West Ham Europa Conference League group draw 2022/23: Fixtures, schedule, history and odds to advance

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West Ham players including captain Declan Rice (C) celebrate a goal
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After reaching the UEFA Europa League semifinals in 2022, West Ham will meet the team they faced in their last major European final during the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

The Hammers will also head to Belgium for a second successive campaign on the continent after learning their fate at the draw in Istanbul.

West Ham needed to finish in the top six in the Premier League to return to the Europa League, only for an away loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day of the season to prevent David Moyes' side from edging out Manchester United.

The Hammers will become the third English side to compete in the tournament, following the participation of Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City in the inaugural edition, with the Foxes making a run to the last four.

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West Ham's Europa Conference League group and opponents in 2022/23

Group B

  • West Ham
  • FCSB
  • Anderlecht
  • Silkeborg

FCSB

The Bucharest club came from behind in the qualifying playoffs to reach the group stage of the competition, overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit by winning 3-1 at Norwegian opponents Viking.

Anderlecht

Belgian giants Anderlecht beat a West Ham side containing iconic names such as Frank Lampard Snr, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and Keith Robson in the 1976 European Cup Winners' Cup final. West Ham took an early lead and levelled to make the scoreline 2-2 before two goals in the final 18 minutes earned Anderlecht a 4-2 victory.

Silkeborg

In their 105-year history, Danish side Silkeborg have never previously qualified for the group stage of the Europa League or Champions League. Third in the Danish Superliga in 2021-22, SIF's finest hour in Europe was their Intertoto Cup triumph in 1996.

West Ham's Europa Conference League fixtures

Now West Ham have found out their three group-stage opponents, European governing body UEFA will create a group schedule in which they will face the other three clubs home and away on the following dates:

Group Stage schedule

  • Matchday 1: Sept. 8
  • Matchday 2: Sept. 15
  • Matchday 3: Oct. 6
  • Matchday 4: Oct. 13
  • Matchday 5: Oct. 27
  • Matchday 6: Nov. 3

Knockout stage schedule

The group winners advance straight to the round of 16 in 2023.

The group runners-up will have a chance to reach the last 16 via a special playoff round against the third-place group finishers from the Europa League who parachute down into the Conference League.

  • Knockout round playoffs: Feb. 16 (1st Leg), Feb. 23 (2nd Leg)
  • Round of 16: March 9 (1st Leg), March 16 (2nd Leg)
  • Quarterfinals: April 13 (1st Leg), April 20 (2nd Leg)
  • Semifinals: May 11 (1st Leg), May 18 (2nd Leg)
  • Final: June 7 (in Prague, Czech Republic)

Draw schedule

After the group stage draw, there will be three remaining draws in the 2022/23 competition. Each draw will be held at 13:00 GMT / 08:00 ET.

  • Playoff draw: Nov. 7
  • Round of 16 draw: Feb. 24
  • Quarter-finals & semi-finals: March 17

West Ham's Europa Conference League odds

West Ham are priced at 7/1 with SkyBet to win the Europa Conference League 2022/23.

The Sporting News will update this post with West Ham's odds to win Group B and qualify for the knockout stages once they become available.

How did West Ham qualify for the Europa Conference League?

At the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season, England's lone berth in the Conference League was reserved for the League Cup winner.

But since the League Cup winner turned out to be Liverpool, a team which had already qualified to the more prestigious UEFA Champions League, the berth to the Conference League was assigned to the next highest-ranked team in the Premier League.

That allowed the seventh-place side in the Premier League to earn the reward of a berth to the Conference League qualifying stage. West Ham turned out to be the beneficiary.

West Ham Europa League 2022
Europa League

Across the context of the entire campaign, West Ham fans will feel disappointed to have finished in seventh, barely miss out on the top six places, after spending the better part of five months there. A single win in their last seven Premier League games was enough to see them drop off the pace.

MORE: Where will the 2023 Europa League final be held?

David Moyes, West Ham, 17/18

What is West Ham's record in Europe?

West Ham's assault on the Europa League in 2021/22 was the deepest they have gone in European competition during the Premier League era.

The Hammers failed to reach the group stages of the 2015/16 and 2016/17 Europa League alongside early exits in the UEFA Cup in 2000 and 2007.

However, the club enjoyed a better return in Europe during the 1960s and 1970s, with the first ever continental title coming in the 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup against 1860 Munich.

They lost out at the semifinal stage in their title defence in 1966, before losing the 1976 final to Anderlecht and reaching the last eight in 1981.

Author(s)
Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News.