2018–19 EuroCup Basketball
The 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball season, also known as 7DAYS EuroCup for sponsorship reasons, is the 17th season of Euroleague Basketball's secondary level professional club basketball tournament. It is the 11th season since it was renamed from the ULEB Cup to the EuroCup, and the third season under the title sponsorship name of 7DAYS.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Team allocation
A total of 24 teams participate in the 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Team allocation, Teams
The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Round and draw dates, Draw
The draw was held on 5 July 2018 at the Mediapro Auditorium in Barcelona.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Round and draw dates, Draw
The 24 teams were drawn into four groups of six, with the restriction that teams from the same country could not be drawn against each other. For this purpose, Adriatic League worked as only one country. For the draw, the teams were seeded into six pots, in accordance with the Club Ranking, based on their performance in European competitions during a three-year period and the lowest possible position that any club from that league can occupy in the draw is calculated by adding the results of the worst performing team from each league.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Round and draw dates, Draw
The fixtures were decided after the draw, using a computer draw not shown to public, with the following match sequence:


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Round and draw dates, Draw
Note: Positions for scheduling do not use the seeding pots, e.g., Team 1 is not necessarily the team from Pot 1 in the draw.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Round and draw dates, Draw
There were scheduling restrictions: for example, teams from the same city in general are not scheduled to play at home on the same round (to avoid them playing at home on the same day or on consecutive days, due to logistics and crowd control).


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Regular season
In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners, runners-up, third-placed teams and fourth-placed teams advanced to the Top 16, while the fifth-placed teams and sixth-placed teams were eliminated. The rounds were 2–3 October, 9–10 October, 16–17 October, 23–24 October, 30–31 October, 6–7 November, 13–14 November, 20–21 November, 11–12 December, and 18–19 December 2018.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Top 16
In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the Playoffs, while the third-placed teams and fourth-placed teams were eliminated. The rounds were 2–3 January, 8–9 January, 15–16 January, 22–23 January, 29–30 January, and 5–6 February 2019.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball, Playoffs
In the playoffs, teams play against each other must win two games to win the series. Thus, if one team wins two games before all three games have been played, the game that remains is omitted. The team that finished in the higher Top 16 place will play the first and the third (if it is necessary) legs of the series at home. The playoffs involves the eight teams which qualified as winners and runners-up of each of the four groups in the Top 16.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs
The 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs began on 5 March and will end on 12 or 15 April 2019 with the second or third leg, if necessary, of the 2019 EuroCup Finals, to decide the champions of the 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball. Eight teams compete in the playoffs.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs
Times up to 27 March 2019 are CET (UTC+1), thereafter (finals) times are CEST (UTC+2).


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs, Format
The playoffs involves the eight teams which qualified as winners and runners-up of each of the four groups in the 2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Top 16.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs, Format
Each tie in the playoffs, apart from the final, is played with a best-of-three-games format. The team that performed better in the Top 16 will play the games first and third, if necessary, at home.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs, Quarterfinals
The first legs were played on 5 March, the second legs on 8 March and the third legs, if necessary, on 13 March 2019.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs, Semifinals
The first legs were played on 19 March, the second legs on 22 March.


2018–19 EuroCup Basketball Playoffs, Finals
The first leg will be played on 9 April, the second leg on 12 April, and the third leg on 15 April 2019, if necessary.


2018–19 EuroCup Women
The 2018–19 EuroCup Women was the seventeenth edition of FIBA Europe's second-tier international competition for women's basketball clubs under such name.


2018–19 EuroCup Women, Teams
Teams were confirmed by FIBA Europe on 29 June 2018.


2018–19 EuroCup Women, Group stage
Draw for the group stage was made on 5 July 2018 in Munich, Germany.


2018–19 EuroLeague
The 2018–19 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 19th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the eighth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champions Cup, this was be the 62nd season of the premier competition for European men's clubs.


2018–19 EuroLeague
The season started on 11 October 2018 and finished in May 2019 with the 2019 EuroLeague Final Four at Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. CSKA Moscow won the championship after defeating Anadolu Efes in the championship game.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Team allocation
A total of sixteen teams participated. The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round (TH: EuroLeague title holders). Eleven teams were placed as Licensed Clubs, long-term licenses, while five spots were given to Associated Clubs, based on merit.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Teams
A total of 16 teams from 9 countries contest the league, including 11 sides with a long-term licence from the 2017–18 season, 1 team qualified from the EuroCup and the 4 highest-placed teams from the ABA League, the German Bundesliga, the VTB United League and the Spanish ACB.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Teams
Bayern Munich and Budućnost VOLI qualified, after clinching the Bundesliga and ABA League titles respectively. Khimki qualified as runner-up of the VTB United League. Herbalife Gran Canaria qualified as the highest-placed team in the Liga ACB without a long-term EuroLeague licence. Darüşşafaka qualified as the EuroCup champions, after beating Lokomotiv Kuban in the Finals.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Regular season
In the regular season, teams played against each other home and away in a round-robin format. The top eight teams advanced to the playoffs and the bottom eight teams were eliminated.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Playoffs
Playoffs series are best-of-five. The first team to win three games wins the series. A 2–2–1 format is used – teams with home-court advantage play games 1, 2, and 5 at home, while their opponents host games 3 and 4. Games 4 and 5 are only played if necessary. The four victorious teams advance to the Final Four.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Final Four
The Final Four, held over a single weekend, is the last phase of the season. The four remaining teams play a single knockout round on Friday evening, with the two winners advancing to the championship game. Sunday starts with the third-place game, followed by the championship game. The Final Four was played at the Fernando Buesa Arena in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on 17 and 19 May 2019.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Attendances, Average home attendances
Source: Notes:1: 2017–18 season average applied to EuroCup games 2: AX Armani Exchange Olimpia played one match at PalaBancoDesio, instead of Mediolanum Forum.


2018–19 EuroLeague, Attendances, Top 10
Panathinaikos game against Olympiacos was played with only 17,345 seats available for security reasons


2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season
The 2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season is played from 11 October 2018 to 6 April 2019. A total of 16 teams compete in the regular season to decide the eight places of the playoffs.


2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season
Times since 1 November 2018 up to 22 March 2019 are CET (UTC+1), times up to 26 October 2018 and since 28 March 2019 are CEST (UTC+2).


2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season, Format
In the regular season, teams play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The eight first qualified teams will advance to the Playoffs, while the last eight qualified teams will be eliminated. The matchdays are from 11 October 2018 to 5 April 2019.


2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season, Format, Tiebreakers
If a tiebreaker does not resolve a tie completely, a new tiebreak process is initiated with only those teams that remain tied. All points scored in extra periods will not be counted in the standings, nor for any tie-break situation.


2018–19 EuroLeague Regular Season, League table, Positions by round
The table lists the positions of teams after completion of each round. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included in the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 13, but then postponed and played between rounds 16 and 17, it will be added to the standings for round 16.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women
The 2018–19 EuroLeague Women was the 61st edition of the European women's club basketball championship organized by FIBA, and the 23rd edition since being rebranded as the EuroLeague Women.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Team allocation
A total of 20 teams from 11 countries participated in the 2018–19 EuroLeague Women.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Team allocation, Teams
League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: EuroLeague Women title holders):


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Round and draw dates, Draw
The draw was held on 5 July 2018 at the FIBA headquarters in Munich, Germany. The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight. For the draw, the teams were seeded into eight seeds.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Regular season
The regular season started on 24 October 2018 and ended on 20 February 2019.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Regular season
The four top teams of each group qualified for the quarterfinals.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Regular season
If teams are level on record at the end of the Regular Season, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Awards
This year the regular season awards decided by fan vote.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Individual leaders
Stats includes postseason games and are sorted on average per game.


2018–19 EuroLeague Women, Team leaders
Stats includes postseason games and are sorted on average per game.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament
The 2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, also called Adidas Next Generation Tournament by sponsorship reasons, is the 17th edition of the international junior basketball tournament organized by the Euroleague Basketball Company.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament
As in past years, 32 teams joined the first stage, which are played in four qualifying tournaments between December 2018 and February 2019.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, Qualifying tournaments, Valencia
The Valencia Tournament was played between 28 and 30 December 2018.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, Qualifying tournaments, Munich Tournament
The Munich Tournament was played between 25 and 27 January 2019.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, Qualifying tournaments, Kaunas Tournament
The Kaunas Tournament was played between 8 and 10 February 2019.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, Qualifying tournaments, Belgrade Tournament
The Belgrade Tournament was played between 22 and 24 February 2019.


