UEFA coefficients
Encyclopedia
In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

, the UEFA coefficients are statistics used for ranking and seeding teams in club and international competitions.
The coefficients are calculated by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

, who administer football within Europe. It uses three different coefficients to rank the national teams, the national league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...

s, and football clubs.

National team coefficient

The UEFA national team coefficient is derived from the results of each European national football team, and only calculated by UEFA every second year in November; defined as being the point of time when all UEFA nations have completed the qualification stage of the upcoming World Cup or European Championship tournament.

The purpose of calculating the coefficients is to compile an official UEFA rank, to be used as seeding criteria for the European nations, when drawing up qualification groups and the final tournament groups of the European Championship. Previously, up until 2006, the UEFA national team coefficient was also used for the seeded draw of World Cup qualification groups in Europe, while the draw for final tournament groups of the World Cup was always seeded on the basis of the official FIFA ranking. The reason why UEFA stopped using UEFA national team coefficients for the seeding of World Cup qualification groups was a request from FIFA to only use the official FIFA ranking for all seeded draws related to the World Cup tournament.

Throughout the history of international football, the seeding criteria for the big tournaments has been changed a number of times, but UEFA and FIFA have always stuck to the concept of having some sort of seeded draw for the European Championship and World Cup tournament, in order to keep the best teams apart until the later stages of the competition.

Old ranking and calculation method

It was first introduced in 2003 and used for seeding the 2004 European Final tournament and 2006 World Cup qualification. Until the end of the Euro 2008 tournament, the UEFA national team coefficient was calculated by dividing the number of all points scored (three points for a win, one for a draw) by the number of all matches played, in the last two qualification rounds of the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 or European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...

. Results from the final tournaments, Play-off matches and friendly games were all ignored. In those cases where a nation did not take part at one of the two latest qualifying rounds, due to being directly qualified as a host, only one qualifying round would be taken into account.

If two or more nations would end up with exactly the same coefficient, the following ranking criteria was applied:
  1. Highest coefficient from the matches played in the most recent qualifying competition.
  2. Biggest average goal difference per game -found by dividing the sum of all goal differences, with the number of ranked matches.
  3. Highest average number of goals scored per game.
  4. Highest average number of away goals scored per game.
  5. Drawing of lots.


The last three times UEFA used this simple calculation method, was for the final UEFA ranking in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

New ranking and calculation method

On 20 May 2008, UEFA announced changes to the coefficient ranking system. The ranking will continue to be calculated every second year in November, but under the new system, teams now gain ranking points for each game played in the most recently completed full cycle (defined as all qualifying games and final tournament games) of both the World Cup and European Championship, with addition of ranking points for each game played at the latest completed half cycle (defined as all games played in the latest qualifying round). Ranking points for all games played inside those two and a half cycles, will be awarded according to the rules listed below.
  1. 10,000 points are awarded for each match played.
  2. For the result of each match, the team will earn an additional 30,000 for winning and 10,000 for a draw.
  3. In case of a game to be decided by penalty shoot out, the winner will gain an additional 10,000 points, beside of the points awarded for the drawn result.
  4. Each match at the final tournament, or play-offs to determine qualification, are also granted some extra bonus points; ranging from 6,000 points for all play-offs or World Cup group stage games, to 38,000 points for playing a final.
  5. Finally 501 points are earned for a goal scored, while 500 are lost for each goal conceded.
  6. Coefficients are calculated for each two and a half cycle, by dividing the sum of earned points with the number of games played.
  7. When calculating the overall average coefficient for the cycles, the latest full cycle and half cycle will each have double the weight, compared to the oldest full cycle.
  8. Special arrangements are in place for those nations, that did not participate in one of the previous qualifying tournaments, due to being host of the competition.

Final ranking in 2009

The ranking points from November 2009, to be used for the seeded draw of UEFA Euro 2012 qualification groups
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...

, was calculated for each nation by adding up:
  • 40% of the average points per game, earned in the 2010 World Cup qualifying stage
    2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
    The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...

    .
  • 40% of the average points per game, earned in the 2008 Euro qualifying stage and final tournament
    2008 UEFA European Football Championship
    The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008...

