# 2011–12 UEFA Europa League

The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League was the third season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 41st edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and ended on 9 May 2012 with the final held at Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, two extra officials – one on each goal line – were used in all matches of the competition from the group stage.
Atlético Madrid won the title, defeating Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in an all-Spanish final. Porto were the defending champions, but they were beaten by Manchester City in the Round of 32.

## Association team allocation

A total of 194 teams from 53 UEFA associations participated in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Associations are allocated places according to their 2010 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2005–06 to 2009–10.
Below is the qualification scheme for the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League:
* Associations 1–6 each have three teams qualify
* Associations 7–9 each have four teams qualify
* Associations 10–51 each have three teams qualify, except Liechtenstein, which have one team qualify (as Liechtenstein only have a domestic cup and no domestic league)
* Associations 52–53 each have two teams qualify
* The top three associations of the 2010–11 UEFA Fair Play ranking each gain an additional berth
* Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League are transferred to the Europa League

### Association ranking

| Rank | Association | Coeff. | Teams | Notes |
| 1 | England | 81.856 | 3 | +1(FP) +2(UCL) |
| 2 | Spain | 79.757 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 3 | Italy | 64.338 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 4 | Germany | 64.207 | 3 | |
| 5 | France | 53.740 | 3 | |
| 6 | Russia | 43.791 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 7 | Ukraine | 39.550 | 4 | +1(UCL) |
| 8 | Romania | 39.491 | 4 | +1(UCL) |
| 9 | Portugal | 38.296 | 4 | +1(UCL) |
| 10 | Netherlands | 36.546 | 3 | +2(UCL) |
| 11 | Turkey | 34.450 | 3 | +2(UCL) |
| 12 | Greece | 29.899 | 3 | +2(UCL) |
| 13 | Switzerland | 28.375 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 14 | Belgium | 27.900 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 15 | Denmark | 27.350 | 3 | +2(UCL) |
| 16 | Scotland | 25.791 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 17 | Bulgaria | 22.000 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 18 | Czech Republic | 21.975 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| Rank | Association | Coeff. | Teams | Notes |
| 19 | Austria | 19.575 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 20 | Israel | 18.875 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 21 | Cyprus | 17.999 | 3 | |
| 22 | Norway | 17.400 | 3 | +1(FP) +1(UCL) |
| 23 | Slovakia | 15.832 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 24 | Sweden | 14.191 | 3 | +1(FP) +1(UCL) |
| 25 | Serbia | 14.000 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 26 | Poland | 12.541 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 27 | Croatia | 12.332 | 3 | |
| 28 | Belarus | 11.541 | 3 | |
| 29 | Republic of Ireland | 9.541 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 30 | Finland | 9.499 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 31 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8.749 | 3 | |
| 32 | Lithuania | 8.416 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 33 | Latvia | 8.248 | 3 | |
| 34 | Moldova | 7.290 | 3 | |
| 35 | Slovenia | 6.957 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 36 | Hungary | 6.750 | 3 | |
| Rank | Association | Coeff. | Teams | Notes |
| 37 | Georgia | 5.748 | 3 | +1(UCL) |
| 38 | Azerbaijan | 5.498 | 3 | |
| 39 | Iceland | 5.415 | 3 | |
| 40 | Macedonia | 5.332 | 3 | |
| 41 | Liechtenstein | 4.500 | 1 | |
| 42 | Kazakhstan | 4.499 | 3 | |
| 43 | Estonia | 4.374 | 3 | |
| 44 | Albania | 3.999 | 3 | |
| 45 | Armenia | 2.999 | 3 | |
| 46 | Wales | 2.581 | 3 | |
| 47 | Montenegro | 2.125 | 3 | |
| 48 | Faroe Islands | 1.832 | 3 | |
| 49 | Northern Ireland | 1.624 | 3 | |
| 50 | Luxembourg | 1.249 | 3 | |
| 51 | Andorra | 1.000 | 3 | |
| 52 | Malta | 0.916 | 2 | |
| 53 | San Marino | 0.750 | 2 | |

#### Notes

* (FP): Additional fair play berth (Norway, England, Sweden)
* (UCL): Additional teams transferred from the UEFA Champions League

