2006–07 UEFA Cup

Association team allocation

A total of 131 teams from 52 UEFA associations participated in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. Associations were allocated places according to their 2005 UEFA league coefficient, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2000–01 to 2004–05.

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup:

Association ranking

Distribution

The title holder would have been given an additional entry if they did not qualify for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League or Europa League through domestic performance; however, this additional entry was not necessary as Sevilla, winners of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, qualified for the UEFA Cup through domestic performance. This means that the following changes to the default allocation system were made to compensate for the vacant title holder spot in the group stage:

Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

Italian match-fixing scandal

The 2006 Serie A scandal resulted in major changes to the clubs that originally qualified in Italy. Originally, Roma took the cup winners' place as losing finalists in the 2006 Coppa Italia, as the winners, Internazionale finished in the top four in the league and qualified for the Champions League. The other two UEFA Cup places initially went to Lazio and Chievo.

Lazio, however, as well as the remaining three Champions League qualifiers (Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina), were formally indicted on 22 June on charges relating to the scandal.

On 14 July, all four of the indicated clubs were penalised by an Italian court and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Results of the FIGC appeal were announced on 25 July. The impact on the UEFA Cup was:

Greek Football Federation

FIFA suspended the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF) from all international competitions on 3 July 2006 because of "political interference in sport" after the Greek government passed a law, giving it control of the sports authorities in Greece. After the law was amended to address FIFA's objections, FIFA reinstated the HFF on 12 July. The Greek government in response, decided to withdraw all of its funding to the Hellenic Football Federation.

First qualifying round

These matches were held on 13 July and 27 July 2006.

Second qualifying round

These matches were held on 8 and 10 August (first leg) and 24 August (second leg) 2006.

¹Due to the armed conflict going on in Israel, UEFA decided that no European matches could be staged in the country until further notice. Hapoel Tel Aviv's home match was moved to Tilburg, Netherlands, Beitar Jerusalem's to Sofia, Bulgaria and Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv's to Senec, Slovakia

²These clubs qualified for this season's UEFA competitions as members of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro during the 2005–06 season but are currently members of the Football Association of Serbia which is the official successor of the previous football association.

³Derry City are a team from Northern Ireland who play in the Republic of Ireland's football league. The flag of the Republic of Ireland is used for the purposes of official records as Derry City are a team representing the Football Association of Ireland.

First round

The matches were held on 14 September (first leg) and 28 September 2006 (second leg).

⁴Due to the armed conflict in Israel, UEFA had ruled that European tournament matches could not be played in Israel until further notice. Maccabi Haifa's home leg on 14 September was moved to Nijmegen, Netherlands. On 15 September, UEFA lifted the ban, allowing future matches to be played in the Tel Aviv area. Hapoel Tel Aviv were able to play their home leg in Tel Aviv on 28 September.

⁵UEFA ordered Trabzonspor's home leg on 14 September to be played behind closed doors after objects were thrown at visiting fans and the fourth official, and a smoke bomb ignited in the stands, during their second qualifying round home leg against Cypriots APOEL. Trabzonspor appealed, and UEFA rejected the appeal on 13 September. Trabzonspor's penalty includes a second closed-doors game, a penalty which has been deferred for two years and will be removed if no further incidents occur.

Group stage

The top three teams (highlighted in green) of each group qualified for the next round. Based on paragraph 4.06 in the UEFA regulations for the current season, if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of all the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:

1. superior goal difference from all group matches played;
2. higher number of goals scored in all group matches played;
3. higher number of goals scored away in all group matches played;
4. higher number of wins;
5. higher number of away wins;
6. higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons (see paragraph 6.03 of the UEFA regulations).

Round of 32

The first legs were held on 14 February and 15 February 2007, while the second legs were held on 22 February 2007.

¹ On 7 February, the Italian Government ruled that Parma and Livorno's home fields did not meet requirements following riots held after an Italian Serie A match in Sicily. Livorno played its home leg behind closed doors on 14 February. Parma played its home leg behind closed doors on 22 February.

² On 19 January, UEFA declared that Feyenoord had been removed after a member of their crowd threw a glass of beer at Morten Gamst Pedersen in their home group stage match against Blackburn Rovers. UEFA announced on 25 January that Tottenham Hotspur had received a bye. This was confirmed after the final appeal.

Round of 16

The first legs were held on 8 March 2007, while the second legs were held on 14 and 15 March 2007.

Quarter-finals

The draw for the final stages, included quarter-finals and semi-finals, was held on 16 March 2007 in Glasgow, Scotland. The quarter-final matches were played on 5 April and 12 April 2007.

Semi-finals

The semi-final matches were played on 26 April and 3 May 2007.