UEFA explained

UEFA
Full Name:Union of European Football Associations
Map:UEFA.svg
Abbreviation:UEFA
Founding Location:Basel, Switzerland
Type:Football organisation
Headquarters:Nyon, Switzerland
Region:Europe
Membership:55 full member associations
Languages:English
French
German
(other main but not official: Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish)[1]
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Aleksander Čeferin[2]
Leader Title2:First vice-president
Leader Name2:Karl-Erik Nilsson
Leader Title3:Vice-presidents
Leader Name3:Zbigniew Boniek
Armand Duka
David Gill
Gabriele Gravina
Laura McAllister
Leader Title4:General secretary
Leader Name4:Theodore Theodoridis
Main Organ:UEFA Congress
Parent Organization:FIFA

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; French: Union des associations européennes de football; German: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel.[3] UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.[4] [5]

UEFA consists of the national football associations of Europe, and runs national and club competitions including the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Nations League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, and UEFA Super Cup, and also controls the prize money, regulations, as well as media rights to those competitions.

Henri Delaunay acted as the first general secretary and Ebbe Schwartz as the first president. The current president is Aleksander Čeferin, a former Football Association of Slovenia president, who was elected as UEFA's seventh president at the 12th Extraordinary UEFA Congress in Athens in September 2016, and automatically became a vice-president of the world body FIFA.[6]

History and membership

UEFA was officially inaugurated on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland after consultation between the Italian, French, and Belgian associations.[7] At the founding meeting, 25 members were present. However, 6 other associations which were not present were still recognised as founding members, bringing the total of founding associations to 31.[8] UEFA grew to more than 50 members by the mid-1990s, as new associations were born out of the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia into their constituent states.

UEFA's main headquarters after its foundation were located in Paris, but moved to Bern in 1960. They moved to Nyon, Switzerland, in 1995, where they operated out of temporary offices until 1999 while the organisation's current headquarters were under construction.[9]

UEFA membership coincides for the most part with recognition as a sovereign country in Europe (48 out of 55 members are sovereign UN member states), although there are some exceptions. One UN member state (Monaco) and one UN General Assembly non-member observer state (Vatican City) are not members. Some UEFA members are not sovereign states, but form part of a larger recognised sovereign state in the context of international law. These include England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (constituent countries of the United Kingdom), Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory), the Faroe Islands (autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark), and Kosovo (state with limited recognition), however, in the context of these countries, government functions concerning sport tend to be carried at the territorial level coterminous with the UEFA member entity. UEFA have previously declined membership to those deemed as non-sovereign countries like Jersey.[10]

Some UEFA members are transcontinental states (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) and others are considered part of Europe both culturally and politically (Turkey, Cyprus and Armenia). Countries which had been members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were also admitted to the European football association, such as Israel (because it had been banned from the AFC group in 1974) and Kazakhstan.

Some UEFA member associations allow teams from outside their association's main territory to take part in their "domestic" competition. AS Monaco, for example, takes part in the French League (though a separate sovereign entity); Welsh clubs Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County A.F.C. and Wrexham A.F.C. participate in the English League; Derry City, situated in Northern Ireland, plays in the Republic of Ireland-based League of Ireland; A team from San Marino participates in the Italian League; FC Andorra, situated in Andorra, plays in the Spanish League and the 7 native Liechtenstein teams play in the Swiss Leagues, as Liechtenstein has no internal league [11] and only a cup competition.

National teams represented by UEFA are known for being successful throughout the history of the FIFA World Cup. Out of 22 tournaments so far, European teams have won 12 World Cup titles. Italy and Germany have four titles each, followed by France with two titles and England and Spain, winning once each. The national associations of these countries also are responsible for organizing the so-called «Europe's Big Five», consisting of Spain's La Liga, England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1.[12]

On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the UEFA suspended the participation of Russia.[13] [14] The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the UEFA ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the ban.[15] [16] On 26 September 2023 the ban was lifted for the Russia national under-17 football team enabling them to complete in the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with UEFA saying "by banning children from our competitions, we not only fail to recognise and uphold a fundamental right for their holistic development but we directly discriminate against them". The lifting of the ban also applied to all teams, men and women, of underage players.[17] This was rejected by the FA of Ukraine, England, and Sweden, with all three threatening to boycott matches against Russia.[18]

Executive committee

UEFA executive committee is composed of;[19]

President

Vice-presidents

Members

General secretary

Deputy general secretary

Treasurer

Head of club competitions and calendar

Head of national competitions

List of UEFA office holders

List of presidents of UEFA

See main article: List of presidents of UEFA.