### Distribution

Since the winners of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, Porto, qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League through domestic performance, the title holder spot reserved for them in the group stage was vacated. As a result, the following changes to the default allocation system were made to compensate for the vacant title holder spot in the group stage:
* The domestic cup winners of associations 16 and 17 (Scotland and Bulgaria) were promoted from the third qualifying round to the play-off round.
* The domestic cup winners of associations 28 and 29 (Belarus and Republic of Ireland) were promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
* The domestic cup winners of associations 52 and 53 (Malta and San Marino) and the domestic league runners-up of associations 33 and 34 (Latvia and Moldova) were promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
| | Teams entering in this round | Teams advancing from previous round | Teams transferred from Champions League |
| First qualifying round (50 teams) | 18 domestic league runners-up from associations 35–53 (except Liechtenstein) 29 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 22–51 (except Liechtenstein) 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play rankings | | |
| Second qualifying round (80 teams) | 24 domestic cup winners from associations 30–53 16 domestic league runners-up from associations 19–34 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–21 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 7–9 | 25 winners from the first qualifying round | |
| Third qualifying round (70 teams) | 12 domestic cup winners from associations 18–29 3 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–18 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 10–15 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–9 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France) 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England) | 40 winners from the second qualifying round | |
| Play-off round (76 teams) | 17 domestic cup winners from associations 1–17 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–9 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 4–6 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–3 | 35 winners from the third qualifying round | 15 losers from the Champions League third qualifying round |
| Group stage (48 teams) | | 38 winners from the play-off round | 10 losers from the Champions League play-off round |
| Knockout phase (32 teams) | | 12 group winners from the group stage 12 group runners-up from the group stage | 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage |

### Redistribution rules

A Europa League place is vacated when a team qualifies for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualifies for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place is vacated, it is redistributed within the national association by the following rules:
* When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifiers within the national association) also qualify for the Champions League, their Europa League place is vacated, and the remaining Europa League qualifiers are moved up one place, with the final place (with the earliest starting round) taken by the domestic cup runners-up, provided they do not already qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League. Otherwise, this place is taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
* When the domestic cup winners also qualify for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position is vacated, and the Europa League qualifiers that finish lower in the league are moved up one place, with the final place taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
* A place vacated by the League Cup winners is taken by the highest-placed league finishers that have not yet qualified for the Europa League.
* A Fair Play place is taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table that has not yet qualified for the Champions League or the Europa League.

### Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:
* TH: Title holders
* CW: Cup winners
* CR: Cup runners-up
* LC: League Cup winners
* Nth: League position
* P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
* FP: Fair play
* UCL: Relegated from the Champions League
** GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage
** PO: Losers from the play-off round
** Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round
Round of 32 :
| Manchester City (UCL GS) | Trabzonspor (UCL GS) | Manchester United (UCL GS) | Ajax (UCL GS) |
| Valencia (UCL GS) | Olympiacos (UCL GS) | Porto (UCL GS) | Viktoria Plzeň (UCL GS) |
| Group stage ||||
| Zürich (UCL PO) | Odense (UCL PO) | Maccabi Haifa (UCL PO) | Wisła Kraków (UCL PO) |
| Malmö FF (UCL PO) | Rubin Kazan (UCL PO) | Copenhagen (UCL PO) | Twente (UCL PO) |
| Udinese (UCL PO) | Sturm Graz (UCL PO) | | |
| Play-off round ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur (5th) | Lokomotiv Moscow (5th) | Anderlecht (3rd) | Standard Liège (UCL Q3) |
| Birmingham City (LC) | Metalist Kharkiv (3rd) | Nordsjælland (CW) | Slovan Bratislava (UCL Q3) |
| Sevilla (5th) | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (4th) | Celtic (CW) | Zestaponi (UCL Q3) |
| Athletic Bilbao (6th) | Steaua București (CW) | CSKA Sofia (CW) | Litex Lovech (UCL Q3) |
| Lazio (5th) | Rapid București (4th) | Ekranas (UCL Q3) | Trabzonspor (UCL Q3) |
| Roma (6th) | Sporting CP (3rd) | Shamrock Rovers (UCL Q3) | Partizan (UCL Q3) |
| Schalke 04 (CW) | Braga (4th) | Panathinaikos (UCL Q3) | Maribor (UCL Q3) |
| Hannover 96 (4th) | PSV Eindhoven (3rd) | Dynamo Kyiv (UCL Q3) | HJK (UCL Q3) |
| Paris Saint-Germain (4th) | Beşiktaş (CW) | Rangers (UCL Q3) | |
| Sochaux (5th) | AEK Athens (CW) | Vaslui (UCL Q3) | |
| Spartak Moscow (4th) | Sion (CW) | Rosenborg (UCL Q3) | |
| Third qualifying round ||||
| Stoke City (CR) | Vitória de Guimarães (5th) | Levski Sofia (2nd) | Helsingborgs IF (CW) |
| Atlético Madrid (7th) | AZ (4th) | Mladá Boleslav (CW) | Red Star Belgrade (2nd) |
| Palermo (CR) | Bursaspor (3rd) | Sparta Prague (2nd) | Legia Warsaw (CW) |
| Mainz 05 (5th) | PAOK (3rd) | Ried (CW) | Hajduk Split (2nd) |
| Rennes (6th) | Young Boys (3rd) | Hapoel Tel Aviv (CW) | Gomel (CW) |
| Alania Vladikavkaz (CR) | Club Brugge (4th) | Omonia (CW) | Sligo Rovers (CW) |
| Karpaty Lviv (5th) | Brøndby (3rd) | Strømsgodset (CW) | |
| Dinamo București (6th) | Heart of Midlothian (3rd) | Senica (2nd) | |
| Second qualifying round ||||
| Vorskla Poltava (6th) | Maccabi Tel Aviv (3rd) | Željezničar (CW) | Vaduz (CW) |
| Gaz Metan Mediaș (7th) | Bnei Yehuda (4th) | Sarajevo (2nd) | Aktobe (2nd) |
| Nacional (6th) | Anorthosis Famagusta (3rd) | Sūduva (2nd) | Levadia Tallinn (2nd) |
| ADO Den Haag (P-W) | AEK Larnaca (4th) | Tauras Tauragė (4th) | Tirana (CW) |
| Gaziantepspor (4th) | Vålerenga (2nd) | Ventspils (CW) | Mika (CW) |
| Olympiacos Volos (5th) | Žilina (3rd) | Liepājas Metalurgs (3rd) | Llanelli (CW) |
| Thun (5th) | Örebro SK (3rd) | Iskra-Stal (CW) | Rudar Pljevlja (CW) |
| Westerlo (CR) | Vojvodina (3rd) | Sheriff Tiraspol (2nd) | EB/Streymur (CW) |
| Midtjylland (4th) | Śląsk Wrocław (2nd) | Domžale (CW) | Crusaders (2nd) |
| Dundee United (4th) | RNK Split (3rd) | Kecskemét (CW) | Differdange 03 (CW) |
| Lokomotiv Sofia (4th) | Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2nd) | Gagra (CW) | Sant Julià (CW) |
| Jablonec (3rd) | Bohemians (2nd) | Khazar Lankaran (CW) | Floriana (CW) |
| Red Bull Salzburg (2nd) | TPS (CW) | FH (CW) | Juvenes/Dogana (CW) |
| Austria Wien (3rd) | KuPS (2nd) | Metalurg Skopje (CW) | |
| First qualifying round ||||
| Tromsø (3rd) | Koper (3rd) | Shakhter Karagandy (CR) | Glentoran (3rd) |
| Spartak Trnava (4th) | Olimpija Ljubljana (4th) | Narva Trans (3rd) | Cliftonville (4th) |
| IF Elfsborg (4th) | Paks (2nd) | Nõmme Kalju (4th) | Fola Esch (2nd) |
| Rad (4th) | Ferencváros (3rd) | Flamurtari (2nd) | Käerjéng 97 (3rd) |
| Jagiellonia Białystok (4th) | Dinamo Tbilisi (2nd) | Vllaznia (3rd) | Lusitanos (3rd) |
| Varaždin (CR) | Metalurgi Rustavi (3rd) | Banants (2nd) | UE Santa Coloma (4th) |
| Minsk (3rd) | Qarabağ (3rd) | Ulisses (3rd) | Birkirkara (3rd) |
| St Patrick's Athletic (5th) | AZAL Baku (4th) | The New Saints (2nd) | Tre Penne (2nd) |
| Honka (4th) | ÍBV (3rd) | Neath (P-W) | Aalesund (FP) |
| Široki Brijeg (4th) | KR (4th) | Budućnost Podgorica (2nd) | Fulham (FP) |
| Banga Gargždai (CR) | Renova (3rd) | Zeta (4th) | BK Häcken (FP) |
| Daugava Daugavpils (4th) | Rabotnicki (4th) | NSÍ (3rd) | |
| Milsami Orhei (3rd) | Irtysh (3rd) | ÍF (4th) | |
* ^ Republic of Ireland (IRL): Because Sporting Fingal, the fourth-placed team of the 2010 League of Ireland Premier Division, returned its domestic license prior to the start of the 2011 season, St Patricks Athletic, the fifth-placed team of the league, claimed the Europa League spot in the first qualifying round.
* ^ Kazakhstan (KAZ): Because Lokomotiv Astana, the winners of the 2010 Kazakhstan Cup, did not exist for at least three years and could not obtain a UEFA license, the second-placed team of the league, Aktobe, moved up to enter the second qualifying round, and the cup runners-up, Shakhter Karagandy, claimed the vacant Europa League spot in the first qualifying round.
* ^ Lithuania (LTU): Because Žalgiris, the third-placed team of the 2010 A Lyga, did not obtain a UEFA license for the 2011–12 European competitions, Tauras Tauragė, the fourth-placed team of the league, claimed the Europa League spot in the second qualifying round.
* ^ Romania (ROU): Because Politehnica Timișoara, the 2010–11 Liga I runners-up, were denied a domestic licence for the 2011–12 season, Vaslui, the third-placed team of the league, claimed the Champions League spot in the third qualifying round for non-champions, instead of entering the Europa League play-off round. Subsequently, Rapid București and Dinamo București, the fourth- and sixth-placed teams of the league, moved up to enter the play-off round and the third qualifying round respectively, and Gaz Metan Mediaș, the seventh-placed team of the league, claimed the vacant Europa League spot in the second qualifying round.
* ^ Turkey (TUR): Fenerbahçe, the 2010–11 Süper Lig champions, was banned by the Turkish Football Federation on 24 August 2011 from participating in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League due to the ongoing investigation into match-fixing. UEFA decided to replace them in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League with Trabzonspor, the league runners-up, who had lost in the Champions League third qualifying round and were participating in the Europa League play-off round at that time. They finished third in their group and thus advanced to the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase.