2018–19 Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament, Final Tournament
The Final Tournament was played between 16 and 19 May 2019 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup
The 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup is the fifth edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this is the 23rd edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition. Clubs from five of the nations that participate in the Six Nations Championship (Scotland being the only exception), along with club-sides from Romania and Russia, are competing.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup
The first round of the group stage began on 12 October 2018, and the competition will end with the final on 10 May 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. This will be the second time the final will be held in England in the era of the current Challenge Cup, and the 12th including finals of the original Challenge Cup.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams
A total of 20 teams qualified for the 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup; 18 qualified from across the Gallagher Premiership, Guinness Pro14 and Top 14, as a direct result of their domestic league performance, with two qualifying through the Continental Shield competition. Subject to the allocation of the 20th place in the 2018–19 Champions Cup as per EPCR rules, the distribution of teams was:


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Qualifying competition – European Rugby Continental Shield
The qualification tournament was reformatted as a competition in its own right, the European Rugby Continental Shield, in 2017. Eight teams were split into two pools of four to compete in the pool stage of the European Rugby Continental Shield. Each team played the four teams in the other pool once. The winner of each pool then played-off against the runner-up of the other pool. The winners of these two qualifying play-offs played each other in a two-legged play-off for a place in the Challenge Cup.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Qualifying competition – European Rugby Continental Shield
The two Russian teams who had competed in the 2017–18 tournament played each other in a two-legged qualifying play-off for a place in the Challenge Cup. The winners of the two qualifying play-offs, having both qualified for the Challenge Cup, then played each other in the European Rugby Continental Shield final in May 2018.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Ineligible teams
Heidelberger RK were due to become the first German club to take part in either of the two major European rugby union competitions after qualification from the 2017–18 European Rugby Continental Shield. However, they were ruled ineligible by EPC Rugby due to their primary financial backer, Hans-Peter Wild, also being the majority shareholder in Stade Français and therefore being in a position to influence two teams in the competition.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Ineligible teams
Timișoara Saracens, who had been eliminated by Heidelberger RK at the Continental Shield semi-final stage (effectively the Challenge Cup play-off)  were confirmed as their replacement on 11 June 2018.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Team details
Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Teams, Team details
Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist and QF for losing Quarter-finalist.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Seeding
The 20 competing teams were seeded and split into four tiers; seeding was based on performance in their respective domestic leagues. Where promotion and relegation is in effect in a league, the promoted team was seeded last, or (if multiple teams are promoted) by performance in the lower competition.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Seeding
Teams are taken from a league in order of rank and put into a tier. A draw is used to allocate two second seeds to Tier 1; the remaining team goes into Tier 2. This allocation indirectly determines which fourth-seeded team entered Tier 2, while the others enter Tier 3.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Seeding
Given the nature of the Continental Shield — a competition including developing rugby nations and Italian clubs not competing in the Pro14 — the two qualifiers from that competition were automatically included in Tier 4 and are seeded equally, despite officially being ranked 1 and 2 from that competition.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Seeding
The brackets show each team's seeding and their league (for example, 1 Top 14 indicates the team was seeded 1st from the Top 14).


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Pool stage
The draw took place on 20 June 2018 in the Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Pool stage
Teams in the same pool play each other twice, both at home and away in the group stage started in October 2018, and continues through to January 2019. The pool winners and three best runners-up progressed to the quarter finals.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Pool stage
Teams are awarded competition points, based on match result. Teams receive four points for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Pool stage
In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers will be used, as directed by EPCR:


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The eight qualifiers are ranked according to their performance in the pool stage and compete in the quarter-finals which will be held on the weekend of 28–31 March 2019. The four top teams will host the quarter-finals against the four lower teams in a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 format.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The semi-finals will be played on the weekend of 19–21 April 2019. As in recent seasons, a fixed semi-final bracket is set in advance. However, beginning this season the higher-seeded team will host each semi-final regardless of whether they won their quarter-final at home or on the road.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The winners of the semi-finals will contest the final, at St James' Park, on 10 May 2019.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Team
111–3 Northampton Saints at home to Timișoara Saracens on 18 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Team
82–21 La Rochelle away to Enisei-STM on 13 October 2018


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Team
Northampton Saints at home to Timișoara Saracens on 18 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Player
Maxime Lafage for La Rochelle away to Enisei-STM on 13 October 2018 Andy Uren for Bristol Bears at home Enisei-STM on 19 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Player
Andy Uren for Bristol Bears at home Enisei-STM on 19 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Player
James Grayson for Northampton Saints at home to Timișoara Saracens on 18 January 2019 Callum Sheedy for Bristol Bears at home Enisei-STM on 19 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Player
Ihaia West for La Rochelle away to Zebre on 19 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Player
Camille Lopez for Clermont at home to Harlequins on 20 April 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup, Season records, Attendances
Enisei-STM at home to Bristol Bears on 12 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage
The 2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage is the first stage of the competition in the fifth season of the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The competition involves twenty teams competing across five pools of four teams for eight quarter-final places – awarded to the five pool winners and the three top-ranked pool runners-up. The pool stage begins on 13 October 2018 and is due to be completed on 18 January 2019.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Seeding
The 20 competing teams were seeded and split into four tiers; seeding was based on performance in their respective domestic leagues. Where promotion and relegation is in effect in a league, the promoted team was seeded last, or (if multiple teams are promoted) by performance in the lower competition.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Seeding
Teams will be taken from a league in order of rank and put into a tier. A draw will be used to allocate two second seeds to Tier 1; the remaining team goes into Tier 2. This allocation indirectly determines which fourth-seeded team entered Tier 2, while the others enter Tier 3.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Seeding
Given the nature of the Continental Shield – a competition including developing rugby nations and Italian clubs not competing in the Pro14 – the two qualifiers from that competition were automatically included in Tier 4 and are seeded equally, despite officially being ranked 1 and 2 from that competition.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Seeding
The brackets show each team's seeding and their league (for example, 1 Top 14 indicates the team was seeded 1st from the Top 14).


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Pool stage
The draw will take place on 20 June 2018 in the Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Pool stage
Teams in the same pool will play each other twice, both at home and away in the group stage, that will begin in October 2018, and continue through to January 2019, before the pool winners and three best runners-up progressed to the quarter finals.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Pool stage
Teams will be awarded competition points, based on match result. Teams receive four points for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.


2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage, Pool stage
In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers will be used, as directed by EPCR:


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup
The 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the fifth season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (ECPR) for teams from the top six nations in Europe. It is the 24th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition. This competition is the first to be sponsored by Heineken since the 2013–14 season.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup
The tournament started on 12 October 2018. The final, featuring the last two winners of the event, Saracens and Leinster, took place on 11 May 2019 at St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with Saracens being crowned champions for the third time.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Teams
Twenty clubs from the three major European domestic and regional leagues competed in the Champions Cup. Nineteen of these qualified directly as a result of their league performance.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Teams
In a change to previous seasons, the play-off to decide the 20th team was not held. The final place in the Champions Cup is now directly awarded in the following order:


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Teams, Team details
Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Teams, Team details
Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist, QF for losing Quarter-finalist, and PO for the Pro14 7th place play-off winner.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Seeding
The twenty competing teams are seeded and split into four tiers, each containing five teams.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Seeding
For the purpose of creating the tiers, clubs are ranked based on their domestic league performances and on their qualification for the knockout phases of their championships. For example, a losing quarter-finalist would be seeded below a losing semi-finalist, even if they finished above them in the regular season.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Seeding
Based on these seedings, teams are placed into one of the four tiers, with the top seed clubs being put in Tier 1. The nature of the tier system means that a draw is needed to allocate two of the three second seed clubs to Tier 1 and to allocate one of the three fourth seed clubs to Tier 2. The tiers are shown below. Brackets show each team's seeding and their league (for example, "1 Top 14" indicates the team was seeded 1st from the Top 14).


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Pool stage
The draw took place on 20 June 2018, in Lausanne, Switzerland.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Pool stage
Teams in the same pool play each other twice, at home and away, in the group stage that begins on the weekend of 12–14 October 2018, and continues through to 18–20 January 2019. The five pool winners and three best runners-up progress to the quarter finals.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Pool stage
Teams are awarded group points based on match performances. Four points are awarded for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Pool stage
In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers are used, as directed by EPCR:


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The eight qualifiers are ranked according to their performance in the pool stage and compete in the quarter-finals which will be held on the weekend of 28–31 March 2019. The four top teams will host the quarter-finals against the four lower teams in a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 format.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The semi-finals were played on the weekend of 19–21 April 2019. As in recent seasons, a fixed semi-final bracket was set in advance. Beginning this season, the higher-seeded team received home country/venue advantage for each semi-final, regardless of whether they won their quarter-final at home or on the road. Also new for this season was the EPRC's use of discretion to allow semi-finals to be played at a qualified club's home venue.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Knock-out stage, Format
The winners of the semi-finals contested the final, at St James' Park, on 11 May 2019.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Team
52–3 Leinster at home to Wasps on 12 October 2018


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Team
56–27 Saracens at home to Glasgow Warriors on 30 March 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Team
Leinster at home to Wasps on 12 October 2018Leinster at home to Bath on 15 December 2018Saracens at home to Glasgow Warriors on 30 March 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Team
Castres at home to Exeter Chiefs on 20 October 2018Lyon at home to Saracens on 13 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Player
Joey Carbery for Munster at away to Gloucester on 11 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Player
Alex Lozowski for Saracens at home to Glasgow Warriors on 30 March 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Player
Owen Farrell for Saracens at home to Munster on 20 April 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Player
Julien Dumora for Castres at home to Exeter Chiefs on 20 October 2018 Jonathan Wisniewski for Lyon at home to Saracens on 13 January 2019


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, Season records, Attendances
Newcastle Falcons at home to Montpellier on 21 October 2018


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage
The 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage is the first stage of the 24th season of European club rugby union, and the fifth under the European Rugby Champions Cup format.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage
The competition involves twenty teams, across five pools of four teams, for eight quarter-final places – awarded to the five pool winners and the three top-ranked pool runners-up.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage
The pool stage began on the weekend of 12-14 October 2018, and ended following 6 rounds of games, on the weekend of 18-20 January 2019.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Seeding
The twenty competing teams are seeded and split into four tiers, each containing five teams.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Seeding
For the purpose of creating the tiers, clubs are ranked based on their domestic league performances and on their qualification for the knockout phases of their championships. For example, a losing quarter-finalist would be seeded below a losing semi-finalist, even if they finished above them in the regular season.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Seeding
Based on these seedings, teams are placed into one of the four tiers, with the top seed clubs being put in Tier 1. The nature of the tier system means that a draw is needed to allocate two of the three second seed clubs to Tier 1 and to allocate one of the three fourth seed clubs to Tier 2. The tiers are shown below. Brackets show each team's seeding and their league (for example, "1 Top 14" indicates the team was seeded 1st from the Top 14).


