UEFA club competitions
UEFA club competitions are the set of club
After being recognised by FIFA in 1961 and defined its functions as governing body, UEFA laid down principles for the authorisation of other international club competitions,[4] becoming the only organization with legal authority over international football in the continent.[3] For that reason, it considers only results in its own competitions, in general terms and by single tournament, as the only valid method for calculating and communicating confederation-level official records and statistics as well as setting combined values in inter-club football.[5]
Until the first
Main tournaments
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format, and a single leg final. It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations.
Introduced in 1955 as the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (French for European Champion Clubs' Cup), and commonly known as the European Cup, it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues, with its winner reckoned as the European club champion. The competition took on its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries since the 1997–98 season.[6] It has since been expanded, and while most of Europe's national leagues can still only enter their champion, the strongest leagues now provide up to four teams.[7][8] Clubs that finish next-in-line in their national league, having not qualified for the Champions League, are eligible for the second-tier UEFA Europa League competition, and since 2021, for the third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League.[9]
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Europa Conference League. The UEFA Cup was the third-tier competition from 1971 to 1999 before the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued,[10][11] and it is still often referred to as the “C3” in reference of this. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions.
Introduced in 1971 as the UEFA Cup, it replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was merged with the UEFA Cup and discontinued as a separate competition.[12] From the 2004–05 season a group stage was added before the knockout phase. The competition has been known as the Europa League since the 2009–10 season,[13][14] following a change in format.[15] The 2009 re-branding included a merge with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, producing an enlarged competition format, with an expanded group stage and a change in qualifying criteria. The winner of the UEFA Europa League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup and, since the 2014–15 season, qualifies for the following season's UEFA Champions League, entering at the group stage.
UEFA Europa Conference League
The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs.[16] Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions. It is the third tier of active European club football competitions, after the Champions League and the Europa League.
First contested in the 2021–22 season, the competition serves as the bottom level of the Europa League, which was reduced from 48 to 32 teams in the group stage. The competition is primarily contested by teams from lower-ranked UEFA member associations.[16] No teams qualify directly to the group stage, with 10 teams eliminated in the Europa League play-offs and the rest coming from the Europa Conference League qualifiers. The winners of the competition are awarded a position in the Europa League the following season, unless they qualify for the Champions League.[17]
See also
References
- ^ a b Quin, Grégory (September 2013). "The Beginnings of a 'European Football Field'" (PDF). UEFA direct. No. 131. Union des Associations Européennes de Football. p. 16.
- ^ "Balkans Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ a b Vision Europe (2005, p. 23)
- ^ Vieli (2014, p. 47)
- ^ "Legend: UEFA club competition" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. p. 77. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ^ "Football's premier club competition". UEFA. 31 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ "Clubs". UEFA. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "UEFA Europa League further strengthened for 2015–18 cycle" (Press release). UEFA. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
- ^ "UEFA Executive Committee approves new club competition" (Press release). UEFA. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ Nakrani, Sachin (14 February 2018). "The Europa League is back and more than ever is a competition to savour". theguardian.com.
- ^ "UEFA Europa Conference League: all you need to know". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "UEFA Europa League History". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 16 February 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
- ^ "UEFA Cup gets new name in revamp". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008.
- ^ "UEFA Cup to become UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. 26 September 2008.
- ^ "New format provides fresh impetus". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ a b "'Europa League 2': Uefa confirms new tournament from 2021". BBC Sport. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ "UEFA Executive Committee approves new club competition". UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
Bibliography
- "Vision Europe" (PDF). Nyon: Union des Associations Européennes de Football. April 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2006.
- Vieli, André (2014). UEFA: 60 years at the heart of football (PDF). Nyon: Union des Associations Européennes de Football. (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2021.