## Round and draw dates

All draws held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland unless stated otherwise.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| Qualifying | First qualifying round | 20 June 2011 | 30 June 2011 | 7 July 2011 |
| Qualifying | Second qualifying round | 20 June 2011 | 14 July 2011 | 21 July 2011 |
| Qualifying | Third qualifying round | 15 July 2011 | 28 July 2011 | 4 August 2011 |
| Play-off | Play-off round | 5 August 2011 | 18 August 2011 | 25 August 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 15 September 2011 | 15 September 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 29 September 2011 | 29 September 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 20 October 2011 | 20 October 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 3 November 2011 | 3 November 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 30 November – 1 December 2011 | 30 November – 1 December 2011 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 26 August 2011 (Monaco) | 14–15 December 2011 | 14–15 December 2011 |
| Knockout phase | Round of 32 | 16 December 2011 | 16 February 2012 | 23 February 2012 |
| Knockout phase | Round of 16 | 16 December 2011 | 8 March 2012 | 15 March 2012 |
| Knockout phase | Quarter-finals | 16 March 2012 | 29 March 2012 | 5 April 2012 |
| Knockout phase | Semi-finals | 16 March 2012 | 19 April 2012 | 26 April 2012 |
| Knockout phase | Final | 16 March 2012 | 9 May 2012 at Arena Națională, Bucharest | 9 May 2012 at Arena Națională, Bucharest |
Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts.

## Qualifying rounds

In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2011 UEFA club coefficients, and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.

### First qualifying round

The draw for the first qualifying round was held on 20 June 2011. The first legs were played on 30 June, and the second legs were played on 7 July 2011.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| ÍF | 2–8 | KR | 1–3 | 1–5 |
| Daugava Daugavpils | 1–7 | Tromsø | 0–5 | 1–2 |
| IF Elfsborg | 5–1 | Fola Esch | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| The New Saints | 2–1 | Cliftonville | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Honka | 2–0 | Nõmme Kalju | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Fulham | 3–0 | NSÍ | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| ÍBV | 1–2 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Käerjéng 97 | 2–6 | BK Häcken | 1–1 | 1–5 |
| Aalesund | 6–1 | Neath | 4–1 | 2–0 |
| Renova | 3–3 (2–3 p) | Glentoran | 2–1 | 1–2 (aet) |
| Koper | 2–3 | Shakhter Karagandy | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Banga Gargždai | 0–7 | Qarabağ | 0–4 | 0–3 |
| UE Santa Coloma | 0–5 | Paks | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| Narva Trans | 1–7 | Rabotnicki | 1–4 | 0–3 |
| Rad | 9–1 | Tre Penne | 6–0 | 3–1 |
| Budućnost Podgorica | 3–4 | Flamurtari | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| Ferencváros | 5–0 | Ulisses | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Jagiellonia Białystok | 1–2 | Irtysh | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| AZAL Baku | 2–3 | Minsk | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 5–1 | Milsami Orhei | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Varaždin | 6–1 | Lusitanos | 5–1 | 1–0 |
| Banants | 1–2 | Metalurgi Rustavi | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Birkirkara | 1–2 | Vllaznia | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Široki Brijeg | 0–3 | Olimpija Ljubljana | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Spartak Trnava | 4–2 | Zeta | 3–0 | 1–2 |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Order of legs reversed after original draw.

