The final phase of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup began on 26 November 2002 with the first matches of the third round and concluded on 21 May 2003 with the final at the Estadio Olímpico in Seville, Spain. A total of 32 teams competed in this phase of the competition.
Times up to 30 March 2003 (quarter-finals) were CET (UTC+1), and thereafter (semi-finals and final) CEST (UTC+2).
Round and draw dates
The draw for the third round was held in Geneva, while the remaining draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[1]
Apart from the final, each tie was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule was applied, i.e., the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advanced. If away goals were also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time (two fifteen-minute periods) was played. For the first time in an international football tournament, the silver goal system was applied, whereby the team who leads the game at the half-time break during the extra time period would be declared the winner. If the scores were still level after the initial 15 minutes of extra time play would continue for a further 15 minutes. The away goals rule was again applied after extra time, i.e., if there were goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score was still level, the visiting team advanced by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals were scored during extra time, the tie was decided by penalty shoot-out.
In the final, which was played as a single match, if scores were level at the end of normal time, extra time was played. If, on completion of the first period of extra time, one of the teams had scored more goals than the other, the silver goal rule was applied, i.e., the match ended and that team was declared the winner. If no decisive goal was scored, the second period of the extra time was played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if scores remained tied.[2]
The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:[2]
In the draws the third and fourth rounds, teams were seeded and divided into groups containing an equal number of seeded and unseeded teams. In each group, the seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the first team drawn hosting the first leg. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other.
In the draws for the quarter-finals onwards, there were no seedings and teams from the same association could be drawn against each other.
The 32 teams were distributed into two groups of eight teams, each containing four seeded and four unseeded teams. The draw was held on 15 November 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland.[3]
The 16 teams were distributed into two groups of eight teams, each containing four seeded and four unseeded teams. The draw was held on 13 December 2002 in Nyon, Switzerland.[6]
The quarter-final draw was held on 13 December 2002, immediately after the fourth round draw.[6] The first legs were played on 13 March, and the second legs were played on 20 March 2003.
The final was played on 21 May 2003 at the Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla in Seville, Spain. A draw was held on 21 March 2003, after the semi-final draw, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.
^Due to security issues caused by the Second Intifada, Israeli teams were required to play their home matches at neutral venues until further notice.[5]
^"4. UEFA Cup Finals"(PDF). UEFA Europa League Statistics Handbook 2012/13. Nyon: Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2013. p. 71. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
Note: Between the 1999–2000 and 2008–09 seasons, the competition was still known as the UEFA Cup. All seasons are included following the competition's absorption of the Cup Winners' Cup.