The final was played on Wednesday night, May 20, 2025, in Turkey.
Aston Villa entered the match as favorites and quickly showed their dominance, creating several early chances.
By the 35th minute, Villa had already threatened Freiburg’s defense multiple times, with John McGinn and Emiliano BuendÃa both missing good opportunities.
Morgan Rogers delivered a cross into the box that found Youri Tielemans, who struck a powerful shot to give Aston Villa the lead in the 41st minute.
Just two minutes later, Villa launched another quick attack as McGinn set up BuendÃa, whose long-range strike doubled the lead.
The first half ended with Aston Villa leading 2-0.
Freiburg struggled throughout the match and spent most of the game defending deep in their own half.
In the 57th minute, Morgan Rogers, who had caused problems all night, scored Villa’s third goal to seal the victory.
The final minutes saw Aston Villa comfortably control the game while making several substitutions, including Douglas Luiz, Tyrone Mings, and Jadon Sancho.
Freiburg appeared to run out of answers and accepted defeat as the match came to a close.
The game ended 3-0, with Aston Villa crowned UEFA Europa League champions for the 2026 season.
Unai Emery continued his remarkable record in the competition, winning the Europa League five times — three with Sevilla FC and one with Villarreal CF in 2021 before this latest triumph with Aston Villa.
Villa’s Europa League victory means the Premier League will send six teams to next season’s UEFA Champions League, since Aston Villa had already secured qualification through league position.
That number could rise further if Arsenal F.C. win this season’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain F.C. on May 30, 2026.
Additionally, English clubs could gain another European spot if Crystal Palace F.C. win the UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on May 27, 2026.
