2016–17 UEFA Europa League
The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
Friends Arena in Solna hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Qualifying: 28 June – 25 August 2016 Competition proper: 15 September 2016 – 24 May 2017 |
| Teams | Competition proper: 48+8 Total: 155+33 (from 54 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Manchester United (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Ajax |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 205 |
| Goals scored | 565 (2.76 per match) |
| Attendance | 4,494,039 (21,922 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Edin Džeko (Roma) Giuliano (Zenit Saint Petersburg) 8 goals each |
| Best player(s) | Paul Pogba (Manchester United) |
The final was played between Ajax and Manchester United at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden. Manchester United beat Ajax 2–0 to win their first title. With this victory, they became the fifth club – after Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea – to have won all three major European trophies (European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup).
Manchester United qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, and also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup.
As the title holders, Sevilla qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. Having won the last three Europa League tournaments, Sevilla were unable to defend their titles as they reached the Champions League knockout stage, where they were eliminated by Leicester City in the round of 16.