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Pool stage
The draw took place on 20 June 2018, in Lausanne, Switzerland.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Pool stage
Teams in the same pool play each other twice, at home and away, in the group stage that begins on the weekend of 12/13/14 October 2018, and continues through to 18/19/20 January 2019. The five pool winners and three best runners-up progress to the quarter finals.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Pool stage
Teams are awarded group points based on match performances. Four points are awarded for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Pool stage
In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers will be used, as directed by EPCR:


2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage, Pool stage
(Q) denotes the team has qualified for the quarter-finals as the pool winners(q) denotes team has at least qualified for the quarter-finals as one of the three highest-scoring second-place teams


2018–19 European windstorm season
The 2018–2019 European windstorm season was the fourth instance of seasonal European windstorm naming in Europe. Most storms form between September and March. The first named storm, Ali, affected primarily the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 September 2018.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Background and naming
In 2015, the British and Irish national meteorological agencies, Met Office and Met Éireann respectively, announced a pilot project to name storm warnings as part of the Name our Storms project for wind storms and asked the public for suggestions. The meteorological offices produced a full list of names for 2015–2016 through to 2017–2018, common to both the UK and Ireland. A new list of names was released on 11 September 2018 for the 2018–2019 season. Names in the UK were based on the National Severe Weather Warning Service, when a storm is assessed to have the potential for an Amber 'be prepared' or Red 'take action (danger to life)' warning.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Background and naming
There are two main naming lists, created by the national meteorological agencies of the UK and Ireland, and France, Spain and Portugal respectively. Additionally, former Atlantic hurricanes will retain their names as assigned by the National Hurricane Center of the United States.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Background and naming, France, Spain and Portugal
This is the second season in which the meteorological agencies of France, Spain and Portugal will be naming storms which affect their areas. This naming scheme is partially overlapping with that used by the UK and Ireland, as storms named by the other group of agencies will be used reciprocally.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Background and naming, Other naming systems
Two former Atlantic hurricanes transitioned into European windstorms during the season, and retained their names as assigned by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida:


2018–19 European windstorm season, Background and naming, Other naming systems
Additionally to these naming systems, the Free University of Berlin also names high and low pressure areas through its "Adopt a vortex" programme. The Nordic nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden also name storms with more limited reciprocation. Other nations may also name storms either through their national meteorological institutions or popularly.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Season summary
The season began on 16 September 2018 with the naming of Storm Helene, a former Atlantic hurricane. However, as it weakened considerably while approaching the British Isles, all warnings for Helene were discontinued on 18 September. Later that day, the second storm of the season, Storm Ali, was named by the Met Office and Met Éireann with the issuance of amber wind warnings for the following day. The third storm of the season, Bronagh, was named on 20 September; the earliest third named storm in a season since naming began.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms
The season was prefaced by the extratropical remnants of Hurricane Helene which affected the UK and Ireland on 17–18 September. This began an active period of storm formation under a fast moving jet stream over the Atlantic.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Helene
While still a tropical cyclone, Hurricane Helene affected the Azores from 15 to 16 September 2018. The system subsequently completed an extratropical transition on 16 September as it accelerated north-eastwards towards the British Isles, with the outer bands of Storm Helene causing minimal impacts in north-western Spain and Portugal.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Helene
Storm Helene crossed the UK and Ireland on 17–18 September, with the Met Office and Met Éireann issuing yellow wind warnings. The Met Office's yellow warning of wind covered southern England, the Midlands and Wales overnight from 17 to 18 September, with forecasts predicting winds of up to 60 to 70 mph (97 to 113 km/h).


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Helene
Helene was downgraded as it approached the British Isles, with winds gusting to only 40 to 50 mph (64 to 80 km/h) in isolated locations; as a result, all warnings were cancelled on 18 September as Helene was still crossing the UK. Subsequently, Helene emerged into the Norwegian Sea and stalled off the coast of Norway as a weakened system, finally being absorbed by Storm Bronagh approaching from the south-west on 21 September.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
Storm Ali was named on 18 September by Met Éireann and Met Office, who both issued Amber weather warnings for wind associated with Ali. The centre of circulation of Ali made landfall in south-western Ireland in the early hours of 19 September, crossing into Northern Ireland before re-emerging into the Atlantic and then making a second landfall close to Ullapool in north-western Scotland at around 14:00 local time (UTC+1). The highest wind gust recorded in the Republic of Ireland was 143 km/h (89 mph) at Mace Head weather station in County Galway. The highest gust record in the United Kingdom was 102 mph (164 km/h) recorded on the Tay Road Bridge in Scotland. The winds on this storm were equivalent to a Category 2 on the Saffir–Simpson scale.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
Storm Ali killed two people in Ireland and the UK. A caravan was blown over a cliff onto a beach near the village of Claddaghduff in County Galway, killing a woman who was visiting from Switzerland. In County Armagh, a man in his 20s was killed by a falling tree. Falling trees also severely injured a woman in Cheshire. There was also severe tree damage in the Galway City and County region, which led to numerous school and road closures.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
Electricity supplies were lost to more than 100,000 homes across Northern Ireland, with more than 25,000 remaining without power into the following morning; the worst affected areas for power outages were Omagh, Dungannon and Enniskillen. Across the border in the Republic of Ireland, more than 186,000 properties lost electricity during Ali, of which 119,000 had power restored by the end of the day.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
In County Antrim, the M1 motorway was closed in both directions for several hours after power cables fell across the carriageways. Enterprise trains between Belfast and Dublin were delayed for up to seven hours due to debris on the tracks. Services between Belfast and Derry were suspended, and a blanket speed restriction of 50 mph (80 km/h) was enforced on all NI Railways services pending track inspections, causing widespread delays. There were also delays to flights at Belfast International Airport. In Greenock in Scotland, the MS Nautica cruise ship broke free from her moorings and drifted for several hours before being rescued by tugboats.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
A major incident was declared by police in Dumfries and Galloway after many people were injured by flying debris; schools were placed on lockdown for the safety of students, as Ali's highest winds in this area occurred around the end of the school day. On the Highland Main Line, a freight train was derailed after striking fallen tree branches.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
In Cumbria, fallen trees and power lines caused disruption to transport and left homes without power; overturned lorries caused the M6 motorway to close for several hours, and Virgin Trains services along the West Coast Main Line were delayed or cancelled between Preston and Glasgow Central. Dozens of trees fell or were damaged across the city of Sheffield, where council housing stock suffered considerable damage, including one housing block which had its roof ripped off in the Gleadless Valley area of the city.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Ali
After clearing the UK, Ali made landfall in Norway, where several thousand homes were left without power in the west of the country. Ali subsequently tracked over northern Scandinavia and into Siberia, exiting the basin on 22 September.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Bronagh
Bronagh first developed as a wave depression close to the southeast coast of Ireland. The storm was named on 20 September, and was expected to develop further over the British Isles. Yellow weather warnings were issued with the "possibility" that further upgrades to Amber warnings may be needed depending on how Bronagh developed over the UK. However, Bronagh did not develop over the Isles, and instead strengthened over the North Sea. Thus, no Amber alert for Bronagh was issued by the UK Met Office.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Bronagh
Bronagh brought heavy rainfall to southern Ireland, Wales, and northern England. Heavy rainfall fell across Wales and northern England on 20 September as Bronagh approached. In Sheffield, 66.2 mm (2.61 in) of rain fell in a 24-hour period, breaking the previous record of 58.9 mm (2.32 in) set on 14 September 1994 for the city's wettest September day since records began. Rainfall accumulations reached 70 mm (2.8 in) widely across Wales and northern England, with some parts of Wales recording up to 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Bronagh
As a result of heavy rainfall from Bronagh, widespread flooding was reported. Flash flooding in Sheffield was the worst to affect the city since June 2007. Along the A6178 Sheffield Road between Sheffield and Rotherham, rapidly rising floodwaters caused cars and vans to become stranded. In nearby Tinsley, a woman had to be rescued from her car after becoming trapped in rising water. East Midlands Trains reported that severe flooding from the River Sheaf and Porter Brook was affecting Sheffield station, with services delayed or cancelled as a result. Bus services across the city were also suspended as the flooding peaked during the evening rush hour, stranding thousands of people. Flooding was additionally reported in Sheffield City Centre, Bradway, Intake, Meersbrook, Nether Edge and Woodseats amongst other districts.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Bronagh
The storm continued to intensify over the North Sea, tracking towards Norway. The island of Heligoland and the Alte Weser lighthouse on the German coast recorded gusts of 107 km/h (66 mph), while the Lindesnes Lighthouse in Norway recorded the highest wind speed at 154 km/h (96 mph). A truck driver in Hamburg suffered injuries after his truck was hit by a shipping container. Bronagh absorbed the remnants of ex-Hurricane Helene over the Norwegian Sea before making landfall in Scandinavia on 22 September, subsequently tracking northwards into the Arctic and out of the basin by 25 September.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Callum
On 10 October, a weak weather system to the south of Spain organized into Storm Callum. Callum moved further northeastward while strengthening in particularly favourable conditions. The system then underwent explosive cyclogenesis, as it was forced toward the United Kingdom by a jet stream. On 11 October, Callum reached its peak intensity on approach to Cardiff, Wales. The storm began to weaken due to an impinging weather system. which had an adverse effect on Callum before it made impact on land.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Callum
The system then brought intense winds with speeds of up to 76 mph (122 km/h) to parts of northern England, along with torrential rains to parts of Wales with 95.6 mm (3.76 in) recorded in Libanus but overall only made a minimal impact on land. Unexpected warm weather was reported soon after, with Donna Nook in Lincolnshire reaching 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) in the afternoon. At 21:00 UTC, Callum subsequently moved across Iceland and the Norwegian Sea as a weakened system, continuing northwards into the Arctic and out of the basin by 16 October.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Callum
As of 13 October 2018, the storm has caused two indirect fatalities; a 33-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman are said to have encountered difficulties in the Penarth Marina. The storm has caused one direct fatality; a person died after a landslide in Cwmduad.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Leslie
While still a tropical cyclone, the center of Hurricane Leslie passed within 100 nautical miles (190 km) of Madeira. This prompted the issuance of tropical storm warnings to the archipelago on 11 October, the first ever tropical cyclone warnings issued in Europe. Beaches and parks were closed, 180 sports matches were postponed and dozens of flights were cancelled until Leslie began to move away from the archipelago and all warnings were cancelled on 13 October.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Leslie
Leslie transitioned into a powerful extratropical cyclone on 13 October and made landfall in Figueira da Foz in central Portugal with sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) at 21:10 UTC that day. Red weather warnings were issued for 13 out of 18 districts in Portugal by the time Leslie made landfall, including Lisbon. Extreme wind gusts, associated with a sting jet, were recorded in the Figueira da Foz area after landfall, gusting as high as 180 km/h (110 mph).