    .
  • 20% of the average points per game, earned in the 2006 World Cup qualifying stage
    2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
    Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...

     and final tournament
    2006 FIFA World Cup
    The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

    .


The new official UEFA ranking was calculated for the first time in November 2009, with the following final points:


39,964
38,294
37,821
35,838
34,819
33,677
33,226
32,551
32,477
31,268
30,871
30,695
30,395
29,811

29,447
29,222
28,228
28,145
28,133
28,052
27,198
26,827
26,620
26,210
25,971
25,646
24,518

24,381
24,365
24,221
23,303
23,048
22,071
21,515
21,426
21,274
19,409
18,791
18,751
18,319

17,792
15,819
15,734
15,404
15,164
14,730
13,581
13,500
11,872
11,517
10,620
9,197
7,783


Final ranking in 2011

The ranking points to be calculated for UEFA Euro 2012 final tournament, will be found by adding up:
  • 40% of the average points per game, earned in the 2012 Euro qualifying stage
    UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
    The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...

    .
  • 40% of the average points per game, earned in the 2010 World Cup qualifying stage
    2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
    The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...

     and final tournament
    2010 FIFA World Cup
    The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

    .
  • 20% of the average points per game, earned in the 2008 Euro qualifying stage and final tournament
    2008 UEFA European Football Championship
    The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008...

    .


43,116
40,860
40,446
34,357
33,563
33,212
32,723
32,455
31,675
31,205
31,202
30,508
28,203
28,029

27,982
27,975
27,745
27,601
27,199
27,093
27,035
26,942
26,110
25,643
24,968
24,673
24,426

23,806
23,246
23,185
22,959
22,638
22,539
22,189
21,876
21,633
20,355
19,746
19,706
18,764

17,904
16,563
16,511
16,423
15,343
14,931
14,638
13,145
13,005
12,176
10,599
8,467
7,562

A
preliminary UEFA Euro 2012 ranking has been calculated according to the scheme above, to show the current ranking, before the remaining Euro 2012 qualifiers are played.

Association coefficient ("League coefficient")

The league coefficient is used to rank the leagues of Europe, and thus determine the number of clubs from a league that will participate in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

The UEFA ranking determines the number of teams competing in the season after the next, not in the first season after the publication of the ranking. Thus, the rankings at the end of the 2011–12 season determine the team allocation by country in the 2013–14 (not 2012–13) European season, however, the actual teams that will be participating are determined at the end of the 2012–13 season when the individual league classifactions and national cups are finalized.

This coefficient is determined by the results of the clubs of the leagues in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games over the past five seasons. Two points are awarded for each win by a club, and one for a draw (points are halved in the qualifying and playoff rounds). Goals scored in extra time do count in determining the outcome of a game, but any Penalty shootout result does not affect the allocation of points other than the bonus points. The number of points awarded each season is divided by the number of teams that participated for that nation in that season. This number is then rounded down to three decimal places (e.g. 2⅔ would be rounded to 2.667).

For the league coefficient the season's league coefficients for the last five seasons must be added up. In the preliminary rounds of both the Champions League and Europa League, the awarded points are halved. Bonus points are allocated for:
  • Qualifying for the Champions League group phase (4 bonus points).
  • Reaching the second round of the Champions League (5 bonus points).
  • Reaching the quarter, semi and final of either the Champions League or the Europa League (1 bonus point).


The bonus points are added to the number of points scored in a season.

Current ranking

The ranking at the end of the 2011–12 season determines the allocation in 2013–14 competitions. The rankings are as follows:
Rank
2012
Rank
2011
Mvmt. League 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Coeff. Teams
2011–12
CL
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 places
EL places Total
1 1   England 17.875 15.000 17.928 18.357 10.000 79.160 8/8
2011–12 in English football
The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...

4 3 7
2 2   Spain
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

13.875 13.312 17.928 18.214 9.000 72.329 6/7
2011–12 in Spanish football
The 2011–12 season is the 108th season of competitive football in Spain.The season began on 3 August 2011 for the Copa Federación, 19 August for Tercera División, 20 August for Segunda División B, 26 August for Segunda División, 27 August for La Liga and 31 August 2011 for the Copa del Rey...

