The Nervión club faced a registration hurdle for the Europa League, unable to register all 25 first-team players and therefore omitting two players after the winter signings.
Sevilla has been one of the most active clubs in the winter market, both on the incoming and outgoing side, a shift that directly impacted the squad available for the UEFA Europa League as well as the roster changes taking place in the competition.
After finishing third in the group stage of the Champions League, the team from Seville moved into the Europa League and will begin its knockout phase in the round of 16, with the first leg scheduled in late February against PSV.
Yet UEFA regulations restrict the entry to the first-team roster to 22 players in the event of a winter window, allowing only three new additions to be listed. As a result, Tecatito Corona and Pape Gueye were not registered for the European campaign.
Why Pape Gueye and Tecatito Corona cannot play the 2023 Europa League with Sevilla
Sevilla managed to include 22 players on the official list, with 21 on List A and Bryan Gil entering List B as a youth player. Among the possible inclusions from the prior roster were Lucas Ocampos, Loic Bade, and Oliver Torres, who returned after a strong showing in the first part of the season. In addition, with Isco’s departure, Sevilla needed to ensure one of the players would be available under the current rules.
Tecatito Corona, who missed the initial portion of the season due to a serious ankle injury, was not re-registered, and Pape Gueye, who joined Olympique de Marseille on loan, was not listed to participate in the Europa League match calendar.
Interestingly, the newly added players on the roster were assigned unusual numbers, as previously used numbers could not be repeated. Badé will wear 44 after 22 was occupied by Isco, while Ocampos will wear 55 because 5 had already been worn by Dolberg.
Similarly, the winter departures from the Sevilla squad also affect the list. Isco, Dolberg, Januzaj, and Delaney left, leaving the roster composition as follows:
A list: Bono, Dmitrovic, Jesús Navas, Montiel, Badé, Marcao, Nianzou, Rekik, Acuña, Alex Telles, Gudelj, Fernando, Joan Jordán, Oliver Torres, Rakitic, Ocampos, Lamela, Suso, Papu Gómez, En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir. B List: Alberto Flores, Matías, Valentino, Pablo Pérez, Carlos Álvarez and Bryan Gil.
The changes reflect Sevilla’s strategic balance between maintaining squad depth for the domestic league and ensuring compliance with UEFA’s registration rules for European competition. In a season marked by rapid transfers and shifting roles, the club’s ability to field a competitive lineup in the Europa League will hinge on the performances of the listed players and the management’s tactical adjustments for the knockout rounds.
In summary, Sevilla faces a complex regulatory landscape as it competes in the Europa League, balancing new signings with the need to adhere to UEFA’s player-list limits. The team will rely on a carefully selected core and the emergent contributions of those on List A and List B to push through the round of 16 and beyond.