### Second qualifying round

The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 20 June 2011, immediately after the first qualifying round draw. The first legs were played on 14 July, and the second legs were played on 21 July 2011.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Metalurgi Rustavi | 3–1 | Irtysh | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Sūduva | 1–4 | IF Elfsborg | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Metalurg Skopje | 2–3 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 0–0 | 2–3 |
| Sant Julià | 0–4 | Bnei Yehuda | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Željezničar | 1–0 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| KuPS | 1–2 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Minsk | 2–5 | Gaziantepspor | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| Iskra-Stal | 2–4 | Varaždin | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Tauras Tauragė | 2–5 | ADO Den Haag | 2–3 | 0–2 |
| Glentoran | 0–5 | Vorskla Poltava | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| Juvenes/Dogana | 0–4 | Rabotnicki | 0–1 | 0–3 |
| Örebro SK | 0–2 | Sarajevo | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Crusaders | 1–7 | Fulham | 1–3 | 0–4 |
| Llanelli | 2–6 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 2–1 | 0–5 |
| Floriana | 0–9 | AEK Larnaca | 0–8 | 0–1 |
| Shakhtyor Soligorsk | 2–4 | Ventspils | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| Flamurtari | 1–7 | Jablonec | 0–2 | 1–5 |
| KR | 3–2 | Žilina | 3–0 | 0–2 |
| Vålerenga | 2–0 | Mika | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 3–1 | Bohemians | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Domžale | 2–5 | RNK Split | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Differdange 03 | 1–0 | Levadia Tallinn | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Tirana | 1–3 | Spartak Trnava | 0–0 | 1–3 |
| Ferencváros | 3–4 | Aalesund | 2–1 | 1–3 (aet) |
| Liepājas Metalurgs | 1–4 | Red Bull Salzburg | 1–4 | 0–0 |
| Rad | 1–2 | Olympiacos Volos | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| The New Saints | 3–8 | Midtjylland | 1–3 | 2–5 |
| Kecskemét | 1–1 (a) | Aktobe | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| BK Häcken | 3–0 | Honka | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 3–2 | Gagra | 3–0 | 0–2 |
| Vaduz | 3–3 (a) | Vojvodina | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Rudar Pljevlja | 0–5 | Austria Wien | 0–3 | 0–2 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 3–3 (a) | Dundee United | 1–0 | 2–3 |
| Shakhter Karagandy | 2–3 | St Patrick's Athletic | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| EB/Streymur | 1–1 (a) | Qarabağ | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| FH | 1–3 | Nacional | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Paks | 4–1 | Tromsø | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| TPS | 0–1 | Westerlo | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–1 | Khazar Lankaran | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Vllaznia | 1–2 | Thun | 0–0 | 1–2 |
* 1 2 3 Order of legs reversed after original draw.

### Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 15 July 2011. The first legs were played on 26 and 28 July, and the second legs were played on 4 August 2011.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Atlético Madrid | 4–1 | Strømsgodset | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Young Boys | 5–1 | Westerlo | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Ventspils | 1–9 | Red Star Belgrade | 1–2 | 0–7 |
| Alania Vladikavkaz | 2–2 (4–2 p) | Aktobe | 1–1 | 1–1 (aet) |
| AEK Larnaca | 5–2 | Mladá Boleslav | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| Željezničar | 0–8 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–2 | 0–6 |
| AZ | 3–1 | Jablonec | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 3–4 | Austria Wien | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Bursaspor | 5–2 | Gomel | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Aalesund | 5–1 | IF Elfsborg | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Gaziantepspor | 0–1 | Legia Warsaw | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Hapoel Tel Aviv | 5–2 | Vaduz | 4–0 | 1–2 |
| Metalurgi Rustavi | 2–7 | Rennes | 2–5 | 0–2 |
| Levski Sofia | 3–3 (4–5 p) | Spartak Trnava | 2–1 | 1–2 (aet) |
| Midtjylland | 1–2 | Vitória de Guimarães | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Dinamo București | 4–3 | Varaždin | 2–2 | 2–1 |
| Karpaty Lviv | 5–1 | St Patrick's Athletic | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Palermo | 3–3 (a) | Thun | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| KR | 1–6 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 1–4 | 0–2 |
| Omonia | 3–1 | ADO Den Haag | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 4–0 | Senica | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Club Brugge | 4–2 | Qarabağ | 4–1 | 0–1 |
| Differdange 03 | w/o | Olympiacos Volos | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| Mainz 05 | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 1–1 | 1–1 (aet) |
| Bnei Yehuda | 1–3 | Helsingborgs IF | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Stoke City | 2–0 | Hajduk Split | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Anorthosis Famagusta | 2–3 | Rabotnicki | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Sparta Prague | 7–0 | Sarajevo | 5–0 | 2–0 |
| Vorskla Poltava | 2–0 | Sligo Rovers | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Paks | 2–5 | Heart of Midlothian | 1–1 | 1–4 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 0–0 (4–3 p) | Lokomotiv Sofia | 0–0 | 0–0 (aet) |
| Nacional | 4–2 | BK Häcken | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Ried | 4–4 (a) | Brøndby | 2–0 | 2–4 |
| Vålerenga | 0–5 | PAOK | 0–2 | 0–3 |
| RNK Split | 0–2 | Fulham | 0–0 | 0–2 |
* 1 2 3 4 Order of legs reversed after original draw.
* ↑ Greek club Olympiacos Volos, who had reached the play-off round, were excluded from the competition by UEFA on 11 August 2011 for their involvement in the Koriopolis match-fixing scandal. UEFA decided to replace them in the play-off round with Differdange 03 from Luxembourg, who had lost to Olympiakos Volou in the previous round.