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Leslie
High winds and flooding from heavy rainfall caused damage across Portugal and Spain, leaving 324,000 homes without power in Portugal at the height of the storm. Sixty people were evacuated from their homes during the storm, and more than 1,000 trees were blown down across Portugal. Leslie caused two fatalities and 28 injuries in mainland Portugal, and damage estimated at more than €100 million across the Iberian peninsula.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Leslie
Leslie weakened as it moved across the Iberian peninsula, with winds gusting up to a maximum of 97 km/h (60 mph) reported across Spain. However, heavy rainfall from the system persisted and later fed into a low-pressure system to the north, resulting in record-breaking rainfall across southern France. Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding were reported, with Carcassonne recording 180 mm (7.1 in) of rainfall in a five-hour period on 14 October.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Ex-Hurricane Leslie
The worst affected town was Villegailhenc in Aude; the Aude River rose to a height of 7.0 m (23 ft) above average, its highest level since 1891, and flooding in Villegailhenc resulted in 14 fatalities. Wind gusts of 11 km/h (6.8 mph) and wave heights of 7.60 m (24.9 ft) were recorded in Sète. In total, damage from Leslie in southern France was estimated at more than €220 million.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
Storm Adrian formed on 28 October over the western Mediterranean Sea, becoming the sixth named storm of the season and the first to be named by Météo-France. Adrian strengthened as it tracked between the Balearic Islands and Corsica, later making landfall in Corsica on 29 October with winds gusting up to 189 km/h (117 mph). In the city of Ajaccio, winds gusts of up to 117 km/h (73 mph) were recorded, the second highest ever measured in the city.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
Adrian subsequently continued northwards and made landfall along the French Riviera later that day, bringing high winds, heavy rain, thunderstorms and a severe storm surge along the south coast of France. Severe coastal erosion damaged the beaches at Nice.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
A trailing weather front from Adrian advanced into northern Italy causing severe coastal flooding, the Italian Riviera was severely damaged, the port of Rapallo completely destroyed with two hundred damaged and sunken boats, partially isolated Portofino by land with destruction of the coastal road, while on Adriatic coast, has killed six people in Venice and has damaged the Basilica of San Marco and left 75% of the city underwater; across northern Italy, flooding and landslides from heavy rainfall killed a further four people. Two tornadoes touched down in the centre of Terracina, killing one person and injuring ten others.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
Heavy snowfall was reported in central France as the centre of Storm Adrian advanced northwards, and 200,000 houses lost power. 28 departments of central France were placed under an orange alert for severe snow and ice, with up to 15 cm (5.9 in) of snow falling over a wide area and up to 50 cm (20 in) falling over higher ground. A 75-year-old woman was killed and four other people were injured in a multiple-vehicle road accident in Aveyron caused by heavy snowfall.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
On 30 October, Adrian continued northwards into Belgium and the Netherlands before emerging into the North Sea, having weakened considerably over land. Late on 30 October, Adrian brought heavy rainfall and moderate winds to south-east England and East Anglia, before moving into the Norwegian Sea and dissipating off the coast of Norway on 31 October. The wider circulation of Adrian additionally caused dust storms in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya starting on 28 October, subsequently directing a dense plume of Saharan dust over Italy on 29 October and into Greece on 30 October.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Adrian
After emerging into the Norwegian Sea on 1 November, Adrian stalled and re-intensified, slowly drifting towards Iceland. On 3 November, Adrian was absorbed by the remnants of Hurricane Oscar while centred between Iceland and northern Scotland.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Beatriz
Storm Beatriz formed on 6 November over the central Atlantic Ocean, being named by the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología of Spain. Remaining largely stationary over the middle of the Atlantic, Beatriz steadily strengthened, reaching a central pressure of 960 hPa (28 inHg) on 7 November.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Beatriz
Beatriz had been forecasted to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall for northern Spain, France and southern England on 9 November, and weather warnings were issued in advance of the arrival of Beatriz in these areas.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Diana
Storm Diana was named by the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on 24 November, with an orange warning being issued for the Azores.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Julia
A National Weather Service Ocean Prediction Centre analysis showed the low reaching a nadir of 934 hPa (27.6 inHg).. The UK Met Office produced an analysis chart with the low at 936 hPa (27.6 inHg).


