UEFA Europa League Logo PNG
The UEFA Europa League logo combines European football traditions with modern design. Its dynamic lines convey the spirit of competition, the drive for victory, and the desire to win the coveted trophy. The emblem symbolizes the unity of teams and fans who come together for the annual tournament.
UEFA Europa League: Brand overview
The UEFA Europa League began in 1971 under its original name, the UEFA Cup. It was formed by merging two earlier European club competitions, the Fairs Cup (1955–1971) and the Intertoto Cup. While the Fairs Cup is considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, UEFA does not officially recognize it as a separate competition.
The inaugural season started in September 1971, with Tottenham Hotspur winning the first title by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers in the final. This victory marked the beginning of English clubs’ success in the tournament during the 1970s.
The competition grew in popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with clubs from Italy, Germany, and England achieving significant victories. Its format, featuring two-legged matches at every stage, including the final, heightened the excitement of the games. In 1988, the final was changed to a single match played on neutral ground, starting with Bayer Leverkusen’s victory over Espanyol in Stuttgart after a penalty shootout.
Italian teams dominated the 1990s, showcasing the strength of Serie A during that era. Clubs from Italy secured eight titles in the decade, with Inter Milan claiming three.
The 2000s brought new developments, including introducing a group stage, which increased the tournament’s appeal to television audiences. In 2004, teams eliminated from the Champions League group stage began entering the competition, elevating the overall level of play.
2009, the UEFA Cup was rebranded, and the tournament adopted its current name. The restructured format expanded the group stage to 48 teams divided into 12 groups, raising participants’ profiles and financial rewards. Spanish clubs, particularly Sevilla, became dominant in the 2010s, with Sevilla winning six titles, solidifying their powerhouse position.
A pivotal change in 2015 granted the winner direct qualification to the Champions League group stage, further enhancing the event’s importance. In 2021, the format was streamlined due to the introduction of the UEFA Conference League, reducing the group stage to 32 teams.
The 2022–2023 season delivered thrilling matches and high fan engagement. In the final held in Budapest, Sevilla triumphed over Roma in a penalty shootout, securing their seventh title.
Over its five-decade history, this European club competition has evolved from a modest tournament to prominence, attracting global media attention and passionate support. It continues adapting to modern soccer’s demands while playing a crucial role in developing European club football.
Meaning and History
What is UEFA Europa League?
This football tournament brings together clubs from all over Europe to compete for a prestigious trophy. Both well-known teams and unexpected underdogs participate, creating exciting matches. The tournament features group stages and knockout rounds, with the winner earning a place in the Champions League. Each game combines football drama, bright moments, and a variety of playing styles, making it an essential part of European football.
1997 – 2005
Although the UEFA Europa League has been held since 1971, it did not have an official logo for its first 27 years, as the focus was on the sporting aspect rather than marketing or branding. The tournament’s earliest emblem appeared in 1998 when there was a need to attract new sponsors and energize fans.
Despite its many elements, the design appears relatively simple. At the top is a large mustard-yellow circle with a turquoise border. This could represent:
- A stylized ball, the central element of football;
- The sun symbolizes success, energy, and strength;
- A globe, hinting at the tournament’s global reach.
Against the circle’s background are the turquoise silhouettes of three figures. Based on their dynamic poses, they appear to be competing for the ball positioned at the center of the composition. Similar footballers are featured on the base of the Coupe. The tournament’s then-official name is atA.
At the bottom of the name: “UEFA CUP.” It is rendered in large, vertically elongated uppercase letters. The uniform line thickness, absence of serifs, and black color give the text a solid and formal appearance. Diagonal cuts at the ends of some letters emphasize the game’s dynamic nature.
Above the text is an arch of two semi-circles, separated by the word “UEFA.” The curved lines echo the shape of the ball slightly above them. This visually ties all the emblem’s elements together, reflecting the energy of football.
2005 – 2009
In 2005, a logo featuring a stylized Coupe UEFA was introduced, composed of several large fragments. At the center are three narrow, elongated stripes with small decorative flares. The pointed lines convey a sense of dynamism, symbolizing the drive for victory and the high ambitions of the teams participating in the tournament.
The base of the trophy is shaped like an irregular trapezoid. Within it, in white negative space, are three figures resembling football players. As in the previous emblem, these figures represent the essence of the competition. However, this time, they are set against a gradient blue-turquoise background. Below the trophy, a green ribbon winds, symbolizing active play on the field.
The Coupe UEFA reaches upward, giving the logo a sense of grandeur and celebration. The color palette has become more varied, incorporating shades of blue, purple, and green that transition smoothly into one another. The gradient adds dynamism and modernity to the emblem, highlighting the multifaceted nature of European football.
The designers enlarged the iconic Union of European Football Associations symbol—two arcs with the word “UEFA” in between. To accommodate this change, they reduced the lower text to the single word “CUP” and decreased the height of the letters. The new font appears more balanced than the previous one, emphasizing the prestige of the annual tournament.
2009 – 2012
In 2009, the competition was renamed the UEFA Europa League. As part of a major rebranding, a new logo was created, incorporating elements from two previous versions:
- The large circle was retained from the earliest emblem, now featuring an orange gradient.
- From the 2005 logo, the trophy design was adopted but simplified into four burgundy lines.
The circle continues to symbolize three concepts: the globe, the sun, and a football. This highlights the tournament’s global reach, timelessness, energy, and dynamism. The elegant, elongated lines forming the stylized Coupe UEFA also convey movement, thanks to their pointed ends.
