 11th in La Liga, their run in Europe’s second-tier competition has given their fans some much-needed joy. In this report, we take a historical look at Sevilla’s impressive record in the Europa League.
### A Dominant Force in European Nights
Sevilla first entered the Europa League in the 1982/83 season, and since then, they have participated in 17 editions of the competition, becoming the most successful club to have taken part. Los Nervionenses have won six Europa League titles in their history, three more than any other side to play in the tournament. All their wins have all come in the last two decades, lifting the trophy for the first time in 2006. Between 2014 and 2016, Sevilla became the first team to win the competition in three consecutive seasons.
### A Fruitful Journey to the Titles
Sevilla’s ability to go deep into this tournament and win the trophy is unmatched, having lifted the trophy six times. Below is a table highlighting Sevilla’s Europa League triumphs, which includes the opponents in the final and the score in the final.
| Season won | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| — | — | — |
| 2005/06 | Middlesbrough | 4-0 |
| 2006/07 | Espanyol | 2-2 (3-1 on pens) |
| 2013/14 | Benfica | 0-0 (4-2 on pens) |
| 2014/15 | FC Dnipro | 3-2 |
| 2015/16 | Liverpool | 3-1 |
| 2019/20 | Inter Milan | 3-2 |
### Limited Success in the Champions League
Although winning the Europa League has been a successful feat for Sevilla, they have struggled in the Champions League when facing stronger sides. Sevilla has only reached the quarterfinals twice in ten attempts and dropped into the Europa League earlier this season after finishing third in their Champions League group.
### Managers Who Have Brought European Success
Sevilla has had several managers who brought European success to the club, with Juande Ramos winning back-to-back Europa League trophies for the club in the mid-2000s. Later, Unai Emery managed to eclipse Ramos’ record by leading his team to three consecutive titles in the competition from 2013 to 2016, beating Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the third final. Julen Lopetegui managed to secure Sevilla’s sixth Europa League title in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
### The Prizes of Winning the Europa League
The Europa League can be a good source of money for sides making their European debuts and useful for teams that win the competition as often as Sevilla. Qualifying for the group stage brings in £3.17 million, and each win in the early phase earns an additional £549,290. The winning team can earn a maximum of £19.976 million in a single Europa League season by winning every game, and winning the final itself is worth over £8 million. The winning team also receives a further £13.6 million as they automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages in the following season.
Sevilla’s European journey has been remarkable, having won six Europa League titles and becoming the most successful club to have ever participated in the tournament. With their ability to go deep into the competition, Sevilla will hope to continue their dominance in the Europa League and add a seventh title to their collection.
<< photo by Fer Troulik >>
