FC Groningen in European football includes the games which have been played by FC Groningen in European competitions organised by UEFA.

Groningen has played Atlético Madrid and Partizan most in European competition, meeting each team on four occasions. Against both opponents, Groningen recorded two victories and two defeats.

History 1980s: First European matches Groningen made their European debut in the 1983–84 UEFA Cup. In the first round, they won 4–2 on aggregate against Atlético Madrid, highlighted by a 3–0 home win. However, their campaign ended in the second round against Inter Milan, where despite a 2–0 home win, they were eliminated after a 5–1 away loss, resulting in a 5–3 defeat on aggregate.

The club returned to the UEFA Cup in the 1986–87 season. They secured victories over Galway United (8–2 on aggregate) and Neuchâtel Xamax (1–1 on aggregate, advancing on away goals) before being eliminated by Vitória S.C. in the third round.

In the 1988–89 UEFA Cup, Groningen again reached the third round. They faced Atlético Madrid in the first round, progressing on away goals. Subsequent victories over Servette (3–1 on aggregate) saw them advance to the third round, where they were defeated by VfB Stuttgart.

1990s: Brief appearances The early 1990s saw Groningen make brief appearances in European competitions. In the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, they were eliminated in the first round by Rot-Weiß Erfurt, losing both home and away matches 1–0. The following season, 1992–93, Groningen were again eliminated in the first round, following a 2–1 defeat on aggregate against Vác FC-Samsung.

2000s: Return to European football After a 13-year absence, Groningen returned to European football in the mid-2000s. In the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, they faced Partizan in the first round. Despite a 1–0 home victory, a 4–2 away loss led to a 4–3 loss on aggregate. The following season, 2007–08, saw them paired with Fiorentina in the first round. After both legs ended in 1–1 draws, Groningen were eliminated after a penalty shoot-out.

2010s: First major honour and Europa League participations By winning the 2014–15 KNVB Cup, their first major honour, Groningen were granted direct entry into the group stages of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League. Groningen faced Olympique de Marseille, Braga, and Slovan Liberec. They finished last in the group, drawing twice and losing four times.

List of matches

SeasonRoundOpponentHomeAwayAggregate1983–84 UEFA CupFirst round Atlético Madrid3–01–24–2Second round Inter Milan2–01–53–51986–87 UEFA CupFirst round Galway United5–13–18–2Second round Neuchâtel Xamax0–01–11–1 (a)Third round Vitória S.C.1–00–31–31988–89 UEFA CupFirst round Atlético Madrid1–01–22–2 (a)Second round Servette2–01–13–1Third round VfB Stuttgart1–30–21–51989–90 Cup Winners' CupFirst round Ikast FS1–02–13–1Second round Partizan4–31–35–61991–92 UEFA CupFirst round Rot-Weiß Erfurt0–10–10–21992–93 UEFA CupFirst round Vác FC-Samsung1–10–11–21995 Intertoto CupGroup 9 Boby Brno Unistav1–22nd Etar Veliko Tarnovo3–0 Beveren2–2 Ceahlăul0–01996 Intertoto CupGroup 10 Gaziantepspor1–13rd Narva Trans4–1 Vasas1–1 Lierse1–21997 Intertoto CupGroup 10 Čukarički Stankom1–02nd Spartak Varna2–0 Gloria Bistrița4–1 Montpellier0–32006–07 UEFA CupFirst round Partizan1–02–43–42007–08 UEFA CupFirst round Fiorentina1–11–12–22014–15 Europa League2nd qualifying round Aberdeen1–20–01–22015–16 Europa LeagueGroup F Olympique de Marseille0–31–24th Braga0–00–1 Slovan Liberec0–11–1UEFA club coefficient: No information

Record by competition

CompetitionParticipationsGamesWonDrawLostGoals scoredGoals concededUEFA Cup Winners' Cup1430187UEFA Cup72486102931UEFA Europa League28035310UEFA Intertoto Cup3126422112Total13481713186160

Record by country

CountryGamesWonDrawLostGoals ScoredGoals AgainstOpponents1 SerbiaIncluding the teams of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro5302910Čukarički Stankom (1), Partizan (4)2 Germany400417Rot-Weiß Erfurt (2), VfB Stuttgart (2) Italy412157Fiorentina (2), Inter Milan (2) Portugal411214Braga (2), Vitória S.C. (2) Spain420264Atlético Madrid (4) Switzerland413042Neuchâtel Xamax (2), Servette (2)7 Czech Republic311133Boby Brno Unistav (1), Slovan Liberec (2) France300318Montpellier (1), Olympique de Marseille (2) Hungary302123Vác FC-Samsung (2), Vasas (1)10 Belgium201134Beveren (1), Lierse (1) Bulgaria220050Etar Veliko Tarnovo (1), Spartak Varna (1) Denmark220032Ikast FS (2) Ireland220082Galway United (2) Romania211041Gloria Bistrița (1), Ceahlăul (1) Scotland201112Aberdeen (2)16 Estonia110041Narva Trans (1) Turkey101011Gaziantepspor (1)

Top scorers

#GoalsPlayerDate of last goalCompetition16 Mariano Bombarda13 July 19971997 Intertoto Cup25 Henny Meijer18 October 19891989–90 Cup Winners' Cup Peter Houtman1 October 19861986–87 UEFA Cup44 Dean Gorré29 June 19961996 Intertoto Cup53 Erwin Koeman19 October 19831983–84 UEFA Cup Theo ten Caat1 November 19891989–90 Cup Winners' Cup

Notes

References

External links FC Groningen at the UEFA website Official website of FC Groningen