3 3   Germany
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

13.500 12.687 18.083 15.666 8.250 68.186 5/6
4 4   Italy
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

10.250 11.375 15.428 11.571 6.500 55.124 5/7 3 6
5 6 +1   Portugal 7.928 6.785 10.000 18.800 7.500 51.013 4/6
6 5 −1   France
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

6.928 11.000 15.000 10.750 6.833 50.511 5/6
2011–12 in French football
The 2011–12 season is the 118th overall season of football and the 79th season of competitive professional football in France.The men's French national team began play on 10 August 2011 contesting a friendly match against Chile. The team will continue its qualification matches for the upcoming UEFA...

7 7   Russia
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...

11.250 9.750 6.166 10.916 6.583 44.665 4/6 2 4
8 8   Ukraine
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...

4.875 16.625 5.800 10.083 5.750 43.133 4/6
9 9   Netherlands
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....

5.000 6.333 9.416 11.166 8.600 40.515 4/5
10 11 +1   Greece 7.500 6.500 7.900 7.600 5.200 34.700 3/5 3 5
11 10 −1   Turkey 9.750 7.000 7.600 4.600 5.375 34.325 2/4
12 13 +1   Belgium 4.500 4.500 8.700 4.600 8.300 30.600 4/5
13 12 −1   Denmark
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...

5.125 8.200 4.400 6.700 2.900 27.325 2/5
14 19 +5   Austria 3.200 2.250 9.375 4.375 6.125 25.325 3/4
15 16 +1   Switzerland
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...

6.250 2.900 5.750 5.900 3.800 24.600 2/5
16 20 +4   Cyprus
Cypriot First Division
The Cypriot Championship First Division is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus. As of 2007 it is sponsored by Marfin Popular Bank and is hence officially known as Marfin Laiki League .-Format:...

2.666 6.333 4.250 3.125 7.125 23.499 2/4 1 3 4
17 17   Israel 2.375 1.750 7.250 4.625 5.250 21.250 3/4
18 15 −3   Scotland
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

10.250 1.875 2.666 3.600 2.500 20.891 1/4
2011–12 in Scottish football
The 2011–12 season is the 115th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:-Scottish First Division:-Scottish Second Division:-Scottish Third Division:...

19 18 −1   Czech Republic
Gambrinus Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...

5.125 2.375 4.100 3.500 4.750 19.850 1/4
20 22 +2   Croatia 3.666 4.333 3.000 4.125 3.750 18.874 1/4
2011–12 in Croatian football
The following article presents a summary of the 2011–12 football season in Croatia, which will be the 21st season of competitive football in the country.-Croatia:-Croatia U21:-Croatia U20:-Croatia U19:-Croatia U17:-Druga HNL:...

21 24 +3   Poland 1.666 5.000 2.125 4.500 5.375 18.666 2/4
22 14 −8   Romania
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...

2.600 2.642 6.083 3.166 4.000 18.491 4/6
23 23   Belarus
Belarusian Premier League
-Soviet era champions:*1934 BVO *1935 BVO *1936 BVO *1937 Dinamo *1938 Dinamo *1939 Dinamo *1940 DKA *1941-44 unknown...

1.833 4.000 3.375 5.875 3.125 18.208 1/4
24 28 +4   Sweden
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

5.400 2.500 2.500 2.600 2.900 15.900 1/4
25 25   Slovakia 2.166 4.833 2.500 3.000 2.375 14.874 1/4
26 26   Norway
Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...

5.400 2.500 2.100 2.375 2.300 14.675 0/4
27 27   Serbia
Serbian Superliga
Serbian SuperLiga is a Serbian professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Serbian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Serbian First League...

2.625 3.000 3.000 3.500 2.125 14.250 0/4
28 21 −7   Bulgaria
Bulgarian A Professional Football Group
The Bulgarian A Professional Football Group commonly known as A PFG is the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The league is sponsored by Victoria FATA Insurance and therefore is officially known as Victoria A Football Group since 2011...

2.750 2.250 3.125 4.625 1.500 14.250 0/4
29 32 +3   Hungary 1.000 1.000 2.750 2.750 2.250 9.750 0/4
30 30   Finland
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...

2.625 1.833 1.375 1.800 1.500 9.133 0/4
31 36 +5   Georgia
Umaglesi Liga
The Georgian Top League is the top division of football in Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional Football League of Georgia and Georgian Football Federation. From 1927 to 1989, the competition was held as a regional tournament within the Soviet Union...

