Matches in the Europa Conference League were unexpectedly postponed at the last minute.

Storm Benjamin caused a total upheaval in the fixtures for both the Europa League and Conference League right before making landfall in Europe.

According to forecasts, severe weather will heavily impact Belgium and the Netherlands, forcing UEFA to urgently intervene and reschedule two matches only hours before kickoff. Both Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar (competing in the Europa League and Conference League respectively) were seriously affected, with fan travel plans thrown into chaos.

Feyenoord, managed by Robin van Persie, hosted Panathinaikos (Greece) at their home ground De Kuip. The match was initially set for 17:45 GMT but was first moved to 15:30, then changed again to 20:00 (21:00 CET). Meanwhile, AZ's game against Slovan Bratislava in Alkmaar, originally scheduled for 20:00, was brought forward to 17:45 (18:45 CET).

Midfielder Sven Mijnans scored the only goal just before halftime, securing a valuable 1-0 win for AZ. Both clubs issued statements to fans acknowledging that the last-minute changes were unavoidable due to the Netherlands being placed under an Orange Alert (Code Orange).

Feyenoord stated in their announcement: “The Europa League match between Feyenoord and Panathinaikos on Thursday evening was moved earlier to 16:30 at the request of authorities due to adverse weather forecasts. Under the Code Orange warning, wind gusts could exceed 100–120 km/h, so UEFA and Feyenoord agreed the game could only be played safely if it started earlier. We understand this sudden change disrupts fans’ plans, but it was unavoidable. Supporters unable to attend can request a refund.”

Later, Feyenoord issued a second statement confirming the match was postponed back to 21:00 following a new request from city authorities due to updated weather forecasts.

Similarly, AZ announced they would compensate fans unable to attend due to the earlier kickoff: “The match against Slovan Bratislava was moved up to 18:45 instead of the originally planned 21:00. Storm Benjamin is expected to be strongest in northern Netherlands around 23:00, with wind gusts reaching 100 km/h, so keeping the original time would have endangered fans’ return journeys.”

Another Dutch team, Go Ahead Eagles, also played on the same day against Aston Villa but were unaffected, with their match in Overijssel remaining at 17:45 GMT. A major surprise occurred when Go Ahead Eagles defeated Aston Villa 2-1, causing the biggest upset of the evening.