Arsenal have participated in the UEFA Europa League many times. But if you’re wondering whether Arsenal has the Europa League in terms of winning it: not exactly. Today, ProteanCup will walk you through Arsenal’s relationship with the Europa League – their participation, how well they’ve done, and whether they’ve ever lifted the trophy.
What is the UEFA Europa League
To understand Arsenal’s record, let’s first clear up what the Europa League is:
- It’s one of UEFA’s major club competitions, below the Champions League in prestige.
- It was formerly known as the UEFA Cup before being rebranded as the Europa League in 2009.
- It features clubs.
Arsenal’s participation in the Europa League
Arsenal have frequently competed in the Europa League (and its predecessor UEFA Cup) in recent years. Some key facts:
- After a long run competing in the Champions League, Arsenal dropped into the Europa League starting from the 2017-18 season, when they failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in many years. They went deep in the Europa League in several of those seasons.
- They made the final of the Europa League in the 2018-19 campaign, but lost to Chelsea.
- They also reached the semi-finals in both 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons.
So in terms of participation: Arsenal do have the Europa League in their history, plenty of times.
Have Arsenal ever won the Europa League?
Here’s the direct answer: No, Arsenal have not won the Europa League (or UEFA Cup under its old name). Some details:
- They were runners-up in the Europa League in 2019, losing the final.
- They have no Europa League trophy in their cabinet.
- Before the rebrand, as a club in the UEFA Cup, they also never won that competition.
Arsenal’s European honours (other than Europa League)
Even though the Europa League trophy has eluded them, Arsenal do have European success elsewhere:
- They won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
- They won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970.
- They also have several deep runs in UEFA competitions including Champions League finals, etc.
Why Arsenal hasn’t won the Europa League (yet)
There are a few factors that help explain why, despite strong squads and regular entries into that tournament, Arsenal haven’t captured the Europa League trophy:
- Strong competition – Teams like Sevilla, Chelsea, Villarreal etc. have made the Europa League both a priority and a specialty, often peaking at the right times.
- Squad turnover & focus – Sometimes Arsenal have prioritized Premier League standings or Champions League qualification, which can affect consistency and squad rotation in Europa campaigns.
- Close calls – They’ve come close (finals, semis), but missed out in high-pressure matches.
Key seasons of Arsenal in Europa League
Here are some of the more memorable Europa League campaigns by Arsenal:
- 2017-18: Arsenal reach the semi-final.
- 2018-19: They make it to the final, but lose to Chelsea.
- 2020-21: Another semi-final appearance.
- 2021-22: Qualified for Europa League via league position (finished fifth in Premier League), but didn’t go all the way.
These seasons show both persistence and near-misses.
Current status
- Arsenal’s league finishes have recently put them back into the Champions League, meaning no Europa League participation in those seasons.
- But that doesn’t erase their past Europa League runs, including finals and semi-finals.
Conclusion
Does Arsenal have UEFA Europa League pedigree? Absolutely – in terms of appearances, deep runs, semi-finals and a final. What they don’t yet have is the trophy itself. ProteanCup hopes this clears up the question once and for all.
If you fancy, I can pull together a “Top 5 Arsenal Europa League matches ever” or “Five reasons Arsenal should win it next season” article. Want me to do that?