1.000 1.166 1.750 1.875 2.875 8.666 0/4
32 29 −3   Bosnia and Herzegovina
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....

1.833 1.833 1.750 1.875 1.125 8.416 0/4
33 31 −2   Republic of Ireland 1.000 2.500 1.375 1.000 1.500 7.375 1/4
34 38 +4   Slovenia 0.666 1.333 1.375 1.500 2.250 7.124 1/4
35 34 −1   Lithuania
A Lyga
The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. It is organized by LFF . League size has varied between 8 and 12 teams over the past few years; for its 2011 season, the league features 12 teams...

1.500 2.500 1.250 0.625 1.000 6.875 0/4
36 33 −3   Moldova 1.333 0.666 2.125 2.125 0.500 6.749 0/4
37 37   Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...

0.666 0.666 1.500 2.000 1.375 6.207 0/4
38 35 −3   Latvia 1.333 1.166 2.250 0.500 0.625 5.874 0/4
39 39   Macedonia 1.666 0.500 0.500 1.375 1.625 5.666 0/4
40 41 +1   Kazakhstan 0.750 0.833 1.250 0.875 1.625 5.333 0/4
41 40 −1   Iceland 1.166 1.166 1.250 0.375 1.375 5.332 0/4
42 43 +1   Montenegro
Montenegrin First League
The First League of Montenegro is the top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. 12 teams participate in this league. The winner of the Montenegrin First League starts the qualifications for the UEFA Champions League from the second round...

0.500 0.500 1.125 1.750 0.500 4.375 0/4
43 42 −1   Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein football Cup
The Liechtenstein Football Cup is Liechtenstein's premier football competition, and has been organised annually by the Liechtenstein Football Association since 1946. The winner qualifies to take part in the UEFA Europa League....

1
0.500 0.000 1.000 0.500 2.000 4.000 0/1 0 1 1
44 44   Albania 0.500 0.666 1.000 0.875 0.875 3.916 0/4 1 3 4
45 48 +3   Malta
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...

0.000 0.000 0.750 1.500 0.833 3.083 0/3
46 46   Wales 0.666 0.333 0.250 0.875 0.625 2.749 0/4
47 45 −2   Estonia
Meistriliiga
Meistriliiga is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded in 1991 and the current, 2011 is the league's 21st season...

0.833 0.333 0.875 0.250 0.375 2.666 0/4
48 49 +1   Northern Ireland
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...

0.500 0.333 0.125 1.125 0.500 2.583 0/4
49 51 +2   Luxembourg
Luxembourg National Division
The National Division is the highest football league in Luxembourg. Until 2011, it is to be known as the BGL Ligue, after the Luxembourg Football Federation managed to seal a sponsorship deal with Fortis. Before 2006, it contained twelve teams, but it expanded to fourteen for the 2006-07 season,...

0.333 0.000 0.250 0.625 1.125 2.333 0/4
50 47 −3   Armenia
Armenian Premier League
The Armenian Premier League is the top football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the competition was held as a regional tournament within the USSR. After independence, the Football Federation of Armenia has been the unit in charge. The seasons run from spring to fall...

1.333 0.000 0.500 0.250 0.125 2.208 0/4
51 50 −1   Faroe Islands 0.333 0.333 0.000 0.250 0.500 1.416 0/4
52 52   Andorra 0.500 0.000 0.500 0.000 0.000 1.000 0/4 2 3
53 53   San Marino
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio
Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio is an amateur league competition for football clubs located at the top echelon of the Sammarinese football league system and has been operating since 1985...

0.250 0.000 0.500 0.166 0.000 0.916 0/3

1The Liechtenstein Football Association
Liechtenstein Football Association
The Liechtenstein Football Association is the governing body of football in Liechtenstein. It organizes the Liechtenstein national football team and the Liechtenstein football Cup. Due to the fact that Liechtenstein only has a small number of active teams, it is the only UEFA member without its...

 does not organize a national league competition as it does not have the necessary amount of national clubs. As a result, the only competitor from Liechtenstein in European competitions is the Liechtenstein Cup
Liechtenstein football Cup
The Liechtenstein Football Cup is Liechtenstein's premier football competition, and has been organised annually by the Liechtenstein Football Association since 1946. The winner qualifies to take part in the UEFA Europa League....

 winners, who qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

The league champions from the top 12 countries automatically enter the group stage of the competitions, whereas teams from the lower ranked countries must go through the preliminary qualification rounds.

