Chelsea faced several unfamiliar teams this season in Europe's third-tier tournament.

Before playing Real Betis, the only team from Europe's top five leagues they encountered was Heidenheim, who finished the season in the German relegation-promotion play-offs.

"The fact that Chelsea is coming after we've won our first three games is honestly quite hard to believe," said Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt, who has led the team since they were in the fifth tier in 2007.

"But the truth is, they're not here for a friendly, and we don't have to pay them. It's a competitive match. Heidenheim and the entire region are truly excited."

Chelsea hosted Armenian side FC Noah, named after the biblical figure with the ark, at Stamford Bridge.

"Participating in the Conference League puts a spotlight on the club, allowing us to showcase ourselves in European football, as now everyone knows who Noah is," said Noah manager Rui Mota.

"It's an honour to play this game."

Then came their longest European trip ever, a 7,000-mile round journey to Kazakhstan to face Astana.

The flight lasted eight hours, avoiding direct paths over Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East due to ongoing conflicts. Many first-team players stayed in London.

With a five-hour time difference, Chelsea operated on UK time, scheduling the kick-off at 15:30 instead of 20:30 locally - and the game was played in -11°C.

Maresca and two directors wrote a letter to the Chelsea fans who attended, personally thanking them.

They generated significant discussion up to the semi-finals, including their match on Djurgarden's plastic pitch.

Even the Swedish team's manager described their own pitch as "horrible," though it didn't cause issues in the end.

45 goals - including eight in one game

That scare against Servette in August was the closest Chelsea came to elimination all season.

They dominated other ties, winning every group game by two or more goals. Every knockout tie, including the final, was also won by two or more goals.

Their biggest win was the 8-0 victory over Armenian side FC Noah in November, which ranks as the joint-second largest in Chelsea's history and the biggest in Conference League history so far.

That performance contributed to 16 goals in their first three league games, ending with 26 in six games. Including qualifiers, they scored 45 times in 15 games.

Following the Noah success, former Chelsea and England midfielder Cole commented on TNT Sports: "Chelsea shouldn't be in this competition, but here they are.

"This tournament doesn't truly start for them until the quarter-finals or semi-finals. They are massive favourites to win it and should be."

They never trailed in any knockout round, defeating Copenhagen 3-1 on aggregate, Legia Warsaw 4-2, and Djurgarden 5-1.

Tailing 1-0 at half-time due to Abde Ezzalzouli's goal in the final gave them a momentary scare, but they took control after the break.

After a 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers in December, the Irish side's manager Stephen Bradley said: "If they want to, they could field another two teams and still win this competition.

"If they're in the Champions League, they could come close to winning that. That's the level they have."