Europa League Odds Breakdown: Who Are the Favorites This Season?
The first matchday is over, and some amazing football was played, but next week it is time for the second tier of European football to start. On Wednesday, September 24, and Thursday, September 25, all 36 clubs will be in action to open the season and start off the competition strong.
A few days before a big tournament starts is the best time to start theorizing and breaking down the matches. Who has the best chance for the title? What country will the winner come from? Who will be the breakout stars? To this, and many other questions, including expert betting picks and predictions for UEFA Europa League, we do our best to give answers right here and now. Once again, it is the best time of year for football and sports betting fans.
Outright Odds and Early Title Predictions
The fact that the first matchday has not even started does not mean there are no early favorites and strong contenders for the title. After all, isn’t this the best time to theorize and speculate, just before the competition officially kicks off? While fans enjoy following their gut feeling and supporting their favorite teams, it is the odds made by professional sportsbooks that often give us the best insight into the best teams early on.
The 2025/2026 EL season seems to be one of the most equal and balanced ever, without any surprise team that is a clear favorite. No team played poorly and slipped into the competition, which means this time around the UEFA Europa League betting odds are close. It will be a fun betting season, that is for sure. If there were a team that is slightly in front of the bunch, it would be the Premier League staple, Aston Villa. They currently have the best odds of 7.00 to lift the trophy.
Following the team from Birmingham is the Italian Serie A side AS Roma. They are second with 10.00 odds. After them, it is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese trio of teams that share the same odds of 11.00. These three are Bologna FC, Real Betis Seville, and FC Porto. Close behind them is Nottingham Forest, another Premier League side and a team that can surprise many. Rounding up the top 10 favorites according to the odds are Celta de Vigo and Olympique Lyon with 15.00 odds, Lille OSC with 21.00, and then SC Freiburg, VfB Stuttgart, FC Basel 1893, and Feyenoord Rotterdam all with 23.00 odds.
What Does the Narrative Say?
As great as the Stake.com odds made by professional sporting experts and bookies are at determining the favorites, they sometimes do not capture the whole narrative. Sure, Aston Villa may be the strongest one on paper, but one of the other teams may show more poise and heart during the later stages and knock them out on their way to the title. One can never know, and we can never be too sure of the odds. They are a great guide that offers the basis of what we form our opinion on, but sports are very complex and treacherous in a number of ways.
After a memorable Champions League campaign last season, Aston Villa now enters the Europa League as the team to beat. They stunned Bayern Munich 1-0 and pushed eventual winners PSG in the quarter finals. Despite dropping to Europe’s second tier competition, Villa are top of the supercomputer’s predictions, winning in 21.6% of simulations. Manager Unai Emery is already a four time Europa League winner, eyeing his fifth title, third with a club named 'Villa' after past successes with Sevilla and Villarreal.
Roma are considered Villa’s closest challengers with a 12.8% chance. New boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who lifted the trophy with Atalanta in 2024, leads a club that is yet to win the Europa League despite two finals. Nottingham Forest is back in European competition for the first time since 1995-96, bumped up from the Conference League due to Crystal Palace’s demotion. With Ange Postecoglou at the helm, and fresh off a Europa League win last season, they are third favourites at 11.3%. Here we see where the odds and other prediction types do not agree.
Lille is another strong contender (10.1%), despite losing striker Jonathan David. The arrivals of Olivier Giroud and Hamza Igamane boost their chances. Lyon (8.3%) is in the mix but suffered key departures over the summer that lower its chances further. Feyenoord, now managed by former player Robin van Persie, who won the competition as a player 24 years ago, has a 5.2% chance after a solid European run last season. Bologna (5.1%) returned to the competition after winning the Coppa Italia under Vincenzo Italiano, but struggled in the Champions League.
FC Porto (4.3%) starts a new era with Francesco Farioli in charge, while Stuttgart (2.8%) and Real Betis (2.6%) are outside bets after domestic cup success and a Conference League final appearance, respectively. Fenerbahçe is under Domenico Tedesco after sacking José Mourinho, and has a 2.1% chance, though playing the final in Istanbul could give them added motivation. Celtic has the third toughest group and just a 1.8% chance after their shock Champions League qualifying exit to Kairat Almaty.