Secretary generalNationalityTerm
1954–1962
1962–1972
1972–1973 (acting)
1973–1983
1983–1990
1990–2007
2007–2015
2015–2016 (acting)
2016–present
List of secretaries general of UEFA
Chief Executive
Secretary generalNationalityTerm
1954–1955
1955–1960
1960–1989
1989–1999
1999–2003
2003–2007

2007
2007–2009

2009–2016
2016–present

Members

CodeAssociation National teams Founded FIFA
affiliation
UEFA
affiliation
IOC
member
ALB 1930 1932 1954
AND 1994 1996 1996
ARM 1992 1992 1992
AUT 1904 1905 1954
AZE 1992 1994 1994
BLR 1989 1992 1993
BEL 1895 1904 1954
BIH 1920 1996 1998
BUL 1923 1924 1954
CRO 1912 1992 1993
CYP 1934 1948 1962
CZE 1901 1907 1954
DEN 1889 1904 1954
ENG 1863 1905 1954
EST 1921 1923 1992
FRO 1979 1988 1990
FIN 1907 1908 1954
FRA 1919 1904 1954
GEO 1990 1992 1992
GER 1900 1904 1954
GIB 1895 2016 2013
GRE 1926 1927 1954
HUN 1901 1906 1954
ISL 1947 1947 1954
ISR 1928 1929 1994
ITA 1898 1905 1954
KAZ 1994 1994 2002
KOS 2008 2016 2016
LVA 1921 1922 1992
LIE 1934 1974 1974
LTU 1922 1923 1992
LUX 1908 1910 1954
MLT 1900 1959 1960
MDA 1990 1994 1993
MNE 1931 2007 2007
NED 1889 1904 1954
MKD 1926 1994 1994
NIR 1880 1911 1954
NOR 1902 1908 1954
POL 19191923 1954
POR 1914 1923 1954
IRL 1921 1923 1954
ROU 1909 1923 1954
RUS 1912 1912 1954
SMR 1931 1988 1988
SCO 1873 1910 1954
SRB 1919 1921 1954
SVK 1938 1994 1993
SVN 1920 19921992
ESP 1909 1904 1954
SWE 1904 1904 1954
SUI 1895 1904 1954
TUR 1923 1923 1962
UKR 1991 1992 1992
WAL 1876 1910 1954

Former members

AssociationYearNote
Saarland1954–1956
East Germany1954–1990
Soviet Union1954–1991
Czechoslovakia1954–1993
Yugoslavia
Serbia-Montenegro
1954–2003
2003–2006

Competitions

See main article: UEFA competitions.

See also: List of association football competitions and FIFA International Match Calendar.

UEFA continental competitions

National teams:

Men
Women

Clubs:

Men
Women

Amateur:

Defunct

National teams:

Men

Clubs:

Men

Amateur:

Men

UEFA runs official international competitions in Europe and some countries of Northern, Southwestern and Central Asia for national teams and professional clubs, known as UEFA competitions, some of which are regarded as the world's most prestigious tournaments.

UEFA is the organiser of two of the most prestigious competitions in international football: The UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League. The main competition for men's national teams is the UEFA European Championship (also known as the Euro), which started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960, and was known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. The UEFA Nations League is the second tournament of UEFA and was introduced in 2018. The tournament largely replaced the international friendly matches previously played on the FIFA International Match Calendar. It will be played every two years.

UEFA also runs national competitions at Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, UEFA operates the UEFA Women's Championship for senior national sides as well as Women's Under-19 and Women's Under-17 Championships.

World, Olympic and intercontinental competitions

Intercontinental national teams:

Defunct

Intercontinental clubs:

Defunct

Beside continental European competitions for national and their junior teams, the UEFA organizes various qualification male and female tournaments among European national and their junior teams for World Cups (organized by FIFA) and Olympics (organized by IOC).

UEFA also organised the UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams in an effort to boost youth football. UEFA launched the UEFA Regions' Cup, for semi-professional teams representing their local region, in 1999. In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Championship and UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship. Despite the existence of UEFA's Futsal and Beach soccer committee, UEFA does not organise any beach soccer competitions. International and club beach soccer competitions for UEFA members are organised externally by Beach Soccer Worldwide.

The Italian, German, Spanish, French and Russian men's national teams are the only teams to have won the European football championship in all categories.

Club

See also: List of UEFA club competition winners.

The top-ranked UEFA competition is the UEFA Champions League, which started in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup (or simply the European Cup) and initially only gathered the top team of each country; this competition has since been expanded to gather the top 1–4 teams of each country's league (the number of teams depend on that country's ranking and can be upgraded or downgraded).

A second, lower-ranked competition is the UEFA Europa League. This competition, for national knockout cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by UEFA in 1971 as a successor of both the former UEFA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (also began in 1955). A third competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, which started in 1960, was absorbed into the UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League) in 1999.

In December 2018, UEFA announced the creation of a third club competition, later named the UEFA Europa Conference League. The competition features 32 teams in 8 groups of 4, with a knockout round between the second placed teams in Europa Conference League and the third placed teams in the Europa League, leading to a final 16 knockout stage featuring the eight group winners. The first edition of the competition was played in 2021–2022.[23]

In women's football UEFA also conducts the UEFA Women's Champions League for club teams. The competition was first held in 2001, and was known as the UEFA Women's Cup until 2009.

The UEFA Super Cup pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the Europa League (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup), and came into being in 1973.[24] [25] [26]

The UEFA Intertoto Cup was a summer competition, previously operated by several Central European football associations, which was relaunched and recognised as official UEFA club competition by UEFA in 1995.[27] The last Intertoto Cup took place in 2008.

The European/South American Cup was jointly organised with CONMEBOL between the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores winners.[28]

Only five teams[29] [30] (Juventus, Ajax, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Chelsea) have won each of the three main competitions (European Cup/UEFA Champions League, European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League),[31] a feat that is no longer possible for any team that did not win the Cup Winners' Cup. There are currently eight teams throughout Europe that have won two of the three trophies; all but one have won the Cup Winners' Cup, four require a win in the Champions League and four require a UEFA Europa League win.