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Freya
Carnival processions in the German towns of Bottrop and Oberhausen were cancelled. One person died in Ochtrup after their car was hit by a falling tree. A second person died in Kempten.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Laura
A storm-related traffic accident in northern Germany caused three deaths.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Laura
A wind gust of 244 km/h (152 mph) was measured at 3,845 m (12,615 ft) on Aiguille du Midi, a new record since measurements began in 1993 on that mountain. The old record of 225 km/h (140 mph) dated back to 11 January 2008.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Gareth
Gareth experienced explosive cyclogenesis when, between 10 and 11 March, its central pressure fell 37 hPa (1.1 inHg) in 24 hours.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Miguel
On 5 June, the Spanish Met Agency named Miguel. It was expected to hit the UK from The 7th to 13 June 2019.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Storms, Storm Miguel
On 7 June, storm Miguel produced gusts up to 129 km/h (80 mph) at the Atlantic coast of France. At Île d'Yeu, France, one of these gusts set a record for the month of June, last set in 1981.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
The fully extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto crossed Ireland and the United Kingdom on 18–19 August, bringing heavy rainfall and winds of up to 40 mph (64 km/h), unseasonably strong for the time of year. The heavy rainfall from the remnants of Ernesto caused some flooding across the two countries. Additionally, Ernesto dragged up warm tropical air over the British Isles, resulting in unusually warm and humid weather. No warnings were issued in advance of Ernesto by either Met Éireann or the Met Office, and no damage was reported.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
Cyclone Fabienne, named by the Free University of Berlin, affected Germany on 23 September with winds of up to 158 km/h (98 mph), causing widespread damage across southern and central Germany. One person, a 78-year-old woman, was killed after being struck by a falling tree at a campsite in Bamberg. A four-year-old boy suffered critical injuries after being struck by a falling tree in Epfenbach. Structural damage to properties was reported from a possible tornado in Erzgebirgskreis. Air and rail travel was disrupted across Germany, Austria and Switzerland due to high winds and fallen trees on train tracks. In the Czech Republic, more than 140,000 buildings were left without power during the height of Fabienne overnight on 23–24 September, and 23 buildings in Prague suffered structural damage. Two people were injured in Olomouc when a tree fell into their house.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
Cyclone Zorbas formed over the Mediterranean Sea on 25 September. Beginning on 27 September, the system began to acquire some subtropical and then tropical characteristics, becoming a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone. Heavy rainfall from Zorbas resulted in flash flooding which killed five people in Tunisia and three people in Greece.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
Storm Kuisma (named by the Finnish Meteorological Institute; FUB: Gertraud) made landfall in southern Finland on 27 September, causing a storm surge of up to 123 cm (48 in) in Hamina and 92 cm (36 in) in Helsinki. The storm surge and heavy rainfall resulted in some coastal flooding. Kuisma brought winds gusting up to 114 km/h (31.7 m/s; 71 mph), bringing down trees and power lines; however, damage was lower than initially expected. Around 4,500 properties were left without power.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
Storm Alfrida (named by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute; FUB: Zeetje) crossed northern Europe on 1–2 January. In Denmark, high winds from Alfrida were involved in blowing a semi-trailer off a freight train on the Great Belt Fixed Link, resulting in a collision with a passenger train in which eight people were killed and sixteen more were injured.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
Experts however considered the wind speed measured at the bridge, a strong gale, to be insufficient for causing the accident by itself, which was confirmed in the official report by Accident Investigation Board Denmark where it was found that it only could happen because of a locking mechanism on the freight train that did not function properly. In Sweden, where winds gusting up to 110 km/h (30 m/s; 67 mph) were recorded, a commuter train collided with fallen trees along the Saltsjöbanan railway near Stockholm, although there were no injuries. The entire phone network on the island of Gotland was taken offline due to damage from Alfrida, and more than 100,000 homes were left without power in mainland Sweden. Power outages continued for over 30,000 homes across Sweden three days after the passage of Alfrida.


2018–19 European windstorm season, Other systems
On 10 March, Storm Eberhard moved across the Netherlands, Belgium and central Germany. It caused one death in Belgium and one in Germany. 700.000 Households were without electricity in Poland and Czechia. On 11 March the Storm caused two deaths in Ukraine.


2018–19 European winter
The 2018–19 European winter occurred from late 2018 to early 2019. Notable events included the early snows in Spain and intense flooding in Italy, in cities such as Venice, the intense snow storms which affected central Europe in January, the snow storms in Greece over the New Year period, as well as the end of February. As well as severe winter weather, there was also exceptional warmth across western Europe in the last week of February. Parts of France had their warmest February day on record, with temperatures up to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) at Eus on the 27th. Many places in the United Kingdom also broke temperature records, including the national record in Kew Gardens, at 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) on the 26th. Unlike previous winters, a developing El Niño was expected to influence weather patterns across Europe, although the affect is not fully known.


2018–19 European winter
Officially, winter 2018–19 began in the Northern Hemisphere on the winter solstice, which in 2018 occurred on 21 December 2018, and ended at the March equinox, which in 2019 occurred on 20 March 2019. Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is 1 December and the last day 28 February. However, as is often the case wintry weather is not confined to these definitions. Europe had a terrible weather in winter.


2018–19 European winter, Forecasts
Accuweather released its European forecast on 18 October 2018. They highlighted that conditions in North Western Europe and Western Scandinavia would be wet and unsettled, with frequent windstorms in the United Kingdom, Northern France and Western Norway. Similarly, Southeastern Europe was predicted to have occasional storms, with a swathe of warmer than average temperatures covering most of Portugal and Spain, as well as Italy and extending as far east as South Western Ukraine. Most of Eastern Europe, including parts of Scandinavia were predicted to have 'cold shots', this area extended from eastern Sweden down to Ukraine.


2018–19 European winter, Forecasts
The most active part of the storm season was predicted to be from January to February, with such cities as Manchester, UK Belfast, UK and Glasgow, UK at the highest risk of impacts from storms. A cold spell with the severity of that of earlier in 2018, The beast from the east, was not expected. Accuweather predicted that in December, storms would be most frequent in Northern Spain and France. Despite predicting above normal rainfall, they didn't expect extreme flooding which was seen in the winter of 2013–14. Storms were predicted to continue into March and April.


2018–19 European winter, Forecasts
Unsettled weather was also predicted to last throughout much of the season for Germany, too. Despite unsettled weather in Northern Europe, lasting warmth was predicted in Southern Europe, with drought not being a concern as a result of early rainfall winter. Cold shots were predicted to reach as far east as Poland and the Czech Republic.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, August
During the final week of August, temperatures started to rapidly decline across Northern, Western and Central Europe, with frosts in the UK and heavy snow in Austria and Germany accompanied by temperatures below freezing. In Austria, the city of Salzburg reported 5 cm (2.0 in), with nearby mountains reporting as much as 40 cm (16 in).


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, September
September 2018 saw the start of the Autumn season in Europe, with the first storms of the 2018–19 European windstorm season, Ex-Hurricane Helene striking western Europe on the 15th and 16th. The first named storm, Ali, affected the UK and Ireland on the 18th. Parts of Germany and the Netherlands experienced record cold toward the end of the month, with Germany recording a national record low for September of −5.0 °C (23.0 °F) in Nuremberg. In the Netherlands, De Bilt recorded the country's lowest maximum temperature for 23 September, reaching 10.9 °C (51.6 °F).


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, September
Then later in the month, the 30th was the coldest September temperatures in the Netherlands for 47 years, with temperatures falling to −1.5 °C (29.3 °F). In the United Kingdom, Katesbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland recorded the coldest September temperature in the country since 2012, at −3.6 °C (25.5 °F). This was also the record low for Northern Ireland in September. However, this record was broken at the same location in 2020.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, October
For most parts of the Alps, the first substantial snowfall of the season occurred on the 1st. Most areas received 20 cm (7.9 in) to 30 cm (12 in), but some areas received up to 40 cm (16 in). The snow line was as low as 1400 m.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, October
From the 13th to the 15th, Ex-Hurricane Helene battered the Iberian peninsula with heavy rains up to 180 mm (7.1 in) in places, and winds gusting up to 110 mph (180 km/h).


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, October
Storm Adrian was a severe storm that affected Western Europe and Northern Africa from 27 October until 3 November. It brought heavy, flooding rains to Venice, Italy, with officials estimating that 75% of the city was underwater, with depths exceeding for only the 5th time in recorded history. The system brought winds of up to 117 mph (188 km/h). The system brought heavy snowfall to parts of France, with upper areas receiving up to 50 cm (20 in) with lower elevations seeing up to 15 cm (5.9 in)


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, October
There was also a cold snap in the United Kingdom at the end of the month, with temperatures as low as −9 °C (16 °F) at St Harmon, Wales on the 30th. This was the lowest reading in the UK in October since 1993. Halloween was then predicted to be one of the coldest on record since a temperature of −10.6 °C (12.9 °F) was recorded in 1926.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, October
This period also saw heavy snowfall across North East England and Southern Scotland, with some places experiencing a 'white halloween' and the coldest day time temperatures in October since the 2008 cold snap. Depths of up to 10 cm (3.9 in) were recorded. Overall, the UK recorded its coldest October since 2012.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, November
Weather during November was benign, with little noteworthy occurrences. However, there were 3 named storms, Beatriz, Carlos and Diana, which were named by the meteorological agencies of France, Spain and Portugal. The most severe of these storms was Diana, which produced a wind gust of 112 mph (180 km/h) at Cairngorm, United Kingdom. Over Scandinavia, there was an unusual lack of snow, especially over Lapland.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, December
The lack of snow that prevailed throughout Scandinavia in November continued into December. However, snow finally fell on the 12th, with places such as Rovaniemi reporting up to 21 cm (8.3 in). Storm Deirdre affected the United Kingdom on the 15th and brought a rare spell of freezing rain to many areas. It also brought heavy snow and rain to places, with some areas of Scotland receiving up to 50 cm (20 in).