The arched UEFA emblem remains in its previous position—directly beneath the trophy. However, while it was previously black, the designers now recolored it burgundy to visually unify all parts of the logo. The lower text was also changed to burgundy, adding an emotional tone since most shades of red are associated with energy, strength, and expression.
The two-tiered “EUROPA LEAGUE” text uses a bold sans-serif font. Despite its standard geometric style and uniform stroke thickness, it appears dynamic because both “A” ‘s crossbars are diagonally cut, and one horizontal line in the “P” features a small gap. The first word is enlarged to emphasize the tournament’s host region.
2012 – 2015
In 2012, the UEFA Europa League logo was updated, but these changes only affected details and did not alter the overall composition. The large orange circle became lighter due to additional white highlights, which blended seamlessly with the existing gradient. These highlights emphasized the upper portion of the circle, transforming it into a three-dimensional sphere.
The stylized trophy also appears three-dimensional, as the edges of the four burgundy lines are shaded. The skillful combination of different tones makes the design appear embossed, reflecting the tournament’s modernity. This design adds depth and contrast to the emblem, visually elongating the lines and emphasizing their upward direction as a symbol of competition and growth.
Even the standard Union of European Football Associations symbol in the UEFA Europa League logo gained additional contours, making the arcs three-dimensional. The lower text also features a 3D effect: each letter is outlined with fine white and burgundy lines, creating a metallic sheen. As a result, the text looks textured and three-dimensional.
Adding a gradient made the burgundy brighter, deeper, and more vibrant. The color transitions enhance the emblem’s dynamism and pair well with the font, which features sharp lines, diagonal cuts, and pointed angles. Together, these elements underscore the active nature of the tournament, where the fastest and most precise team emerges victorious.
2015 – 2021
In 2015, the UEFA Europa League logo became two-dimensional and minimalist while retaining its recognizable shape associated with a football. At the top, instead of a three-dimensional sphere or a flat circle, two orange arcs resembling brackets are depicted. These arcs do not form a complete ring, as the stylized Coupe UEFA separates them.
The trophy still consists of four pointed lines resembling long triangular spikes. However, in this version, the upper elements break the visual harmony by extending beyond the invisible boundary of the circle. Instead of the traditional burgundy color, a combination of gray and black is used. The designers blended these shades to give the trophy a sense of depth, even without a gradient.
The orange brackets are the brightest part of the emblem. The white space between them creates a sense of neutrality, calm, and balance. These qualities are not typically associated with emotional football tournaments, where passions run high on the field and in the stands.
Everything in the logo is balanced, including its geometry. The two arcs flanking the trophy echo the shape of the two arches in the UEFA symbol. The new font for the abbreviation also features rounded corners, balanced by the diagonal cut of the “A” crossbar. For the lower text, “EUROPA LEAGUE,” a standard bold grotesque font, is used, which looks appropriate in a restrained black color.
2021 – 2024
In 2021, the UEFA Conference League was established as the third most significant European tournament. Against the backdrop of its massive logo, the existing symbol of the UEFA Europa League appeared underwhelming and lacked distinctiveness. As a result, the designers had to completely redesign the stylized trophy, which for many years consisted of four elegant strips with sharp ends. Achieving visual consistency between the graphic elements of the two club competitions—established and new—was essential.
Redesigning the cup’s arches in the Europa League emblem involved creating a bolder, more striking, and more noticeable design to emphasize the tournament’s prestige. The trophy remains composed of individual geometric shapes, but now they feature straight edges and form a symmetrical pattern. Triangles dominate the upper section, while a trapezoid is depicted at the base. All elements are rendered in black and separated by white lines.
The two orange arcs became wider and lost their tapered ends. Nevertheless, they still correspond to the two arches framing “UEFA.” The style of the “EUROPA LEAGUE” inscription remained unchanged: the tournament name is written in a familiar bold sans-serif font, resembling Sentic Text Black by HeadFirst or Synthese Bold by BAT Foundry. The strict black text balances the top part of the logo, where the massive trophy of the same color is displayed.
2024 – today
The UEFA Europa League logo, introduced in 2024, features a more minimalist and modern design than the previous version. The tournament’s stylized trophy remains but has changed its usual form: its elements are now arranged chaotically rather than symmetrically.
A diagonal triangle at the center of the trophy is separated from the other fragments by a white stripe in the shape of a “V,” symbolizing victory. A small trapezoidal base has been retained, fitting perfectly into the surrounding composition of orange stripes. In this version, however, the trophy is framed not by two arcs but by two jagged lines representing opposing halves of a hexagon. This geometric figure serves as a stylized frame, emphasizing the significance of the competition’s main prize.
The thick orange stripes make the emblem concise, add dynamism, and create an impression of stability. Like a circle, the hexagon evokes associations with a soccer ball—specifically, with the geometric pattern decorating its surface. Bold experiments with the shape of the most prominent element of the UEFA Europa League logo reflect how modern and creative the tournament has become.
Meanwhile, the traditional UEFA symbol remains unchanged: two arched lines, divided by the organization’s name, are still below the stylized trophy. The unusual font of the abbreviation has been applied to the lower inscription, “EUROPA LEAGUE,” resulting in unified typography. The letters now feature diagonal cuts, which appear not only on the outer ends but also on internal lines—for example, on the crossbar of the “A” and the semicircle of the “P.”
The abundance of angles gives the text a dynamic appearance. Each stroke conveys a sharp movement associated with the energy of a soccer game. Thanks to the new font, the letters are clearer and more contemporary. Their shapes align with the outlines of the hexagonal frame, creating a visually balanced logo. The unchanged black color adds a sense of strictness while maintaining a minimalist style.