Until the first staging of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, Juventus of Italy was the only team in Europe to win all UEFA's official championships and cups[32] and, in commemoration of achieving that feat, have received The UEFA Plaque by the Union of European Football Associations on 12 July 1988.[33] [34]

UEFA's premier futsal competition is the UEFA Futsal Cup, a tournament started in 2001 which replaced the former Futsal European Clubs Championship. This event, despite enjoying a long and well-established tradition in the European futsal community, dating back to 1984, was never recognised as official by UEFA.

Recently, there has been an attempt to create a Europa League-style second tier women's club competition, which has been in discussion since 2021.[35]

Current title holders

See also: FIFA International Match Calendar.

CompetitionYearChampionsTitleRunners-upNext edition
Intercontinental (UEFA–CONMEBOL)
Cup of Champions20222nd2025
Women's Finalissima20231st2026
UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge2023 Sevilla1st Independiente del Valle2024
Under-20 Intercontinental Cup2023 Boca Juniors1st AZ2024
Futsal Finalissima20221st2026
Men's national teams
European Championship20244th2028
Nations League2022–231st2024–25
U-21 Championship20233rd2025
U-19 Championship202412th2025
U-17 Championship20242nd2025
Futsal Championship20222nd2026
U-19 Futsal Championship20231st2025
Women's national teams
Women's Championship20221st2025
Women's Nations League2023–241st2025–26
Women's U-19 Championship20246th2025
Women's U-17 Championship20245th2025
Women's Futsal Championship20233rd2027
Men's club teams
Super Cup2024 Real Madrid6th Atalanta2025
Champions League2023–24 Real Madrid15th Borussia Dortmund2024–25
Europa League2023–24 Atalanta1st Bayer Leverkusen2024–25
Conference League2023–24 Olympiacos1st Fiorentina2024–25
Youth League2023–24 Olympiacos1st Milan2024–25
Futsal Champions League2023–24 Palma Futsal2nd Barcelona2024–25
Women's club teams
Women's Champions League2023–24 Barcelona3rd Lyon2024–25
Women's Second Competition2025–26
Men's amateur teams
Regions' Cup2023 Galicia1st Belgrade2025

Titles by nation

See main article: UEFA club competition records and statistics.

NationMenWomenFutsalTotal
EuroNLU21U19U17EuroNLU19U17Men'sU19Women's
4 1 5 12 9 1 6 5 7 2 3 55
3 3 6 4 8 6 8 38
2 1 1 8 3 5 1 21
3 11 2 1 1 18
2 5 4 2 1 2 16
1 1 4 6 2 1 15
1 2 6 3 1 1 14
1 2 4 1 1 9
1 1 3 5
1 1 1 1 4
1 3 4
1113
3 3
3 3
1 1 1 3
1 2 3
2 2
1 1 2
2 2
1 1 2
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1

Sponsors

UEFA national team competitions
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA women's football competitions

FIFA World Rankings

See also: FIFA World Rankings and FIFA Women's World Rankings.

Overview

Team of the Year

Team ranking in the top four – Men's
YearFirstSecondThirdFourth
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
First!style="background-color:silver;"
SecondThirdFourth
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

Major tournament records

Legend

For each tournament, the flag of the host country and the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.

FIFA World Cup

See main article: National team appearances in the FIFA World Cup.

See also: European nations at the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup record
Team1930