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, January
The major snowfalls occurred from 2 to 9 January 2019 across central and southern Europe, killing at least 13 people. Schools in Austria were closed, and people were advised to clear their rooves of snow after several buildings collapsed. Snow also blanketed the Greek capital, Athens for the first time in years and schools were forced to close. An avalanche in Norway, measuring 990 ft (11,900 in) left 4 people presumed dead. The system also brought very low temperatures too, as low as −20 °C (−4 °F) in Northern Greece and −24 °C (−11 °F) in Romania.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, January
The maximum depth of snow was 210 cm (83 in) Tauplitzalm, Styria, Austria on the 6thFurther heavy snow on the 10th and 11th lead to a snow depth of 110 cm (43 in) in Bavaria, Germany, with a further 17 dead. Heavy snow was also reported in Macedonia. The winter storms had over 200 flights cancelled, and some areas of Austria declaring a catastrophe. After the snowstorms in central Europe had subsided, snowfall then hit the UK, France and the Netherlands on the 22nd, with depths reaching 10 cm (3.9 in) to 15 cm (5.9 in) in places.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, January
At the end of the month, a cold spell set in, in the UK and Ireland, as well as bringing low temperatures, it also brought disruptive snowfall. On the 30th, heavy snow struck North West England overnight (29th–30th), and heavy snow continued to fall until around 11am. The heavy snow forced 214 schools to close as well as both Liverpool and Manchester airports, which closed for 2 hours. Depths of 20 cm (7.9 in) to 30 cm (12 in) were reported after the snowfall. In many places in the UK, temperatures plummeted below −10 °C (14 °F) over the course of the cold snap with temperatures in all areas well below freezing by day.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, February
Despite the month starting cold, with temperatures down to −16 °C (3 °F) in the UK, and with widespread snow cover from January lasting for the first few days. There were 4 windstorms named by the French, Spanish and Portuguese meteorological associations. They were Helena, Isaias, Julia and Kyllian. The most severe of these was Helena, which produced a wind gust of  114 mph (183 km/h) in France. From mid-month, a spell of exceptionally warm weather began across western Europe, primarily affecting France and the UK.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, February
In the UK, records were first broken in Scotland, on the 21st, Aboyne reached 18.3 °C (64.9 °F), beating the previous record of 17.9 °C (64.2 °F) from 1897. On the 22nd, a new record was set in Wales, with 18.1 °C (64.6 °F) at Gogerddan. This record was then beaten again on the 24th, with 19.1 °C (66.4 °F)  also at Gogerddan. On the 25th, the UK national record was broken along with the Welsh record, again, with 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) at Trawsgoed, Wales.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, February
This was the first time that 20.0 °C (68.0 °F) had been reached in February in the UK. The English record was also broken this day, with 20.4 °C (68.7 °F) at Northolt, London. The 26th then broke the UK wide record again, as well as the English and Welsh records too. The temperature reached 21.2 °C (70.2 °F) at Kew Gardens, England and 20.8 °C (69.4 °F) in Porthmadog, Wales. During this spell, Northern Ireland was the only UK country not to set a new record, the current record was set in 1998. In France, extreme temperatures were exceptionally high for the season too, with temperatures reaching highs of 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) at Eus on the 27th. Although some places did set new temperature records, the national record remains at 31.2 °C (88.2 °F) on 29 February 1960.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, March
During March, there were two named storms, Laura and Gareth. Laura was more severe in terms of wind, as a gust of 152 mph (245 km/h) was reported in France. Storm Gareth, named by the UK Met Office, was more remarkable in terms of rainfall, 137 mm of rain was reported as falling in Capel Curig, Wales in just a few hours. Despite the prolonged drought preceding the heavy rainfall, cities such as York and Ross-on-Wye flooded. Snow was also reported in locations such as Dunblane, Scotland.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, April
The last major snow storm of the season occurred over the United Kingdom on 4 April 2019. Up to 40 cm (16 in) of snow was reported as falling in Northern England and Scotland, with temperatures well below normal for the time of year.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, May
Early May brought cold and snow back to many parts of the United Kingdom, France and Germany. With snow falling in places it had never fell in the month of May before. For example, snow was recorded as lying at Côte d’Azur for the first time in May. Snowfall was also widely recorded across parts of the United Kingdom, even to relatively low levels, with some places seeing up to 10 cm (3.9 in) on 7 May. Germany also saw some snowfall on 4 May, with depths exceeding 20 cm (7.9 in) in some areas.


2018–19 European winter, Monthly Timeline, May
The snowfall was coupled with unusually low temperatures. Paris had its coldest May in 22 years. Parts of the UK recorded the lowest May temperatures since 1981, as low as −6.2 °C (20.8 °F) in Kinbrace, Scotland. The Early May Bank holiday was also the coldest on record in the UK, with temperatures as low as −5 °C (23 °F).


2018–19 European winter, Snow cover and sea ice advancement, Snow cover
The first snow cover of the season was reported on Tuesday 21 August, across eastern parts of Russia. However, this was temporary as by the 23rd, this snow had melted, although a few small patches remained. Snow cover was observed again across parts of Eastern Russia on the 6 and 7 September. This snow did melt in some places however, in a small area of Siberia, this snow cover persisted throughout the month. The first snow cover of the season started to appear in Norway and Sweden on 17 September.


2018–19 European winter, Snow cover and sea ice advancement, Snow cover
On 5 October, snow cover became widespread over northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as far North Eastern Russia and Northern Mongolia. On the 7th, snow cover became widespread across Iceland. By 12 October, snow cover across Northern Parts of Scandinavia had mainly melted, but snow cover across far east and north Russia become much more widespread. By the 17th, snow cover, although patchy, had advanced into central western Russia, with most of Scandinavia snow free again.


2018–19 European winter, Snow cover and sea ice advancement, Snow cover
By the 26th, the first snow cover started to appear of the United Kingdom and more general snow cover over most of Russia and Scandinavia. By 26 November, most of Russia was snow covered as well as Scandinavia. Snow cover extended into Ukraine and Belarus too, with widespread snow cover across the alps. By 16 December, snow covered all of Russia and Scandinavia, as well as most of Eastern Europe and extending into France and the UK. By 19 February, snow cover started receding across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.


2018–19 European winter, Snow cover and sea ice advancement, Snow cover
Parts of south eastern Russia start to lose their snow cover on 1 March. By 31 March, snow cover was lost across western parts of Russia. By the end of April, Northern Scandinavia and central-western Russia eastwards still had snow cover. By 29 June, only far Northern parts of Russia still had snow cover left from winter.


2018–19 European winter, Snow cover and sea ice advancement, Sea ice
The minimum extent of the summer season was reached on 19 September, and again on the 23rd. The sea ice extent dropped to 1.77 million square miles (4.59 million square kilometres), which tied the record for the sixth lowest (with 2008 and 2010). The minimum was reached 5 and 9 days later than the mean date of 14 September. After this, ice began forming much quicker than average. This meant by 30 November, most places had above average ice-cover. Sea ice extent peaked on 13 March, at 5.71 million square miles (14.78 million square kilometres). This was the 7th lowest peak, tying with 2007.


2018–19 European winter, Overview by country, United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, winter was much warmer than average, and the warmest since 2015–16. Anomalies of 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) above average were recorded across most of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with anomalies of 1.0 °C (1.8 °F) above in Scotland. The period of very low rainfall continued into the winter, with most places seeing between 50–70% of their average rainfall, with places in South East Scotland seeing less than 30%.


2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
The 2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Purple Aces, led by first-year head coach Walter McCarty, played their home games at the Ford Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 11–21 overall, 5–13 in MVC play, and finishing in last place. As the No. 10 seed in the MVC Tournament, they lost to Illinois State in the first round.


2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team, Previous season
The Purple Aces finished the 2017–18 season 17–15, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed in the MVC Tournament, they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.


2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team, Previous season
On March 13, 2018, Evansville fired head coach Marty Simmons. He finished at Evansville with an 11-year record of 184–175. On March 22, the school hired Boston Celtics assistant coach, former Kentucky player, and Evansville native Walter McCarty as head coach.


2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces women's basketball team
The 2018–19 Evansville Purple Aces women's basketball team represents the University of Evansville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Purple Aces, led by third year head coach Matt Ruffing, play their home games at Meeks Family Fieldhouse and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 4–26, 2–16 in MVC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the Missouri Valley Women's Tournament to Loyola–Chicago.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season
The 2018–19 season was Everton's 65th consecutive season in the top flight of English football and their 141st year in existence. They participated in the Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season
The season covers the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season, Pre-season, Friendlies
For their pre-season tour, Everton announced they would be playing six teams away from home, which were ATV Irdning, Bury, Lille, Porto, Blackburn Rovers and Rennes. They also played one game at home against Valencia. Everton hosted Gor Mahia at Goodison Park.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season, Competitions, Premier League, Matches
On 14 June 2018, the Premier League fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season, Competitions, FA Cup
In the FA Cup, Everton entered the competition in the third round and were drawn home to Lincoln City. The fourth round draw was made live on BBC by Robbie Keane and Carl Ikeme from Wolverhampton on 7 January 2019.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season, Competitions, EFL Cup
Everton joined the competition in the second round where they defeated Rotherham United at home. They lost to fellow Premier League side Southampton in the third round.


2018–19 Everton F.C. season, Players, First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018–19 Everton L.F.C. season
The 2018–19 season is Everton Ladies Football Club's second season competing in the FA Women's Super League since being promoted after winning the 2017 WSL2 Spring Series, and being one of the league's foundation clubs.


2018–19 Everton L.F.C. season
Ahead of the 2018–19 season, Everton announced that they would play the first half of the season at Merseyrail Community Stadium.


