AS Roma and Feyenoord have the chance to write UEFA competition history on May 25 as they face off in the first ever UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Jose Mourinho's side finished sixth in Serie A, just behind Rome rivals Lazio, with Feyenoord ending the campaign in third place in the Dutch Eredivisie.
However, both sides have saved their best form for Europe in 2022, with impressive marches towards the final from both Mourinho and his counterpart Arne Slot.
Mourinho was forced to overcome his former protege Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City in the last four with Feyenoord beating French giants Marseille. What is the Europa Conference League?
The UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) acts as a third tier European club competition following its inception at the start of the 2021/22 season.
The tournament is the eventual result of a decade-long drive from UEFA to add another European competition to the seasonal calendar, after disbanding the Cup Winners' Cup in 1999. The Champions League and the Europa League were established as the region's top two competitions.
Unlike the other competitions, the UECL does not offer direct qualification into its group stages via domestic league and cup performances.
The structure of the competition allows clubs from lower ranked UEFA member associations the chance to hurdle through the qualifying and playoff rounds, with losing qualifiers from the Europa League and Champions League also offered a chance at qualification.
Do the Europa Conference League winners qualify for the Europa League?
UEFA rules state that the winner of the UECL does secure an automatic place in the Europa League for the following the season, provided they have not qualified for the Champions League via their domestic league.
However, with AS Roma and Feyenoord both already qualifying for the Europa League through their finish in the Italian Serie A and the Dutch Eredivisie, the potential extra place will be reabsorbed by UEFA.
What is the Europa Conference League trophy?
The addition of a new European competition means the creation of a new trophy to be won with Mourinho and Slot fighting it out to get their hands on the new UECL trophy.
As per the UEFA website, the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy stands 57.5cm tall and weighs 11kg, and it features 32 hexagonal spines — one for each group stage team — that twist and curve out from the trophy base.
32 hexagonal spines – one for each team in the group stage of the competition...
The curved spines are inspired by the flight of a football as it heads towards goal, with a base and top made from hand-brushed brass as designed by London-based studio Pentagram.
What is the Europa Conference League prize money?
AS Roma and Feyenoord both received a £1.7m/$2.1m reward for reaching the final alongside tiered payment throughout their successes in both the group and knockout stages.
The winner of the UECL final will land a £4.25m/$5.35m pay out with the runner up receiving £2.5m/$3.2m for their efforts.
Europa Conference League prize money breakdown 2022
Stage*Prize Money*Winner£4.25m/$5.35 millionRunner-up£2.5m/$3.2 millionSemi-finalists£1.7m/$2.1 millionQuarter-finalists£850,000/$1.07 millionRound of 16£509,000/$640,000Knockout round playoffs£254,000/$320,000Group winners£552,000/$695,000Group runners-up£276,000/$348,000Group-stage win£424,000/$534,000Group-stage draw£141,000/$177,00Group-stage qualification£2.5/$3.14 million
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