(13)
1934

(16)
1938

(15)
1950

(13)
1954

(16)
1958

(16)
1962

(16)
1966

(16)
1970

(16)
1974

(16)
1978

(16)
1982

(24)
1986

(24)
1990

(24)
1994

(24)
1998

(32)
2002


(32)
2006

(32)
2010

(32)
2014

(32)
2018

(32)
2022

(32)
2026



(48)
2030



(48)
2034

(48)
Years
×4th ××3rd R1
×R2
R2
R1
R1
7
R1
R1
R1
×R1
R1
R2
4th R2
R2
R1
R2
QF
3rd R1
14
Part of Yugoslavia ×R1
1
××R1
R1
R1
R1
R2
4th R1
7
Part of Yugoslavia ×3rd R1
R1
R1
bgcolor=silver2nd 3rd 6
×bgcolor=silver2nd QF
×R1
R1
bgcolor=silver2nd R1
R1
QF
R1
9
××××××R2
QF
R2
R1
R2
R1
6
Part of Germany ××R2
Part of Germany1
×××R1
QF
R1
QF
bgcolor=gold style="border: 3px solid red"1st QF
R2
QF
4th R2
QF
QF
R2
R1
4th QF
16
R1
R1
QF
R1
3rd R1
R1
4th 3rd bgcolor=gold style="border: 3px solid red"1st R1
bgcolor=silver2nd R1
QF
bgcolor=gold1st bgcolor=silver2nd 16
×3rd R1
×bgcolor=gold1st 4th QF
bgcolor=silver2nd 3rd bgcolor=gold style="border: 3px solid red"1st R2
bgcolor=silver2nd bgcolor=silver2nd bgcolor=gold1st QF
QF
bgcolor=silver2nd 3rd 3rd bgcolor=gold1st R1
R1
20
××R1
R1
R2
3
×QF
bgcolor=silver2nd ×bgcolor=silver2nd R1
QF
QF
R1
R1
R1
9
××××××××R1
1
×R1
1
×bgcolor=gold style="border: 3px solid red"1st bgcolor=gold1st R1
R1
R1
R1
bgcolor=silver2nd R1
4th bgcolor=gold1st R2
3rd bgcolor=silver2nd QF
R2
bgcolor=gold1st R1
R1
18
×R1
R1
××bgcolor=silver2nd bgcolor=silver2nd R2
QF
4th R2
bgcolor=silver2nd 3rd QF
11
×××QF
R2
R1
3
××R1
×R1
R2
3
×R1
××3rd R2
3rd R2
R1
R1
R1
R2
9
×3rd R1
R1
4th R2
R1
R2
QF
Q 8
×QF
R2
R2
3
R1
R1
R1
×R1
R2
QF
R2
7
×××××QF
QF
4th QF
R2
R2
R1
R1
R1
R1
QF
×11
××ו•R1
R1
R1
R1
R1
R1
R1
R1
8
4th R1
QF
QF
4th R2
R1
QF
×R2
R1
R1
R1
R1
13
×bgcolor=silver2nd QF
×R1
R1
bgcolor=silver2nd R1
R1
QF
R2
1
Part of Yugoslavia ×R1
R1
2
×QF
×4th R1
R1
R1
R2
QF
R2
QF
R1
QF
R2
bgcolor=gold1st R1
R2
R2
Q 16
×QF
4th 3rd 2nd R1
R2
R1
R1
3rd R2
R2
QF
12
×QF
QF
R1
QF
R1
R1
R2
R2
R1
R2
R2
R2
12
××ו•R1
×3rd 2
Part of Soviet Union ×QF
1
×××QF
R1
2
Total (34 teams) 4 12 13 6 12 12 10 10 9 9 10 14 14 14 13 15 15 14 13 13 13 13 16 TBD TBD

FIFA Women's World Cup

See main article: FIFA Women's World Cup records and statistics.

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Team 1991

(12)
1995

(12)
1999

(16)
2003

(16)
2007

(16)
2011

(16)
2015

(24)
2019

(24)
2023


(32)
2027

(32)
Years
QF
QF
R1
R1
R2
5
QF
QF
QF
3rd 4th bgcolor=silver2nd 6
R1
4th QF
QF
QF
5
4th bgcolor=silver2nd QF
bgcolor=gold1st bgcolor=gold1st QF
4th QF
R1
9
QF
R1
QF
R1
4
R2
bgcolor=silver2nd QF
3
bgcolor=silver2nd bgcolor=gold1st 4th QF
4th R1
R2
QF
R2
9
× R1
1
× R1
1
× QF
QF
× 2
R1
1
R1
R2
bgcolor=gold1st 3
3rd QF
QF
bgcolor=silver2nd R1
3rd R2
3rd 3rd 9
R2
R2
2
Total (14 teams) 5 5 6 5 5 5 8 9 12 11/12 60

Olympic Games

Men's tournament

Olympic Games (Men's tournament) record
Team1900

(3)
1904

(3)
1908

(6)
1912

(11)
1920

(14)
1924

(22)
1928

(17)
1936

(16)
1948

(18)
1952

(25)
1956

(11)
1960

(16)
1964

(14)
1968

(16)
1972

(16)
1976

(13)
1980

(16)
1984

(16)
1988

(16)
1992

(16)
1996

(16)
2000

(16)
2004

(16)
2008

(16)
2012

(16)
2016

(16)
2020

(16)
2024

(16)
Years
6 2 =11 =5 4
10 1
3 1 15 =5 4 5
10 =17 3 5 2 5
14 1
9 9 2 9 bgcolor=gold1 Split into Slovakia and Czech Republic5
2 2 10 3 =5 2 6 13 8 9
3 3 bgcolor=gold1 2 Merged with West Germany4
=17 1
4 =9 =14 9 4
2 5 4 5 =9 =5 =17 9 7 5 bgcolor=gold1 5 13 214
7 =5 =6 4 =9 5 5 3 2 9 10
bgcolor=gold1 1 bgcolor=gold1 11 =6 4 =17 =5 8 5 10
13 =17 15 3
5 13 =9 bgcolor=gold13 bgcolor=gold1 bgcolor=gold12 16 9
7 =17 2
Competed with Asia (qualified 2 times)153
8 5 6 3 bgcolor=gold1 =5 =9 4 4 4 5 12 5 3 5 15
16 1
=17 1
12 11 =9 =9 =9 =9 6
3 3 3 4 =9 =9 =17 7 8
9 7 3 =14 10 5
=17 4 =9 10 1 2 2 7
=5 4 14 6 4
14 =17 5 11 4
10 1
12 1
16 Split into 2 nations1
13 1
=9 bgcolor=gold1 3 3 3 bgcolor=gold1 Split into 15 nations6
2 =17 =5 6 12 10 1 6 2 14 2 112
4 11 6 3 =9 bgcolor=gold1 3 6 6 15 10
2 =9 13 3
=17 =9 =9 =5 =5 14 6
91
9 =17 =9 2 2 2 bgcolor=gold1 6 4 3 10 Split into 7 nations11
Total (37 teams) 3 0 6 11 13 18 11 10 10 19 5 9 6 5 6 5 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Women's tournament

Olympic Games (Women's tournament) record
Team1996

(8)
2000

(8)
2004

(10)
2008

(12)
2012

(12)
2016

(12)
2020

(12)
2024

(12)
Years
8 1
4 6 63
5 3 3 3bgcolor=gold1 36
5 7 2
10 1
5 1
3 bgcolor=gold1 7 3
41
6 6 4 6 7 2 2 7
Total (9 teams) 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 325

UEFA European Championship

See main article: UEFA European Championship records and statistics.