## Play-off round

The draw for the play-off round was held on 5 August 2011. The first legs were played on 18 August, and the second legs were played on 25 August 2011.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 4–2 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Atlético Madrid | 6–0 | Vitória de Guimarães | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 3–2 | Partizan | 1–1 | 2–1 (aet) |
| Metalist Kharkiv | 4–0 | Sochaux | 0–0 | 4–0 |
| Beşiktaş | 3–2 | Alania Vladikavkaz | 3–0 | 0–2 |
| Rosenborg | 1–2 | AEK Larnaca | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Vorskla Poltava | 5–3 | Dinamo București | 2–1 | 3–2 |
| Bursaspor | 3–4 | Anderlecht | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Slovan Bratislava | 2–1 | Roma | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Differdange 03 | 0–6 | Paris Saint-Germain | 0–4 | 0–2 |
| Legia Warsaw | 5–4 | Spartak Moscow | 2–2 | 3–2 |
| Ekranas | 1–4 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 1–0 | 0–4 |
| PAOK | 3–1 | Karpaty Lviv | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Athletic Bilbao | w/o | Trabzonspor | 0–0 | Canc. |
| Heart of Midlothian | 0–5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 0–5 | 0–0 |
| Maribor | 3–2 | Rangers | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Steaua București | 3–1 | CSKA Sofia | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Nordsjælland | 1–2 | Sporting CP | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Fulham | 3–1 | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 3–1 | Spartak Trnava | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Celtic | 6–0 | Sion | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Śląsk Wrocław | 2–4 | Rapid București | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Litex Lovech | 1–3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Lazio | 9–1 | Rabotnicki | 6–0 | 3–1 |
| Nacional | 0–3 | Birmingham City | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Ried | 0–5 | PSV Eindhoven | 0–0 | 0–5 |
| Thun | 1–5 | Stoke City | 0–1 | 1–4 |
| Aalesund | 2–7 | AZ | 2–1 | 0–6 |
| Vaslui | 2–1 | Sparta Prague | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Omonia | 2–2 (a) | Red Bull Salzburg | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Zestaponi | 3–5 | Club Brugge | 3–3 | 0–2 |
| Hannover 96 | 3–2 | Sevilla | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| HJK | 3–6 | Schalke 04 | 2–0 | 1–6 |
| AEK Athens | 2–1 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 1–0 | 1–1 (aet) |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1–6 | Rennes | 1–2 | 0–4 |
| Austria Wien | 3–2 | Gaz Metan Mediaș | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Braga | 2–2 (a) | Young Boys | 0–0 | 2–2 |
| Standard Liège | 4–1 | Helsingborgs IF | 1–0 | 3–1 |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Order of legs reversed after original draw.
* 1 2 As a result of match-fixing allegations, Turkish club Fenerbahçe were removed from the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League and were replaced with Trabzonspor on 24 August 2011. As a result, Trabzonspor's second leg against Athletic Bilbao was cancelled, and Athletic Bilbao qualified for the group stage.
* 1 2 3 Celtic lodged protests over the eligibility of a number of the Sion players who participated in the two legs of the play-off round, which Sion won 3–1 aggregate (first leg: 0–0; second leg: 3–1). The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body accepted the protests and decided to award both matches to Celtic by forfeit (3–0). As a consequence, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Europa League group stage.

