Which team won most Europa League titles? Full list of winners, runner-ups

Tottenham Hotspur finally tasted European glory again, lifting the UEFA Europa League trophy after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United on Wednesday night at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao. The victory not only ended the club’s 17-year title drought but also marked its first European success since 1984, when it claimed the UEFA Cup.

 

A season redeemed with silverware

  Despite a turbulent domestic campaign that has seen them languish near the bottom of the Premier League standings, Spurs salvaged their season through a gritty European run. Brennan Johnson became the unlikely hero, scoring the lone goal of the match in the 42nd minute after a deflected cross from Pape Sarr created chaos in the United box.

 

 

“I knew I touched it, then watched it trickle in,” Johnson said. “Tottenham are always said to be a good team that can’t get it done—we got it done tonight.”

 

Champions League return secured

  With this Europa League title, Spurs have also booked a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League, adding a silver lining to a season filled with doubt. The trophy is the first major success under manager Ange Postecoglou, who faced criticism for inconsistent performances throughout the year.

 

“This is what it means,” Johnson added. “It means everything.” 

 

Record-breaking win in Europe 

This latest triumph also saw Spurs claim a UEFA record, registering their 98th win in the UEFA Cup/Europa League—more than any other club. The win breaks the previous tie with Roma, who were level with Tottenham on 97 victories.

 

Tottenham ended their European campaign with a solid record: 10 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses.

 

Manchester United’s frustrations deepen

  For Manchester United, the defeat compounds an already disappointing season. The Red Devils, managed by Ruben Amorim, sit just above Spurs in the Premier League and will now miss out on European football next season.

 

“We were the better team,” Amorim lamented. “But tonight, we have to deal with the pain of losing.”

 

United had moments of promise, including a header from Rasmus Højlund that was heroically cleared off the line by Micky van de Ven, and a late attempt by Luke Shaw that demanded a difficult save from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

 

Vicario and Van de Ven Deliver Defensive Brilliance 

“It’s unbelievable,” said an emotional Vicario. “We wrote history tonight—real history. Everyone delivered. One save from Micky on the line was just massive.”

 

Tensions off the pitch, celebration on it

  The final attracted nearly 50,000 fans to Bilbao, with some overnight clashes between supporters, though the matchday remained largely peaceful. Inside the stadium, the crowd was evenly split, reflecting the deep-rooted rivalry between the clubs.

 

Son Heung-min’s Emotional Moment 

Veteran forward Son Heung-min, who came on in the second half, finally ended his personal wait for silverware. The South Korean star had the honour of lifting the trophy in front of his jubilant teammates, capping off a night of emotion, grit, and redemption.

 

A Rivalry Tilting in Spurs’ Favour

  The victory extends Tottenham’s dominance over United in recent meetings. Spurs have now gone seven matches unbeaten against the Red Devils, winning all four encounters in the 2024–25 season.

 

Their only previous final meeting came in the 2009 League Cup, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s United won on penalties. But this time, history belonged to Tottenham Hotspur.

   

List of UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup finals
Year	Winner	Runner-up	Final Scoreline
2025	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester United	1-0
2024	Atalanta	Bayer Leverkusen	3-0
2023	Sevilla	Roma	1-1 (4-1 pens)
2022	Eintracht Frankfurt	Rangers	1-1 (5-4 pens)
2021	Villarreal	Manchester United	1-1 (11-10 pens)
2020	Sevilla	Inter Milan	3-2
2019	Chelsea	Arsenal	4-1
2018	Atletico Madrid	Marseille	3-0
2017	Manchester United	Ajax	2-0
2016	Sevilla	Liverpool	3-1
2015	Sevilla	Dnipro	3-2
2014	Sevilla	Benfica	0-0 (4-2 pens)
2013	Chelsea	Benfica	2-1
2012	Atletico Madrid	Athletic Bilbao	3-0
2011	Porto	Braga	1-0
2010	Atletico Madrid	Fulham	2-1 aet
2009	Shakhtar Donetsk	Werder Bremen	2-1 aet
2008	Zenit Saint Petersburg	Rangers	2-0
2007	Sevilla	Espanyol	2-2 (3-1 pens)
2006	Sevilla	Middlesbrough	4-0
2005	CSKA Moscow	Sporting Lisbon	3-1
2004	Valencia	Marseille	2-0
2003	Porto	Celtic	3-2
2002	Feyenoord	Borussia Dortmund	3-2
2001	Liverpool	Alaves	5-4
2000	Galatasaray	Arsenal	0-0 (pens)
1999	Parma	Marseille	3-0
1998	Inter Milan	Lazio	3-0
1997	Schalke	Inter Milan	1-1 (4-1 pens)
1996	Bayern Munich	Bordeaux	5-1
1995	Parma	Juventus	2-1
1994	Inter Milan	Austria Salzburg	2-0
1993	Juventus	Borussia Dortmund	6-1
1992	Ajax	Torino	2-2 (away goals)
1991	Inter Milan	Roma	2-1
1990	Juventus	Fiorentina	3-1
1989	Napoli	Stuttgart	5-4
1988	Bayer Leverkusen	Espanyol	3-3 (3-2 pens)
1987	Goteborg	Dundee United	2-1
1986	Real Madrid	Koln	5-3
1985	Real Madrid	Videoton	3-1
1984	Tottenham Hotspur	Anderlecht	2-2 (4-3 pens)
1983	Anderlecht	Benfica	2-1
1982	Goteborg	Hamburger SV	4-0
1981	Ipswich Town	AZ Alkmaar	5-4
1980	Eintracht Frankfurt	Borussia Monchengladbach	3-3 (away goals)
1979	Borussia Monchengladbach	Red Star Belgrade	2-1
1978	PSV Eindhoven	Bastia	3-0
1977	Juventus	Athletic Bilbao	2-2 (away goals)
1976	Liverpool	Club Brugge	4-3
1975	Borussia Monchengladbach	Twente	5-1
1974	Feyenoord	Tottenham Hotspur	4-2
1973	Liverpool	Borussia Monchengladbach	3-2
1972	Tottenham Hotspur	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3-2