Further information on the Liechtenstein's status and similar cases.
According to the UEFA regulations a National League needs to consist of at least eight clubs to be considered valid, otherwise no participants of such a league will be allowed to enter European competitions. There are only seven clubs that are active in Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

 all of which play in the neighboring Switzerland's league competitions. Note: prior the introduction of the Welsh Premier League in 1992 Wales also had a single participant, the winner (or best placed Welsh team as several English teams also competed) of the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...

, in the European competitions.

History

Ranking has been published by UEFA since 1979 to identify the number of participants for each country in the UEFA Cup after the re-organization of the Inter-cities Fairs Cup in 1971. No calculation of coefficients took place prior to that. Later, for statistical purposes, various rankings were introduced to portray the history of competitions. Because the Inter-cities Fairs Cup was limited only to certain clubs and/or by invitation no coefficient calculation was necessary. According to the prorated (extended) calculation system only four leagues have succeeded in being the top European league.

The table at the right shows the history of first placed teams in UEFA League Coefficients.

The next table shows the ranking of nations with respect to the total number of years leading in Europe:
Rank League Total
1   La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

15
2   First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

 /
  Premier League
14
3   Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

13
4   Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

10

Club coefficient

The club coefficient is determined by the results of a club in European club competition in the last five seasons, and the league coefficient. The club coefficient is 20% of the league coefficient plus the number of points earned by the club in the five seasons. Before 2004 the contribution of the country coefficient was 50%. The points earned by a club in the preliminary rounds are not counted.

The clubs get two points for a win, and one point for a draw and no points for a defeat in games of the main stage of European competitions. Qualifying round results are taken into account only for the calculation of the association's coefficient and are halved. Participation in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League is rewarded with four points and another four points rewarded for qualifying to round of 16 for both competitions. Clubs which reach the round of 16, quarterfinals,semi-finals or final of the UEFA Champions League or the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final of the UEFA Europa League are awarded an extra point for each such round. Since the introduction of the UEFA Europa League, clubs participated in the qualifying round and in the play-offs of both competitions.
Round Points awarded
Champions League Europa League
Eliminated in first qualifying round 0.5 0.25
Eliminated in second qualifying round 1 0.5
Eliminated in third qualifying round 1
Eliminated in play-offs 1.5


Also, a guaranteed minimum of two points is introduced for the clubs which participate in the group stage of Europa League. This guaranteed
minimum is not added to the points obtained by the clubs concerned during the group stage and is not taken into consideration for the calculation of the coefficient of the national association.

This ranking is used by UEFA to determine which pot the club belongs to in the preliminary and first rounds of the Champions League, and the preliminary, first and second rounds of the Europa League.

Before 1999 a number of strong teams in the UEFA Cup were seeded such that those teams do not meet in the first two rounds. To determine these teams, the sum of, the ratio of the number of points achieved to the number of games played by each team, was calculated for the past five years.

The top 25 clubs currently are as follows:
Rank
2012
Rank
2011
Mvmt Club Country 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 Coeff.
1 1 Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

32.5750 28.0000 28.5856 36.6714 13.0000 138.832
2 2 Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

27.7750 28.6624 30.5856 36.6428 14.8000 138.832
3 3 Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

28.5750 25.0000 22.5856 26.6714 12.0000 114.832
4 4 Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

22.7000 22.5375 30.6166 24.1332 14.6500 114.637
5 6 +1 Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

21.5750 22.0000 25.5856 22.6714 14.0000 105.832
6 7 +1 Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

14.7750 14.6625 22.5856 33.6428 15.8000 101.465
7 9 +2 Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

16.0500 13.2750 34.0856 21.3142 12.3000 97.024
8 8 Porto 15.5855 17.3570 21.0000 31.7600 10.5000 96.202
9 5 −4 Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

24.5750 23.0000 24.5856 15.6714 2.0000 89.832
10 13 +3 Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...