## Group stage

The group stage features 48 teams, which were allocated into pots based on their 2011 UEFA club coefficients, and then drawn into twelve groups of four. Teams from the same association cannot be drawn against each other. The draw was held on 26 August 2011 in Monaco.
In each group, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays are 15 September, 29 September, 20 October, 3 November, 30 November – 1 December, and 14–15 December 2011. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the 8 third-placed teams from the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.
If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings (in descending order):
* higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
* superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
* higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
* higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
* If, after applying criteria 1) to 4) to several teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, the criteria 1) to 4) will be reapplied to determine the ranking of these teams;
* superior goal difference from all group matches played;
* higher number of goals scored from all group matches played;
* higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.
A total of 24 national associations are represented in this group stage (including Scotland after Celtic were reinstated into the Europa League over Sion), with England having the most teams, with four. This was also the first time an Irish side were represented in the group stage.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAOK | RK | TH | SR |
| 1 | PAOK | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Rubin Kazan | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 4–1 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 10 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | 3–1 |
| 4 | Shamrock Rovers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 19 | −15 | 0 | | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–4 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SL | HAN | COP | VP |
| 1 | Standard Liège | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 14 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| 2 | Hannover 96 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–0 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Copenhagen | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 5 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Vorskla Poltava | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 2 | | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PSV | LW | HTA | RB |
| 1 | PSV Eindhoven | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 16 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Legia Warsaw | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–3 | — | 3–2 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 7 | | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–1 |
| 4 | Rapid București | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 3 | | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SCP | LAZ | VAS | ZÜR |
| 1 | Sporting CP | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Lazio | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Vaslui | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 6 | | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–2 |
| 4 | Zürich | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 5 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — |

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | BEŞ | SC | DK | MTA |
| 1 | Beşiktaş | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 5–1 |
| 2 | Stoke City | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Dynamo Kyiv | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–3 |
| 4 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 2 | | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AB | RBS | PSG | SB |
| 1 | Athletic Bilbao | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Red Bull Salzburg | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 10 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Paris Saint-Germain | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 10 | | 4–2 | 3–1 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 | | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | — |
* 1 2 Tied on head-to-head points (3) and head-to-head goal difference (0). Head-to-head away goals: Red Bull Salzburg 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0.

### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MK | AZ | AW | MFF |
| 1 | Metalist Kharkiv | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 14 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 |
| 2 | AZ | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 | Advance to knockout phase | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | 4–1 |
| 3 | Austria Wien | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 8 | | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Malmö FF | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 15 | −11 | 1 | | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — |
* 1 2 Tied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.

### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CB | BRA | BC | MAR |
| 1 | Club Brugge | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Braga | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 11 | Advance to knockout phase | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 5–1 |
| 3 | Birmingham City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 10 | | 2–2 | 1–3 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Maribor | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 1 | | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head points: Club Brugge 4, Braga 1.

### Group I

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AM | UDI | CEL | REN |
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| 2 | Udinese | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Celtic | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 6 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 |
| 4 | Rennes | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 3 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — |

### Group J

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SCH | SB | MHA | AEK |
| 1 | Schalke 04 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 14 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| 2 | Steaua București | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 8 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–0 | — | 4–2 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Maccabi Haifa | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 6 | | 0–3 | 5–0 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | AEK Larnaca | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 5 | | 0–5 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |

### Group K

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TWE | WK | FUL | OB |
| 1 | Twente | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 13 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 4–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Wisła Kraków | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 13 | −5 | 9 | Advance to knockout phase | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| 3 | Fulham | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | | 1–1 | 4–1 | — | 2–2 |
| 4 | Odense | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 4 | | 1–4 | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |

### Group L

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AND | LM | AEK | SG |
| 1 | Anderlecht | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 18 | Advance to knockout phase | — | 5–3 | 4–1 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 12 | Advance to knockout phase | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| 3 | AEK Athens | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 3 | | 1–2 | 1–3 | — | 1–2 |
| 4 | Sturm Graz | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 3 | | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | — |
* 1 2 Tied on head-to-head points (3). Head-to-head goal difference: AEK Athens +1, Sturm Graz −1.

## Knockout phase

In the knockout phase, teams play against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final.
In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four better third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage (based on their match record in the group stage) are seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage are unseeded. A seeded team is drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association cannot be drawn against each other. In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there are no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association may be drawn with each other.

