HomeGalera BlogFootball NewsUnpacking the Hierarchy of UEFA Competitions

UEFA Competitions Structure

The Champions League is one of the most widely watched football competitions in the world. It features all the top teams across Europe going head-to-head in an exhilarating campaign to win one of football's most prestigious titles. Whilst the prominence of the league remains the same, UEFA is constantly changing the structure and rules of its tournaments. This may come as no surprise to fans who follow football closely, as there have been many additional tournaments and cups popping up in recent years.

European League Hierarchy

The UEFA, or Union of European Football Associations, is the regulatory body of association football in Europe. There are 55 members in UEFA, which are given coefficients based on their performances in the European leagues and they are then entered into the UEFA Rankings.

These rankings are used to determine which domestic clubs can qualify for European tournaments. At the top of the table, England, Germany, Spain and Italy will have more berths for the top flight, second flight and third flight tournaments. At the other end of the table, countries such as Azerbaijan, Gibraltar and Montenegro will have no berths for the top two flights, but they may have 1 or 2 places for the first round of qualification. In short, the structure of the UEFA tournaments has been designed to give the top clubs in any of the 55 nations a chance to play European football.

Champions League Qualification

The Champions League is the top European tournament and dates back to 1955. Back then, it was called the European Cup and it was far smaller than it is now. In the current structure, domestic clubs can qualify for either the:

Group Stage (GS)
Playoffs (PO)
Third qualifying round (Q3)
Second qualifying round (Q2)
First qualifying round (Q1)
Preliminary round (PR)

Going from the top ranking nations in the UEFA Rankings to the lowest, qualification is offered to:

1st-4th: Group Stage (GS) for the top four
5th and 6th: GS for top two, Q3 for team in third place
7th-9th: GS for winner, Q3 for second place
10th: GS for winner, Q2 for second place
11th-12: PO for winner, Q2 for second place
13-14th: Q3 for winner, W2 for second place
15th: Q2 for top two
16th-17th: Q2 for winner
18th-50th: Q1 for winner
51st-54th: PR for winner

Note that the list only goes up to 54. This is because Liechtenstein does not have a domestic league but the teams play in the Swiss football league instead.

Europa League Qualification

The Europa League evolved from the UEFA Cup, a second tier competition that was established in 1971. Whilst it may not sound as attractive as the Champions League, this competition is extremely competitive. There are many top teams that have fallen from grace and compete in the Europa League for silverware. It is extremely difficult to predict which team will win as a handful of Champions League teams join the fray once the group stage is completed. Manchester United, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are just some of the “bigger” teams that have played in the Europa League in recent years.

The teams that finish third in the Champions League group stage join the Europa League after the group stage is finished. They are drawn against the runners up of the Europa League Group Stage in a playoffs round, before the round of 16 starts.

Otherwise, teams qualify for the Europa League in the following way:

The Europa League only has qualification berths for the Group Stage (GS), Play Offs (PO) and Qualifying Round 3 (Q3)

1st-4th: GS for the 5th and 6th
5th: GS for the 4th and 5th
6th: GS for the 4th
7th-12th: PO for the 3rd
13-15th: Q3 for the 3rd

There are no first or second qualifying rounds in the Europa League. Qualification for the tournament begins in the third round. Teams that lose in the Q2 round of the Champions League play in the Europa League Q3

Conference League Qualification

The newest addition to the European leagues is the third tier Conference League. If the Europa League did not win you over, then you may completely disregard this league - but you should not.

Since its foundation in 2021, teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Roma, and Villarreal have played in the league. Granted, there many teams you may never have heard of, but it makes the football even more compelling. These are professional sides that have never played against each other and anything can happen.

The Conference League has the same connection with the Europa League as the Europa League has with the Champions League. Clubs that finish third in the Europa League Group Stage play against the runners up of the Conference League Group Stage.

Before the competition begins, teams have to qualify for the Play Offs, Qualifying round 3, Qualifying round 2, or Qualifying round 1 (there is no direct qualification to the Group Stage). Teams qualify based upon their finishing position in their domestic league.

All the European Football Bets You Need

At Galera, we have numerous bets on all of the UEFA competitions for you to take advantage of. From the Champions League games featuring the biggest teams to the first rounds of the Conference League, you will find countless betting markets with generous odds giving you plenty of chances to win.