13.3856 15.2000 28.0000 19.1500 9.3666 85.102
11 14 +3 Shakhtar Donetsk 7.9750 29.3250 11.1600 26.0166 7.1500 81.626
12 10 −2 Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

16.0500 14.2750 19.0856 18.3142 11.3000 79.024
13 19 +6 Villarreal
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...

15.7750 18.6624 10.5856 26.6428 5.8000 77.465
14 15 +1 Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

9.7750 13.6624 19.5856 21.6428 11.8000 76.465
15 17 +2 Benfica
SL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...

12.5856 4.3570 21.0000 25.7600 12.5000 73.202
16 23 +7 Atlético Madrid 14.7750 17.6624 24.5856 9.6428 8.8000 75.465
17 24 +7 Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

13.3856 14.2000 17.0000 20.1500 10.3666 75.102
18 22 +4 CSKA Moscow 6.2500 18.9500 21.2332 16.1832 9.3166 71.933
19 12 −7 Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...

15.7000 24.5375 18.6166 11.1332 1.6500 71.637
20 31 +11 Zenit St. Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...

23.2500 14.9500 2.7332 18.1832 11.3166 70.433
21 20 −1 Hamburg
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...

18.7000 24.5374 21.6166 3.1332 1.6500 69.637
22 25 +3 Sporting CP 18.5856 13.3570 14.0000 13.7600 9.5000 69.202
23 16 −7 Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...

19.0500 16.2750 12.0856 18.3142 2.8000 68.524
24 21 −3 PSV 17.0000 6.2666 13.8832 20.2332 10.7200 68.103
25 11 −14 Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...

18.7750 10.6625 22.5856 12.6428 3.3000 67.965

Top club by period

Top-ranked clubs in each 5-year period listed by year:
Years Club Ranking
1956–1960   Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

9.856
1957–1961   Real Madrid 8.499
1958–1962   Real Madrid 8.356
1959–1963   Real Madrid 6.856
1960–1964   Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

7.382
1961–1965   Benfica 8.455
1962–1966   Benfica 7.788
1963–1967   Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

7.691
1964–1968   Real Madrid 7.345
1965–1969   Benfica 7.415
1966–1970   Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

8.033
1967–1971   Leeds United 8.183
1968–1972   Leeds United 7.583
1969–1973   Ajax 8.985
1970–1974   Ajax 8.430
1971–1975   Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

8.500
1972–1976   Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

8.609
1973–1977   Borussia Mönchengladbach 8.694

Years Club Ranking
1974–1978   Borussia Mönchengladbach 8.319
1975–1979   Borussia Mönchengladbach 8.402
1976–1980   Borussia Mönchengladbach 7.985
1977–1981   Barcelona 7.652
1978–1982   Barcelona 7.832
1979–1983   Barcelona 7.998
1980–1984   Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

8.277
1981–1985   Liverpool 9.054
1982–1986   Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

7.915
  Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

7.915
1983–1987   Juventus 8.665
1984–1988   Juventus 8.388
1985–1989   Bayern Munich 7.846
1986–1990   Bayern Munich 8.096
1987–1991   Juventus 8.291
1988–1992   Real Madrid 7.975
1989–1993   Real Madrid 7.850
1990–1994   Real Madrid 7.600

Years Club Ranking
1991–1995   Real Madrid 7.266
1992–1996   Ajax 9.124
1993–1997   Juventus 8.719
1994–1998   Paris Saint-Germain 8.716
1995–1999   Juventus 121.606
1996–2000   Juventus 109.963
1997–2001   Real Madrid 114.605
1998–2002   Real Madrid 147.233
1999–2003   Real Madrid 151.769
2000–2004   Real Madrid 146.350
2001–2005   Real Madrid 131.326
2002–2006   Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

129.020
2003–2007   Milan 133.808
2004–2008   Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

124.996
2005–2009   Barcelona 121.853
2006–2010   Barcelona 136.951
2007–2011   Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

151.157

Top-rated clubs listed by number of years as top-ranked club:
Rank Club Total
1   Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

14
2   Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

7
3   Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

6
4   Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

5
5   Benfica 3
  Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...

3
  Ajax 3
  Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

3
9   Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

2
  Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

2
11   Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

1
  Anderlecht
R.S.C. Anderlecht
Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...

1
  Paris Saint-Germain 1
  Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

1
  Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

1

External links

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