To begin with, the following tables detail the dates of the matches and the format of the matches for the seeded stages of the competition. UEFA Cup matches will take place on Thursdays, although the UEFA Executive Committee decided that countries with three or more representatives in the competition could switch matches to Tuesday, provided that the games kick-off at 18.00 hours CET or earlier.

Format Explained
Four 'Groups' are involved in finally establishing the 16-team knockout UEFA Cup, with no automatic qualifiers. The composition of the four groups:

• Group 1: The eight UEFA Champions League teams who are ranked in third place in their respective groups after the first UEFA Champions League group stage has concluded. These teams enter the UEFA Cup at the Third Round - R3 - stage.
• Group 2: The 16 teams who are eliminated from the final UEFA Champions League qualifying phase. These clubs join the UEFA Cup at the First Round - R1 - stage.
• Group 3: In total, 39 clubs from four distinct sub-groups. Firstly, there are the 17 national cup winners from the associations ranked 1-17. The second sub-group consists of 18 clubs, namely the three sixth-placed teams from the domestic leagues of the countries ranked from 1-3, eight fifth-placed teams from countries ranked from 1-8, five fourth-placed teams from countries ranked from 4-8 and two third-placed teams from the countries ranked 7-8. The final two sub-groups comprise three qualifiers from the UEFA Intertoto Cup and the 1998/99 UEFA Cup winner. All of these clubs join the UEFA Cup at the First Round - R1 - stage. 
• Group 4: The final group consists of 82 teams who enter the the UEFA Cup at one Qualifying Phase - Q3 - prior to the start of the competition proper. This group has three sub-groups comprising firstly of 17 clubs, namely 13 third-placed clubs from countries ranked 9-21, the champion from Andorra, and three Fair Play clubs. The second sub-group comprises 32 national cup winners from associations ranked 18-49, while the third group consists of 33 runners-up in domestic championships from countries ranked 16-48.

At the culmination of the UEFA Cup Third Round, the 16 advance to the Fourth Round, when the competition adopts the knockout format that currently exists until two teams compete in the Final.
The following tables detail the dates of the matches and the format of the matches.

UEFA Table of Coefficients