2018–19 Everton L.F.C. season, Review
After going winless in the league for the first six matches reaching bottom of the table, Everton sacked longtime manager Andy Spence and appointed goalkeeper coach, Jennifer Herst, as interim manager. On 1 December Willie Kirk was announced as manager for the Ladies first team.


2018–19 Everton L.F.C. season, First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018–19 Everton L.F.C. season, Competitions, FA WSL Cup
Everton was drawn into Group Two North for the 2018–19 FA WSL Cup. Despite opening the tournament with a win over Reading, Everton was officially eliminated from qualifying to the Quarter Finals after a home loss to Manchester United.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season
The 2018–19 season was Exeter City's 117th year in existence and their seventh consecutive season in League Two. The club also participated in three cup competitions; the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and EFL Trophy.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season
The season covers the period from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Pre-season
Exeter City played six pre-season friendlies in July 2018 – all away from home at teams based in South West England – winning five and drawing one. There were no pre-season friendlies at St James Park due to redevelopment work taking place over the summer.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Competitions, League Two, Matches
On 21 June 2018, the League Two fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Competitions, FA Cup
The first round draw was made live on BBC by Dennis Wise and Dion Dublin on 22 October.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Competitions, EFL Cup
On 15 June 2018, the draw for the first round was made in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The second round draw was made from the Stadium of Light on 16 August.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Competitions, EFL Trophy
On 18 July 2018, the final groups for the first round of the 2018–19 EFL Trophy were confirmed, with Exeter being placed in Southern Section Group D. The draw for the second round was made live on Talksport by Leon Britton and Steve Claridge on 16 November.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Squad list
Includes all players registered to the club for any period of time between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019. Players registered with club for entire period unless otherwise noted.


2018–19 Exeter City F.C. season, Squad list
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018–19 F.C. Copenhagen season
The 2018–19 FC Copenhagen season was F.C. Copenhagen's 27th season of existence, competing each year in the Danish Superliga, the top tier of football in Denmark. In addition to capturing its 13th Danish Superliga championship, FCK competed in the Danish Cup, exiting in the fourth round, and the UEFA Europa League, advancing to the group stage.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season
The 2018–19 season is F.C. Motagua's 72nd season in existence and the club's 53rd consecutive season in the top fight of Honduran football. As runners-up of both Apertura and Clausura last season, the club is looking for their 16th and 17th league title. They also competed for the 2018 Honduran Cup and the 2018 CONCACAF League.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season, Overview
Coach Diego Vásquez will be leading the team for his 10th consecutive tournament. Last season, Vásquez reached 200 consecutive games as Motagua's manager, a club's and league record. The club started the season on 22 July with a shocking 1–2 defeat against Las Delicias F.C. in the 2018 Honduran Cup, making this the second time in a row they fall through the first round against a Liga Mayor club at such tournament. On 1 November 2018, the club lost 2–3 on aggregate against C.S. Herediano in the final series of the 2018 CONCACAF League.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season, Overview
This marked the first time in history that the club qualified to a final in a tournament organized by CONCACAF. With the defeat, Motagua failed to qualify to the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. Thanks to their outstanding participation in the first half of the season, coach Vásquez, as well as players Jonathan Rougier, Juan Montes and Rubilio Castillo were nominated at the 2018 CONCACAF Awards.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season, Overview
On 16 December 2018, the club conquered their 16th national title with a 2–1 aggregate score over their city rivals Club Deportivo Olimpia in the Apertura final series, a win which gave them the right to qualify to the 2019 CONCACAF League. For their second year in a row, the club was voted as the best Honduran team according to Uruguayan newspaper El País. In the Clausura tournament, Motagua repeated and once again lifted the trophy with a 3–2 win on aggregate over their city opponents Olimpia in the final series.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season, Kits
The 2018–19 home, away and third kits were published on 24 June. On 5 December, the club released a special retro edition commemorating the 90th anniversary.


2018–19 F.C. Motagua season, Players, International caps
This is a list of players that were playing for Motagua during the 2018–19 season and were called to represent Honduras at different international competitions.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana)
The 2018-19 FA Challenge Cup was the 46th edition of the FA Challenge Cup, Botswana's premier football knockout tournament. It was sponsored by Orange and was known as the Orange FA Cup or Orange FA Cup Season 1 for sponsorship reasons. It started with the preliminary round on the weekend of 16 February 2019 and concluded with the final on 15 June 2019.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana)
Botswana Premier League side Gaborone United were the defending champions but were eliminated by Extension Gunners on penalties in the round of 32. Orapa United went on to win the title for the first time in history, making them the first Orapa side to do so.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Qualifying rounds
All 16 Premier League teams automatically qualified to the round of 32. The top 8 teams from First Division South and top 8 from First Division North had to go through the preliminary round and were joined by the 16 regional champions. Winners of this round qualified for the round of 32.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Preliminary round
The preliminary round draw took place on 23 January 2019. The draw was seeded into two, namely the northern and southern blocks. Southern block games were played on 16 and 17 February while northern block games were played on 23 and 24 February.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Round of 32
The round of 32 draw was conducted on 24 February 2019 after the conclusion of the preliminary round. It was not seeded. Jwaneng Fighters, Atlanta Chiefs, Black Rangers, Black Peril, Sand Diamonds, Peacemakers, Kazungula Young Fighters and Santa Green from Division One are the lowest ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Round of 16
The round of 16 draw was conducted on 4 April 2019. It was not seeded. Jwaneng Fighters, Sand Diamonds and Kazungula Young Fighters from Division One are the lowest ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Quarterfinals
The quarterfinal draw was conducted on 14 April after the conclusion of the round of 16. It was not seeded. Jwaneng Fighters and Kazungula Young Fighters from Division One are the lowest ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Challenge Cup (Botswana), Semifinals
The semifinal draw was conducted on 28 April after the Jwaneng Fighters and Police XI game.


2018–19 FA Cup
The 2018–19 FA Cup (also known as the Football Association Challenge Cup) was the 138th edition of the oldest football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. It started with the Extra Preliminary Round on the weekend of 11 August 2018 and concluded with the final on 18 May 2019.


2018–19 FA Cup
Premier League side Chelsea were the defending champions, but they were eliminated by Manchester United in the fifth round on 18 February 2019 in a rematch of the previous year's final. Manchester City won their sixth FA Cup title and their first since 2011, making them the first English club to complete a domestic treble, having earlier won the EFL Cup and the Premier League.


2018–19 FA Cup, Qualifying rounds
All of the competing teams that are not members of either the Premier League or English Football League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 32 available places in the First Round Proper. The qualifying competition began with the Extra Preliminary Round on 11 August 2018. The fourth and final qualifying round was played over the weekend of 20 October 2018.


2018–19 FA Cup, First Round Proper
The First Round draw took place on 22 October and was made by Dennis Wise and Dion Dublin. All 40 First Round Proper ties were to be played on the weekend of 10 November with 13 replays to be played on 20 and 21 November. 32 teams from the qualifying competition joined 48 teams from League One and League Two to compete in this round. This round included three teams from Level 7, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition at that point: Metropolitan Police, Haringey Borough and Hitchin Town.


2018–19 FA Cup, Second Round Proper
The Second Round draw took place on 12 November. The 40 winners of the First Round Proper played in 20 Second Round Proper ties on the weekend of 1 December. This round included five teams from Level 6 (Guiseley, Slough Town, Southport, Stockport County and Woking), who were the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition. This round included an all-Welsh tie, Wrexham at home against Newport County, the first such tie in the FA Cup since the latter took on Swansea City in the first round of the 2006–07 tournament.


2018–19 FA Cup, Third Round Proper
The Third Round draw took place on 3 December 2018 and was broadcast live on BBC One and BT Sport before the final second round tie between Guiseley and Fleetwood Town. All 32 Third Round Proper ties took place on the weekend of 4–7 January 2019. A total of 64 clubs played in the third round; 20 winners of the second round, and 44 teams from the Premier League and EFL Championship entering in this round. This round included one team from Level 6, Woking, the lowest-ranked team still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup, Third Round Proper
The scheduling for the third round was controversial, due to the number of games scheduled outside the traditional kick-off slot of 15:00 GMT on Saturday. Only 10 of 32 Third Round Proper matches kicked off at that time. This was a result of the FA signing a new overseas television deal in October 2016, which came into force this season. The new contract caused a number of matches to be moved to other time-slots to accommodate viewers outside the UK.


2018–19 FA Cup, Fourth Round Proper
The draw for the Fourth Round took place on 7 January following the Southampton–Derby County game. It was shown on BBC and was conducted by Carl Ikeme and Robbie Keane. All 16 Fourth Round ties were played on the weekend of 25–28 January 2019. This round included one team from Level 5, Barnet, the lowest ranking and only non-League side left in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup, Fifth Round Proper
The draw for the Fifth Round took place on 28 January 2019. Matches were played on the weekend of 15–18 February 2019. This round included one team from Level 4, Newport County, the lowest ranking side left in the competition. As of this season, extra time and penalties replaced replays as the method for resolving a drawn tie.


2018–19 FA Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 18 February 2019. Matches were played on the weekend of 16–17 March 2019. This round included two teams from Level 2, Millwall and Swansea City, the lowest ranking sides left in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup, Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals took place on 17 March 2019.


