UEFA Football Competitions 2023 – Competitions to Follow

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 rigorously, as there have been many extra 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 put in 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. All the way at the bottom 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. Basically, the structure of the UEFA tournaments gives 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 either qualify for 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 GS 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 GS, PO and 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 is only a third round of qualification, which is linked to the Champions League qualification structure. 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 Villareal have played in the league. Granted, there are a lot of 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 GS play against the runners up of the Conference League GS. Before the competition begins, teams have to qualify for the PO, Q3, Q2, or Q1 (there is no direct qualification to the GS).

• 1st-4th: PO for the 7th
• 5th: PO for the 6th
• 6th: Q3 for the 5th, Q2 for the th
• 7th-12th: Q3 for the 4th, Q2 for the 5th
• 13-15th: Q2 for the 4th and 5th
• 16th-28th - Q3 for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th
• 29th: Q2 for the 2nd and 3rd, Q1 for the 4th
• 30th-49th: Q1 for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th
• 50th-54th: Q1 for the 2nd and 3rd
• Liechtenstein: winners of the Liechtenstein Cup secure a berth in the Q1

Bet on European Football Now

You can always find bets on European football. We bring you all the best betting markets with highly competitive odds. From the Champions League major blockbuster games to the first rounds of the Conference League, you have endless betting markets with fantastic odds.

The most rewarding online sportsbook sites in the UK are the ones that have a variety of betting markets. Those include games for the top teams in Europe that compete in the most competitive leagues in the world. The UEFA football competitions 2023 are the ones that you should truly look out for. It is a mixture of talent and fierce competition between players.

Click here to try the best odds at bet365 Sportsbook