UEFA European Championship record
Team
(Total 36 teams)
1960

(4)
1964

(4)
1968

(4)
1972

(4)
1976

(4)
1980

(8)
1984

(8)
1988

(8)
1992

(8)
1996

(16)
2000


(16)
2004

(16)
2008


(16)
2012


(16)
2016

(24)
2020

(24)
2024

(24)
2028





(24)
2032


(24)
Years
×××GSGS2
GSGSR16R164
×3rd2ndGSGSQFQFR167
GSGS2
Part of QFGSQFGSR16R16GS7
3rd1st3rd2ndGSSFGSQFGSQFGS11
4thSFGS1stGSGSQFGSSFR1610
×3rdGSGSGSSFGSQFQFR162nd2nd11
××GS1
4th1stGSSF1stQFGSQF2ndR16SF11
Part of R161
××1st2nd1stGSSF2nd1stGSGS2ndSFSFR16QF14
×GS1stGSQF4
3rd4thR16GSGS5
×××QF1
×1st4thSFGS2ndGSQF2ndQF1stR16Q11
Part of GS1
×3rdGS1stSFQFSFSFQFGSR16SF11
Part of GS1
×R161
GS1
GSGSQFGSGS5
SFQFSF2ndQFSF1stR16QF9
GSGSR163
GSGSQFGSGSR166
1st2nd4th2nd2ndGSGSGSSFGSGSGS×12
××GSGSGSGS4
2nd2nd4thGS•××QFGS6
3rd1st3rdR16GSR166
Part of GSR162
•×1stGS2ndGSQFQFGS1st1stR16SF1st12
×SFGSQFGSGSGSR167
×GSGSGSR16QFQF6
GSQFSFGSGSQFQ6
Part of GSGSQFGS4
×SFR162

UEFA Women's Championship

Team1984
(4)
1987

(4)
1989

(4)
1991

(4)
1993

(4)
1995
(4)
1997


(8)
2001

(8)
2005

(8)
2009

(12)
2013

(12)
2017

(16)
2022

(16)
2025

(16)
Total
××××××SFQF2
GSQF2
SF3rd3rdGSSFGSGSSFbgcolor=Silver2ndGSQ11
bgcolor=Silver2nd4thSFGSGSbgcolor=Silver2ndGSSF1stQ10
SFQFGSGS4
GSGSGSQFQFQFSFQ8
1stbgcolor=Gold1st4thbgcolor=Gold1stbgcolor=Gold1st1stbgcolor=Gold1stbgcolor=Gold1stbgcolor=Gold1stQFbgcolor=Silver2ndQ12
×××GSQFGSGSQ5
SF3rd4th4th2ndbgcolor=Silver2ndGSGSQFQFGSGSQ13
SFGS1stQFQ5
××××××GS1
1stbgcolor=Silver2ndbgcolor=Silver2ndbgcolor=Gold1stSFGSSFbgcolor=Silver2ndSFbgcolor=Silver2ndGSGS12
GSGS2
××××GSGSGSGSGS××5
×GS1
×SFQFQFQFQ5
bgcolor=Gold1stbgcolor=Silver2nd3rdbgcolor=Silver2ndSFbgcolor=Silver2ndbgcolor=#9acdff SFQFSFQFSF11
GSGSQ3
Part of ×GS1

FIFA U-20 World Cup

See main article: FIFA U-20 World Cup records and statistics.

FIFA U-20 World Cup record
width=200Team1977

(16)
1979

(16)
1981

(16)
1983

(16)
1985

(16)
1987

(16)
1989

(16)
1991

(16)
1993

(16)
1995

(16)
1997

(24)
1999

(24)
2001

(24)
2003

(24)
2005

(24)
2007

(24)
2009

(24)
2011

(24)
2013

(24)
2015

(24)
2017

(24)
2019

(24)
2023

(24)
2025

(24)
Years
R1R14thR1R25
R21
QFQF2
R2R1R23
R1R1QFR1bgcolor=silver2ndR26
3rdR12
4thR1R13rdR2R1R1R1R2R1bgcolor=gold1stR212
R11
R1QFQF4thbgcolor=gold1stR2R2R1Q9
bgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=silver2ndR1R1R1R2R1QFQFQFR211
R21
R1R1R1R13rdR26
3rd1
R1R1QFQFQF3rd4thbgcolor=silver2ndQ9
R11
QFR1QFQF4
R1R1R1Q4
4th R1 3rd R2R25
QFbgcolor=gold1st1stR13rdR2R2bgcolor=silver2ndR2QFQFR112
R1R13rdR2R25
3rd1
bgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=silver2ndR14thQF3rdQFQF8
QFQFR13
R1bgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=gold1st3
R1R1R2R22
R1QFR1bgcolor=silver2ndR1QF4thQFbgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=silver2ndQFQFR2QFQFQ16
R11
R11
R1R2R23
R2R2R2bgcolor=gold1stQ5
Total (30 teams) 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 7 6 6 7 6 6 6 7 6 5 6 5 5