2018–19 FA Cup, Final
The final was played on 18 May 2019 at Wembley Stadium, London.


2018–19 FA Cup, Bracket
The following is the bracket which the FA Cup resembled. Numbers in parentheses next to the match score represent the results of a replay, except for the quarter-finals stage onwards. Numbers in parentheses next to the replay score represents the results of a penalty shoot-out except for the quarter-finals stage onwards.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds
The 2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds open the 138th season of competition in England for The Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup), the world's oldest association football single knockout competition. A total of 736 teams were accepted for the competition, one fewer than the previous year's 737.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds
The large number (644) of non-League teams entering the tournament, from (Levels 5 to 10) in the English football pyramid, required the competition to start with six rounds of preliminary (2) and qualifying (4) knockout matches. The 32 winning teams from the Fourth qualifying round progressed to the First Round Proper, where League teams tiered at Levels 3 and 4 entered the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Calendar
The calendar for the 2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, as announced by The Football Association.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Extra preliminary round
The Extra preliminary round fixtures were played on Friday 10, Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 August 2018; replays were to take place no later than Thursday 16 August 2018. The draw was held on Friday 6 July 2018. A total of 368 teams, from Level 8, Level 9 and Level 10 of English football, entered at this stage of the competition. The round included 80 teams from Level 10 of English football, the lowest ranked clubs to compete in the tournament.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Preliminary round
The Preliminary round fixtures were played on Friday 24, Saturday 25, Sunday 26 and Monday 27 August 2018; replays were to take place no later than Thursday 6 September 2018. The draw was held on 6 July 2018. A total of 320 clubs took part in this stage of the competition, including the 184 winners from the Extra preliminary round and 136 new clubs: 120 remaining clubs from Level 8 (all except Bracknell Town and Guernsey) and 16 clubs (those, who were promoted from level 8) from Level 7 of English football. The round included 32 teams from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, First qualifying round
The First qualifying round fixtures were to be played on Friday 7, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September 2018; replays no later than Thursday 13 September 2018. The draw was held on 28 August 2018. A total of 232 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 160 winners from the Preliminary round and 72 entering at this stage from the four divisions at Level 7 (all except those who were promoted from level 8) of English football. The round included eight teams from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Second qualifying round
The Second qualifying round fixtures were played on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September 2018; the last replay played on Thursday 7 October 2018. The draw was held on 10 September 2018. A total of 160 teams took part in this stage of the competition, including the 116 winners from the First qualifying round and 44 entering at this stage from two divisions at Level 6 of English football. The round included Anstey Nomads, Atherstone Town and Burnham from Level 10, the lowest-ranked teams still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Third qualifying round
The Third qualifying round fixtures were to be played on Saturday 6 October 2018 with all replays completed by Thursday 11 October 2018. The draw took place on 24 September 2018. The 80 winning teams from the Second qualifying round took part in this stage of the competition and no additional teams entered at this stage. The round included Dunston UTS, from Level 9 of the football pyramid as the lowest-ranked team still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Fourth qualifying round
The Fourth qualifying round fixtures were played on Saturday 20 October 2018 with all replays completed by Thursday 25 October 2018. The draw took place on 8 October 2018. A total of 64 teams took part in this stage of the competition: the 40 winners from the Third qualifying round and the 24 members of the National League who entered at this stage, representing Level 5 of English football. The round included Dunston UTS from Level 9 of the football pyramid, the lowest-ranked team still in the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Competition proper
32 winners from the Fourth qualifying round advance to the First Round Proper, where 48 teams from League One (Level 3) and League Two (Level 4) of English football, operating in the English Football League, enter the competition.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Broadcasting rights
The qualifying rounds aren't covered by the FA Cup's broadcasting contracts held by BBC Sport and BT Sport, although one game per round will be broadcast by the BBC on its media platforms.


2018–19 FA Cup qualifying rounds, Broadcasting rights
The following qualifying rounds matches were broadcast live in the UK:


2018–19 FA Trophy
The 2018–19 FA Trophy (known for sponsorship reasons as the Buildbase FA Trophy) is the 50th season of the FA Trophy, an annual football competition for teams at levels 5–8 of the English National League System.


2018–19 FA Trophy, Calendar
The calendar for the 2018–19 Buildbase FA Trophy, as announced by The Football Association.


2018–19 FA Trophy, Calendar
One team at Level 8 did not enter (Guernsey). This was the first year to have an Extra Preliminary Round, due to the increase from 72 to 88 teams in the Level 7 leagues.


2018–19 FA Trophy, Third Round Proper
Following their victory over Weymouth, Ramsbottom United are the lowest-ranked team still in the competition, and the only team left from the eighth tier of English football.


2018–19 FA Vase
The 2018–19 Buildbase FA Vase is the 45th season of the FA Vase, an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System. The competition is to be played with two qualifying rounds preceding the six proper rounds, semi-finals (played over two legs) and final to be played at Wembley Stadium. All first-leg ties until the semi-finals are played with extra time if drawn after regulation – first-leg ties may also be resolved with penalties if both teams agree and notify the referee at least 45 minutes before kick-off.


2018–19 FA Vase, Calendar
The calendar for the 2018–19 Buildbase FA Vase, as announced by The Football Association.


2018–19 FA Vase, Semi-Finals
Semi final fixtures were played on 16 March and 23 March 2019, with the second leg going to extra time and penalties if required.


2018–19 FA Vase, Semi-Finals, Second leg
Chertsey Town F.C. won 5-3 on penalties after drawing 1–1 on aggregate


2018–19 FA WSL
The 2018–19 FA WSL was the eighth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the first season after a rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football. The previous FA WSL 2 became the Championship – eleven clubs competed in the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship.


2018–19 FA WSL
Arsenal won their first WSL since 2012 with a 4–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.


2018–19 FA WSL, Teams
Following restructuring of the women's game in order to provide for a fully professional Women's Super League (WSL), membership of both the first and second tier is subject to a licence, based on a series of off-the-field criteria. Yeovil Town estimated the budget needed for a WSL season at about £350,000. Existing WSL teams were first offered the opportunity to bid for licences, with all applying FA WSL clubs retaining their place in the first tier, with Brighton & Hove Albion from the WSL2 also offered a place in the WSL. From the first tier, Sunderland were unsuccessful in their license application.


2018–19 FA WSL, Teams
This left up to two places in the WSL and up to five places in the Championship for applying clubs. Fifteen applications were received for both the top two tiers, and West Ham  was given a licence in the second stage, so that the league is made up of 11 teams.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship
The 2018–19 FA Women's Championship was the first rebranded edition of the FA Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England, renamed from the FA WSL 2 which was founded in 2014. The season ran from 8 September 2018 to 12 May 2019.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship
On 20 April 2019, Manchester United won the title, and promotion to the FA WSL, with two games to spare in their debut season after recording a 7–0 victory over Crystal Palace. Tottenham Hotspur subsequently secured second place and promotion following a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa in their penultimate fixture. Millwall Lionesses finished bottom but were spared relegation as the FA sought to expand both of the top two divisions to twelve teams each by 2019–20.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Teams
Eleven teams compete in the league. Following restructuring of the women's game in order to provide for a fully professional Women's Super League (WSL), membership of both the first and second tier is subject to a license, based on a series of off-the-field criteria. Existing WSL teams were first offered the opportunity to bid for licenses, with all applying FA WSL 2 clubs retaining their place in the second tier, except for Brighton & Hove Albion who were offered a place in the WSL. From the second tier, Oxford United and Watford did not apply for licenses.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Teams
This left up to two places in the WSL and up to five places in the Championship for applying clubs, of which one place in the Championship was reserved for the winners of the FA Women's Premier League Championship play-off, providing that club met the licensing criteria. Fifteen applications were received for both the top two tiers, and five of these applicants were accepted into the Championship: Manchester United, Lewes, Leicester City Women, Sheffield United as well as Premiership play-off winners, Charlton Athletic.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Teams
Sheffield announced on 24 June 2018 that it was withdrawing from the league ahead of the season, due to the financial commitments required by The Football Association proving too onerous. Doncaster Rovers Belles announced similarly on 12 July 2018. A place in the league was subsequently awarded to Crystal Palace.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Table
For the inaugural season, the top two teams will be automatically promoted subject to obtaining a licence. There will be no relegation at the end of the campaign with a view to expanding the top two tiers to twelve teams each by 2019–20.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Awards, Player of the Month
Results of Player of the Month voting as polled by FA Women's Championship. Number of nominations in brackets.


2018–19 FA Women's Championship, Awards, LMA Manager of the Month
Results of Manager of the Month as awarded by the League Managers Association. Number of awards in brackets.


2018–19 FA Women's League Cup
The 2018–19 FA Women's League Cup was the 8th edition of the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship's league cup competition. It is sponsored by Continental AG, who have sponsored the competition since its creation, and is officially known as the FA Continental Tyres League Cup. All 22 teams of the FA Women's Super League and FA Women's Championship contest the competition - the largest field in the history of the cup.