How the UEFA Conference League is spreading the dream of European football further than ever before

It’s a late afternoon in Hamrun, Malta, last August and St Joseph High Street has been transformed from busy thoroughfare into one enormous outdoor sports bar. Hundreds jostle for a spot in front of the huge screens that have been erected, sitting at tables that stretch across the usually busy road.

No, it’s not the World Cup final – it’s the second leg of a Conference League qualifying play-off, and after beating Latvia’s RFS 1-0 at home, local side Hamrun Spartans are 90 minutes away from a feat no Maltese club has ever accomplished. Fast-forward a couple of hours and St Joseph High Street has been painted red with enough flares, fireworks and jubilation to tell you exactly what happened.

"I never dreamt of all this," said former club president Eddie Zammit Cordina, with Hamrun having pulled off a 2-2 draw in Riga. "I would like to thank all the players who put their heart into these important matches. For Malta, this is huge because this is the first Maltese club to qualify for the Conference League, but it being Hamrun Spartans makes it even more special."

Thanks to a 3-2 aggregate win, Hamrun were now set to join nine other teams in making their debut in the league phase or group stage of a senior men’s UEFA competition – and, more importantly, they had put Malta well and truly on the map. "We have climbed the Mount Olympus of serious football and nobody else has ever achieved this," added head coach Giacomo Modica.

Hamrun Spartans were flying the flag for Maltese football this season

New opportunities: for clubs, players and fans

When the competition kicked off in 2021, its mission was to bring European club football to new shores, giving more teams the chance to shine on the international stage and more fans the chance to experience the thrill of continental action.

Five years in, and Hamrun are one of 43 clubs to have made their league phase/group stage phase bows who can attest to just how successful the Conference League has been in achieving that goal – to say nothing of Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano, two more newcomers this season who are about to compete for the trophy itself.

Overall, teams from 12 different nations have already enjoyed debuts in the league phase/group stage of a senior men’s UEFA competition thanks to the Conference League, with Malta becoming the 52nd of UEFA’s 55 member associations to do so.

But it’s not just the clubs embarking on this adventure. Since its inception, over 3,600 players have featured in the Conference League, many of whom would not have had the chance to experience European drama in years gone by. "For a football player, there is nothing better than the Conference League," noted Albert Dabiqaj, a midfielder for Kosovan outfit Drita during their debut this term.

Albert Dabiqaj, left, is one of the 3,600 players who have played in the Conference LeagueCharles McQuillan/Getty Images

For many, this competition has been a launchpad. Take Declan Rice, for example, a linchpin for Arsenal during their bid for honours on multiple fronts this season. The former West Ham midfielder was named the official Conference League Player of the Season in 2022/23 and was signed by the Gunners a month later.

As for Igor Thiago, back in January the Brentford striker broke the Premier League’s single-season record for most goals scored by a Brazilian, but it was his exploits at Club Brugge in 2023/24 – when he won the Conference League Young Player of the Season award – that first brought his talents to the world’s attention.

Building platforms

That’s not to say the Conference League is purely a stage for gifted players to attract the eyes of more illustrious clubs. Indeed, Olympiacos are a perfect example of just how important the experience of continental football can be. Within 20 months, the Greek giants went from winning the Conference League to reaching the Champions League knockout phase play-offs, with a run to the Europa League round of 16 last term for good measure.

That they’ve done so with almost the exact same squad underlines the benefits of Conference League exposure. Of the side that beat Fiorentina in the Athens final in 2024, seven players also faced Bayer Leverkusen in their knockout phase play-off opener in Piraeus this season, with an eighth – Chiquinho – on the bench.

Panagiotis Retsos lifts the Conference League trophy with Olympiacos in 2024Francois Nel/Getty Images

"We take a step forward every year in Europe," explained Olympiacos captain Panagiotis Retsos. "The team’s accomplishment is not about one player but about all the players, the coaching staff, the heroes behind the scenes. They all play their part so that we can be a competitive team that stars both in Greece and in Europe."

In short, what Olympiacos have demonstrated is that while European football at any level can make a club more enticing to potential new signings, it can also arm the current squad with the skills and experiences required to take them further up the ladder.

Pole position

Poland has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Conference League since its launch. Lech Poznań blazed a trail by reaching the quarter-finals in 2022/23, before Legia Warszawa and Jagiellonia Białystok matched that feat last season. Jagiellonia forward Afimico Pululu also became the first player representing a Polish side to finish top scorer in a UEFA club competition.

Lech Poznań were one of four Polish sides in the Conference League this seasonMateusz Slodkowski/Getty Images

This season, a record four Ekstraklasa teams appeared in the league phase – another historic moment for Polish football. In fact, no nation had ever contributed as many teams to the Conference League in a single campaign. Those four sides were hardly making up the numbers either: three progressed, with Rakow Częstochowa finishing second in the table, unbeaten after their six games.

When the Conference League was launched, its intention was plain – to expand the borders of European club football and bring more seats to the continental table. Whether it was envisaged that quite so many chairs would be needed is up for debate, but what’s abundantly clear is that the Conference League is delivering on its promise.

And it’s only just getting started.