Formerly known as the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Europa League will feature current UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk, plus teams such as Celtic, Everton, Fulham, Roma, Lazio, Valencia and Werder Bremen.
The group stage includes 48 clubs, 10 of which were eliminated in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.
The ties begin on 17 September and will be broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday nights throughout the season. As part of the deal, ESPN will serve as host broadcaster for any live home matches featuring British clubs that it selects for broadcast.
Five and ITV also hold rights to air UEFA Europa League matches during each match day.
In addition to the UEFA Europa League, ESPN's live football content this season includes 46 English Premier League games, 30 Scottish Premier League games and up to 80 Italian Serie A live matches.
The channel also airs live German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, Portuguese Liga, Russian Premier League and US MLS as well as international sport and a wide range of premium US sport.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)