When was the last time Barcelona played in the UEFA Europa League?

Spanish giant Barcelona is enduring a tough time. It suffered a 0-3 defeat in its final and must-win group stage (Group E) game of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2021-22 against German champion Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday. As a result of this loss, Barca has finished third in its group table of the tournament.

Consequently, it has failed to progress to the pre-quarters stage of the competition. It will now be relegated to the second-tier European tournament, the UEFA Europea League (UEL), where it will take part in the Round of 32. While it happens to be unfamiliar territory for the Catalan, fans are left wondering when was the last time Barcelona played in UEL.

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Well, we have the answer for you here. Notably, the UEL is not entirely unfamiliar territory for Blaugrana. However, it has been over a decade since Barcelona last played in the tournament. In 2003-04, the Catalan prior took part in the competition. The tournament was known as the UEFA Cup back then before being rebranded to UEL in 2009.

In the 2003-04 edition, Barcelona was knocked out in the pre-quarters stage by Celtics. Notably, it has never played the competition in its Lionel Messi era. In the meantime, the last time Blaugrana was eliminated from the UCL group stage was back in 2000-01, finishing third and playing the UEFA Cup for the season.

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If you wonder if Barcelona has ever won the UEL, you are in for another heartbreak. The Catalan's best run in the tournament to date happens to be reaching the semis in the 2000-01 edition, where eventual champion Liverpool defeated it. To date, Barcelona has played 77 games in the UEL, winning 39 and losing 21, besides having 17 draws.

• Barcelona
• UEFA Europa League
• UEFA Champions League