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record
Team2002

(12)
2004

(12)
2006

(16)
2008

(16)
2010

(16)
2012

(16)
2014

(16)
2016

(16)
2018

(16)
2022

(16)
2024

(24)
Years
Q1
QF1
QFQFGSGS3rd5
GSGS2
GSQF4thGS3rdbgcolor=silver2nd4thQFQ9
3rdbgcolor=gold1stQF3rd1stbgcolor=silver2ndbgcolor=gold1stQFQFGSQ11
GSGS2
QF4thQ3
GSQF2
QFQF×2
GSQFbgcolor=silver2ndbgcolor=gold1stQ5
QFGS2
GSGSGS3
Total (13 teams) 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 5 4 548

FIFA U-17 World Cup

See main article: FIFA U-17 World Cup records and statistics.

FIFA U-17 World Cup record
Team1985

(16)
1987

(16)
1989

(16)
1991

(16)
1993

(16)
1995

(16)
1997

(16)
1999

(16)
2001

(16)
2003

(16)
2005

(16)
2007

(24)
2009

(24)
2011

(24)
2013

(24)
2015

(24)
2017

(24)
2019

(24)
2023

(24)
Years
R1R12
R13rd2
R1R1QF3
QFR12
R11
QFMerged with West Germany1
QFQFR1bgcolor=gold1stR25
R11
QFbgcolor=gold1stQFQFR2R23rdbgcolor=silver2nd8
bgcolor=silver2ndQFR14thR13rdR23rdR2QFbgcolor=gold1st11
QFR12
R14thR1R1R1QFR2QF8
3rdR1R14th4
4thR1R13
3rdQFQF3
bgcolor=gold1stR2R2×3
2nd1
R21
bgcolor=silver2ndR13rdR1R1bgcolor=silver2ndbgcolor=silver2nd3rdbgcolor=silver2ndQFQF11
3rd1
bgcolor=gold1st1
4thQFR13
Total (22 teams)3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 6 6 6 6 5 5 5

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup record
Team2008

(16)
2010

(16)
2012

(16)
2014

(16)
2016

(16)
2018

(16)
2022

(16)
Years
R11
QF1
4thQF2
GS1
R1bgcolor=gold1stGS3
3rdQF4thGSQFQF4th7
3rd1
QF1
3rdbgcolor=silver2nd3rdbgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=gold1st5
Total (9 teams) 4 3 3 3 3 3 319

FIFA Futsal World Cup

See main article: FIFA Futsal World Cup.

FIFA Futsal World Cup record
Team1989

(16)
1992

(16)
1996

(16)
2000

(16)
2004

(16)
2008

(20)
2012

(24)
2016

(24)
2021

(24)
2024

(24)
Years
QF 1
4th R2 R2 3
R2 Q2
R2 R1 R2 R2 4
R1 1
Q1
R2 1
R2 R1 R2 bgcolor=silver2nd 3rd 3rd R2 7
R1 R2 4th Q4
R1 1
bgcolor=silver style="border:3px solid red"2nd R2 R2 R2 Q5
R2 1
3rd R2 R1 QF 4th bgcolor=gold1st Q7
R1 3rd 4th 4th QF bgcolor=silver2nd QF 7
R2 R2 2
R1 3rd bgcolor=silver style="border:3px solid red"2nd bgcolor=gold1st bgcolor=gold1st bgcolor=silver2nd bgcolor=silver2nd QF QF Q10
4th R2 R2 QF R2 Q6
Total (17 teams) 6 6 6 6 5 6 7 7 7 763

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

See main article: FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup records and statistics.

TeamBeach Soccer World Championship recordwidth=5 rowspan=18FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup recordwidth=5 rowspan=18Appearances
1995

(8)
1996

(8)
1997

(8)
1998

(10)
1999

(12)
2000

(12)
2001

(12)
2002

(8)
2003

(8)
2004

(12)
2005

(12)
2006

(16)
2007

(16)
2008

(16)
2009

(16)
2011

(16)
2013

(16)
2015

(16)
2017

(16)
2019

(16)
2021

(16)
2024

(16)
2025

(16)
width=30
/10

/13
Years
/23
×××R1
R1
4th033
R1
×××××××××101
R1
×××××××××101
bgcolor=#cc9966 height=403rd××101
R1
bgcolor=silver2ndR1
R1
bgcolor=silver2ndR1
4thQF
bgcolor=gold1st3rd4thQF
8412
R1
R1
R1
R1
404
4th3rdR1
R1
R1
QF
QF
R1
R1
4thR1
R1
bgcolor=silver2ndQF
QF
4th4thbgcolor=silver2ndbgcolor=silver2nd10919
R1
×R1
××××112
R1
R1
022
R1
R1
bgcolor=silver2ndQF
bgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=silver 2nd3rd3rdbgcolor=silver 2nd4thQF
3rd3rd3rdbgcolor=gold style="border:3px solid red" 1stQF
bgcolor=gold 1stR1
QF
81119
R1
×R1
QF
QF
bgcolor=gold1stbgcolor=gold1st3rd3rdbgcolor=gold style="border:3px solid red" 1st×189
R1
QF
3rdQF
R1
bgcolor=silver 2ndbgcolor=silver 2ndQF
R1
QF
4thQF
bgcolor=silver 2ndR1
QF
R1
7916
QF
bgcolor=silver 2ndR1
QF
QF
QF
3rd167
R1
××101
QF
R1
R1
×××033
align=centreTotal (15 teams)4334456447455555454554 4