### Bracket

| Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| Lazio | Lazio | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Atlético Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 3 | 1 | 4 | Atlético Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Braga | Braga | 0 | 1 | 1 | Beşiktaş | Beşiktaş | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Beşiktaş | Beşiktaş | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | Atlético Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | |
| Wisła Kraków | Wisła Kraków | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | Hannover 96 | Hannover 96 | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Standard Liège (a) | Standard Liège (a) | 1 | 0 | 1 | Standard Liège | Standard Liège | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Hannover 96 | Hannover 96 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Hannover 96 | Hannover 96 | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Club Brugge | Club Brugge | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | Atlético Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| AZ | AZ | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Valencia | Valencia | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Anderlecht | Anderlecht | 0 | 0 | 0 | AZ | AZ | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Udinese | Udinese | 0 | 3 | 3 | Udinese | Udinese | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| PAOK | PAOK | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | AZ | AZ | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Stoke City | Stoke City | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | Valencia | Valencia | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | |
| Valencia | Valencia | 1 | 1 | 2 | Valencia | Valencia | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Trabzonspor | Trabzonspor | 1 | 1 | 2 | PSV Eindhoven | PSV Eindhoven | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 9 May – Bucharest | 9 May – Bucharest | 9 May – Bucharest |
| PSV Eindhoven | PSV Eindhoven | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Atlético Madrid | Atlético Madrid | 3 |
| Legia Warsaw | Legia Warsaw | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Athletic Bilbao | Athletic Bilbao | 0 |
| Sporting CP | Sporting CP | 2 | 1 | 3 | Sporting CP (a) | Sporting CP (a) | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Porto | Porto | 1 | 0 | 1 | Manchester City | Manchester City | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Manchester City | Manchester City | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | Sporting CP | Sporting CP | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Red Bull Salzburg | Red Bull Salzburg | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | Metalist Kharkiv | Metalist Kharkiv | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Metalist Kharkiv | Metalist Kharkiv | 4 | 4 | 8 | Metalist Kharkiv (a) | Metalist Kharkiv (a) | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rubin Kazan | Rubin Kazan | 0 | 0 | 0 | Olympiacos | Olympiacos | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Olympiacos | Olympiacos | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Sporting CP | Sporting CP | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | |
| Steaua București | Steaua București | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | Athletic Bilbao | Athletic Bilbao | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | |
| Twente | Twente | 1 | 1 | 2 | Twente | Twente | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Viktoria Plzeň | Viktoria Plzeň | 1 | 1 | 2 | Schalke 04 | Schalke 04 | 0 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Schalke 04 (a.e.t.) | Schalke 04 (a.e.t.) | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | Schalke 04 | Schalke 04 | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Ajax | Ajax | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | Athletic Bilbao | Athletic Bilbao | 4 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Manchester United | Manchester United | 2 | 1 | 3 | Manchester United | Manchester United | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | Lokomotiv Moscow | 2 | 0 | 2 | Athletic Bilbao | Athletic Bilbao | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Athletic Bilbao (a) | Athletic Bilbao (a) | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Round of 32

The draw for the round of 32 was held on 16 December 2011. The first legs were played on 14 and 16 February, and the second legs were played on 22 and 23 February 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Porto | 1–6 | Manchester City | 1–2 | 0–4 |
| Ajax | 2–3 | Manchester United | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2–2 (a) | Athletic Bilbao | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Red Bull Salzburg | 1–8 | Metalist Kharkiv | 0–4 | 1–4 |
| Stoke City | 0–2 | Valencia | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Rubin Kazan | 0–2 | Olympiacos | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| AZ | 2–0 | Anderlecht | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Lazio | 1–4 | Atlético Madrid | 1–3 | 0–1 |
| Steaua București | 0–2 | Twente | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2–4 | Schalke 04 | 1–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Wisła Kraków | 1–1 (a) | Standard Liège | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Braga | 1–2 | Beşiktaş | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Udinese | 3–0 | PAOK | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Trabzonspor | 2–6 | PSV Eindhoven | 1–2 | 1–4 |
| Hannover 96 | 3–1 | Club Brugge | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Legia Warsaw | 2–3 | Sporting CP | 2–2 | 0–1 |

### Round of 16

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 16 December 2011, immediately after the round of 32 draw. The first legs were played on 8 March, and the second legs were played on 15 March 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Metalist Kharkiv | 2–2 (a) | Olympiacos | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Sporting CP | 3–3 (a) | Manchester City | 1–0 | 2–3 |
| Twente | 2–4 | Schalke 04 | 1–0 | 1–4 |
| Standard Liège | 2–6 | Hannover 96 | 2–2 | 0–4 |
| Valencia | 5–3 | PSV Eindhoven | 4–2 | 1–1 |
| AZ | 3–2 | Udinese | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Atlético Madrid | 6–1 | Beşiktaş | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Manchester United | 3–5 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–3 | 1–2 |

### Quarter-finals

The draws for the quarter-finals were held on 16 March 2012. The first legs were played on 29 March, and the second legs on 5 April 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| AZ | 2–5 | Valencia | 2–1 | 0–4 |
| Schalke 04 | 4–6 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–4 | 2–2 |
| Sporting CP | 3–2 | Metalist Kharkiv | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Atlético Madrid | 4–2 | Hannover 96 | 2–1 | 2–1 |

### Semi-finals

The draws for the semi-finals were held on 16 March 2012, immediately after the quarter-final draw. The first legs were played on 19 April, and the second legs were played on 26 April 2012.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Atlético Madrid | 5–2 | Valencia | 4–2 | 1–0 |
| Sporting CP | 3–4 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–1 | 1–3 |

### Final

The final was played on 9 May 2012 at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania. A draw was held on 16 March 2012, after the quarter-final and semi-final draws, to determine the "home" team for administrative purposes.

## Statistics

Excluding qualifying rounds and play-off round.