The 2019 UEFA Europa League Final decided the champion of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, the 48th edition of UEFA's secondary club competition. The match took place at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 29 May 2019 and ended with Chelsea defeating Arsenal 4–1 to claim their second Europa League title.

Match details

Significance and consequences

By winning the final, Chelsea earned the right to contest the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against the champions of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. Because Chelsea had already qualified for the next season's Champions League group stage through their domestic league placing, the Champions League berth normally reserved for the Europa League winners was reallocated to the third-placed team in France's top division, Lyon, following the access list rules that applied that season.

Context and regulations

The Europa League represents Europe's secondary club football tournament, organised by UEFA, and is one of two continental competitions for clubs on the continent of Europe. The 2018–19 season was the tenth since the competition was rebranded from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.

Beginning with this season, UEFA scheduled the Europa League final to occur in the same week as the Champions League final. In March 2018 UEFA announced several match-control changes that applied in UEFA competitions: teams were permitted a fourth substitution during extra time, the matchday substitutes list was expanded from seven to twelve players, and the kick-off time for finals was altered from 20:45 CEST to 21:00 CEST.

The 2019 final was also notable for being the first Europa League match — and the first final of the competition — to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system.

Notes on the sport

As with other UEFA tournaments, the Europa League is part of the wider ecosystem of European football, with qualification, seeding and access lists determined by associations' coefficients and UEFA regulations.