Former tournaments

FIFA Confederations Cup

See main article: FIFA Confederations Cup records and statistics.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Team1992

(4)
1995

(6)
1997

(8)
1999

(8)
2001


(8)
2003

(8)
2005

(8)
2009

(8)
2013

(8)
2017

(8)
Years
×3rd1
×bgcolor=Gold1st1
ו•bgcolor=Gold1st1st2
ו•GS••3rdbgcolor=Gold1st3
×GS1
ו•GS3rd2
×3rd1
×GS1
ו•3rdbgcolor=Silver2nd2
×3rd1
Total (10 teams) 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 315

Sanctions

Against associations

Against clubs

Corruption and controversy

Dissatisfied fans across Europe have referred to the organisation as UEFA mafia, including in Russia's top league,[39] in Bulgaria's top league,[40] and in a Champions League group stage match held in Sweden.[41] The term has also been covered for its use outside of stadiums, for example during a protest in Kosovo outside an EU building following the Serbia v Albania (UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying) match.[42] F.C. Copenhagen supporters displayed banners around the city, with slogans such as "UEFA MAFIA – THE PANDEMIC OF FOOTBALL", when UEFA ordered their 2019–20 Europa League round of 16 return leg be played behind closed doors, despite reduced capacity being allowed by the Danish government.[43]

Following the 2015 FIFA corruption case, the then-president of UEFA, Michel Platini, was also involved in the case. Swiss prosecutors accused FIFA president Sepp Blatter of making a "disloyal payment" of $2m (£1.6m) to Mr Platini. Swiss attorney general,, stated: "We didn't interview Mr Platini as a witness, that's not true. We investigated against him in between as a witness and an accused person".[44] [45] Both Platini and Sepp Blatter were banned from football-related activity. Platini appealed to Court of Arbitration for Sports, which lowered the six-year ban to four years. He further appealed to Swiss courts and the European Court of Human Rights but the courts rejected his appeals.[46]

In 2019 UEFA's decision to host Europa League Cup final in Baku, Azerbaijan left one of the finalists, Arsenal, with a decision to withdraw their Armenian player Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of the competition due to safety concerns,[47] and there has been long-standing debates about the extent to which the elite clubs or UEFA itself should exert the most influence on the game.[48] UEFA's decision to partner with blockchain company Chiliz in February 2022 was criticised and described as 'incomprehensible' by fan groups across Europe.[49]

See also

Resolutions

Awards:

Qualifications:

Match:

