Superfluous European Cup? How the Conference League works

Chance for the little ones

In every year of the Conference League, a club from England has reached at least the semi-finals, and an Italian team has been there four times. As far as the chances of the smaller teams are concerned, Djurgardens IF is the biggest fairytale so far.

However, the effect on the smaller clubs is not limited to sporting success and prize money. Participation in the European Cup has a direct influence on the professionalization of the clubs. "This experience has professionalized and developed our structures in the long term," said Sanwald, describing participation as a milestone.

The international visibility should not be underestimated. Even the small 1. FC Heidenheim felt that. "Our reach on social media channels has grown noticeably," said Sanwald. Those responsible at Djurgarden reported the same. "Betis, Florence, Chelsea and Djurgarden in the semi-finals - that's absolutely incredible," said Head of Sport Bosse Andersson. According to media reports, the club's brand awareness has increased by dozens of percent.

Acceptance among fans

The sporting success of the German teams in the Conference League is modest. Mainz's quarter-final appearance is the maximum so far. Nevertheless, the competition was a fan magnet, with every German participant recording high attendance figures.

"When you see how many Heidenheim fans accompanied us to the away games across Europe, I still get goosebumps today," said Heidenheim manager Sanwald. "In Edinburgh, for example, there were 1,000 FCH fans on a Thursday evening."

If you look at the finals, the number of spectators has increased in almost every year. The first final between AS Roma and Feyenoord Rotterdam was watched by around 22,000 fans in Tirana in 2022. Last year, there were almost 40,000 fans in Wrocław for Chelsea's win against Betis. Well over 30,000 spectators are also expected in Leipzig.

League performances

The triple burden becomes a problem when you don't usually play internationally. So much for the prejudice. Looking at the Bundesliga, this can only be confirmed to a limited extent. Union Berlin performed better in its conference season than in the previous year. Heidenheim and Mainz, on the other hand, ran into problems and were stuck in the relegation battle.

"Of course, the physical and mental strain of the English weeks was extremely high, especially as the Bundesliga was always our top priority," said Sanwald. But the players have made progress in the games at international level.

Mainz manager Christian Heidel said: "I was completely against the new system. But I have to make amends. Now that we've played along ourselves, I think it's outstanding."

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