UEFA congress

Financial fair play

UEFA coefficient

UEFA presidents

Related links

Planned competitions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How to switch to another language of UEFA.com – Inside UEFA . UEFA . https://web.archive.org/web/20190709234504/https://helpcenter.uefa.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115005998469-How-do-I-switch-to-another-language-version-of-UEFA-com-. 9 July 2019. 29 April 2021.
  2. News: Čeferin elected as UEFA President . UEFA . 14 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160918001431/http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/organisation/congress/news/newsid=2403250.html . 18 September 2016 . live.
  3. Web site: National Associations Inside UEFA . 28 July 2022 . UEFA.com.
  4. Web site: FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions.
  5. Web site: Rhodes . Charlie . 4 July 2009 . UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) . 5 June 2024 . Sportslens.com . en-US.
  6. Web site: President – About UEFA – Inside UEFA . UEFA.com . 7 July 2018 . 1 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140301105359/http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/president/index.html . dead.
  7. News: 18 May 2020 . 60 years at the heart of football . UEFA . 18 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190207025905/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/General/02/22/46/45/2224645_DOWNLOAD.pdf. 7 February 2019. live.
  8. Web site: Vieli . André . Nyon . UEFA: 60 years at the heart of football . UEFA . 169 . 2014 . 13 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190207025905/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/General/02/22/46/45/2224645_DOWNLOAD.pdf . 7 February 2019 . live.
  9. News: UEFA marks ten years at headquarters . UEFA . 2 October 2009 . 31 August 2021.
  10. News: Jersey fails in bid to join UEFA . Reuters . 26 February 2018.
  11. Web site: Bolavip US – Sports News | NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL . bolavip.com.
  12. Web site: TV rights picture in Europe's 'big five' soccer leagues . sportspromedia . 17 November 2023.
  13. News: Fifa and Uefa suspend all Russian teams . BBC Sport . 28 February 2022.
  14. FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions . . 28 February 2022 . 28 February 2022.
  15. Web site: Russia World Cup ban appeal rejected by CAS . 18 March 2022 . ESPN.com.
  16. Web site: CAS 2022/A/8709 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220415162803/https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/8709_reasoned_OPM__publication_.pdf . 15 April 2022 . live.
  17. News: Uefa ends blanket ban on Russian teams by allowing under-17 sides to compete . The Guardian . 26 September 2023 . Ames . Nick.
  18. Web site: Ukraine FA asks European teams not to play Russia U17s . 28 September 2023 . BBC Sport.
  19. Web site: UEFA Executive Committee . UEFA . 30 January 2024.
  20. News: UEFA Executive Committee . UEFA . 14 September 2016 . 7 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190107081844/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/executive-committee/index.html?redirectFromOrg=true . dead.
  21. News: Ex-Wales captain McAllister lands Uefa role . BBC Sport.
  22. Web site: Football Confederations – UEFA . https://web.archive.org/web/20190307054239/https://www.fifa.com/associations/uefa/ . dead . 7 March 2019 . FIFA.com.
  23. News: Europa League 2 to begin in 2021 . BBC Sport.
  24. Web site: History of the UEFA Super Cup . uefa.com . 21 August 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100701063110/http://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/index.html . 1 July 2010 . live.
  25. Web site: 1973: Ajax enjoy early success . uefa.com . March 1974. 5 January 2016.
  26. Web site: uefa.com – UEFA Cup Winners' Cup . uefa.com. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100503062850/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/history/season%3D1971/intro.html . 3 May 2010.
  27. Web site: History of the UEFA Intertoto Cup . uefa.com . 14 August 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131208220406/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/intertotocup/history/index.html . 8 December 2013.
  28. Web site: History of the UEFA/CONMEBOL Intercontinental Cup . uefa.com . 14 August 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131208213557/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/eusa/history/index.html . 8 December 2013.
  29. Web site: es . Un dilema histórico . El Mundo Deportivo's Historical Archive . 23 September 2003 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100326071942/http://hemeroteca.elmundodeportivo.es/preview/2003/09/23/pagina-7/552332/pdf.html . 26 March 2010.
  30. Web site: Edición del $dateTool.format('EEEE d MMMM yyyy', $document.date), Página $document.page – Hemeroteca – MundoDeportivo.com . hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com . 19 March 2022 . 30 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630224218/http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1987/03/20/pagina-34/1264069/pdf.html?search=ganadores%20de%20las%20tres%20competiciones%20europeas . dead .
  31. Web site: The man with the golden touch . uefa.com . 27 August 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110430120135/http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=219635.html . 30 April 2011 . dead.
  32. Web site: List of European official clubs' cups and tournaments . uefa.com . 21 August 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071230020854/http://www.uefa.com/competitions/supercup/news/kind=32/newsid=447085.html . 30 December 2007 . dead.
  33. News: es . Sorteo de las competiciones europeas de fútbol: el Fram de Reykjavic, primer adversario del F.C. Barcelona en la Recopa . . PDF . 53 . 13 July 1988 . 15 November 2009.
  34. Web site: Tutto inizio' con un po' di poesia . gazzetta.it.
  35. News: Europa League-style competition for women's football among proposals from European Club Association . 29 March 2021 . Sky Sports . 29 September 2022.
  36. Web site: Enterprise Rent-A-Car renews UEL partnership . 23 February 2018 . UEFA.com.
  37. Web site: Hankook renews longstanding UEL and UECL partnership . 27 August 2021 . UEFA.com.
  38. Web site: Heineken becomes UEL partner . 3 August 2020 . UEFA.com.
  39. Web site: Inter Milan v Napoli as it happened . BBC Sport . 19 October 2014 . 1 April 2016.
  40. Web site: Why Uefa and Bulgaria must act over 'yes to racism' banner . The Guardian . 7 October 2014 . 1 April 2016.
  41. Web site: Malmo fans sing 'UEFA Mafia' chant during Champions League defeat to Juventus . Eurosport . 27 November 2014 . 1 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160411031821/http://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/malmo-fans-sing-uefa-mafia-chant-during-champions-league-defeat-to-juventus_sto4718304/story.shtml . 11 April 2016 . live.
  42. Web site: Kosovo Albanians protest UEFA ruling; Serbia FM and Serbian FA reaction . Associated Press . 24 October 2014 . 1 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160414025353/http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/Any/ebc589de162abb5555941926962d322d . 14 April 2016 . dead.
  43. Web site: 5 August 2020 . Spydige bannere pryder København: UEFA Mafia! . ronaldo.com . Nicolaj M. . Jørgensen . 13 December 2021 . da-DK . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211213122103/https://ronaldo.com/dk/fodboldnyheder/spydige-bannere-pryder-koebenhavn-uefa-mafia/ . 13 December 2021.
  44. Web site: Fifa scandal: Michel Platini drawn closer to Blatter case . BBC . 30 September 2015 . 30 September 2015.
  45. Web site: Platini says the SFr2m was contracted, Lauber says he is under investigation . Inside World Football . Paul . Nicholson . 30 September 2015 . 30 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151001070205/http://www.insideworldfootball.com/fifa/17980-platini-says-the-sfr2m-was-contracted-lauber-says-he-is-under-investigation . 1 October 2015 . dead.
  46. News: Ronay . Barney . 5 March 2020 . Michel Platini's appeal over ban rejected by European court of human rights . The Guardian . 13 September 2020 . 0261-3077.
  47. Web site: Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss Europa League final . www.arsenal.com . 21 May 2019.
  48. Holt . Matthew . 11 December 2006 . The Ownership and Control of Elite Club Competition in European Football . Soccer and Society . Taylor and Francis Online . 8 . 50–67 . 10.1080/14660970600989491 . 143783793 . 1466-0970 . 1743-9590.
  49. Web site: Fan group 'appalled' by Uefa deal with cryptocurrency company . Paul . MacInnes . 15 February 2022 . 19 February 2023 . The Guardian.