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UEFA
UEFA logo.svg
UEFA.svg
Abbreviation UEFA
Formation 15 June 1954; 71 years ago (1954-06-15)
Founded at Basel, Switzerland
Type Football organisation
Headquarters Nyon, Switzerland
Region
Europe
Membership
55 full member associations
Official languages
English
French
German
(other main but not official: Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish)
Aleksander Čeferin
First vice-president
Gabriele Gravina
Vice-presidents
Hans-Joachim Watzke
Jesper Møller Christensen
Laura McAllister
Armand Duka
General secretary
Theodore Theodoridis
Main organ
UEFA Congress
Parent organization
FIFA

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is one of the six main groups that manage association football around the world. It is in charge of football, futsal (indoor football), and beach football in Europe. UEFA also covers some countries that are partly in Asia, like Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, as well as Cyprus, Armenia, and Israel.

UEFA has 55 national football associations as members. Since 2022, due to a conflict, FIFA and UEFA paused all Russian national teams and clubs from playing in their competitions. UEFA organizes many national and club tournaments. These include the European Championship, Nations League, Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, and Super Cup. UEFA also manages the prize money, rules, and TV rights for these events.

Henri Delaunay was UEFA's first general secretary, and Ebbe Schwartz was its first president. The current president is Aleksander Čeferin. He was elected in September 2016 and also became a vice-president of FIFA.

How UEFA Started and Who Belongs

UEFA officially began on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland. This happened after discussions between the football associations of Italy, France, and Belgium. At the first meeting, 25 members were there. Six other associations that were not present were still counted as founding members, making a total of 31.

By the mid-1990s, UEFA had grown to over 50 members. This was because new associations formed as countries like the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia split up. UEFA's first main office was in Paris. It moved to Bern in 1960 and then to Nyon, Switzerland, in 1995. The current headquarters opened in Nyon in 1999.

Who are UEFA's Members Today?

Most UEFA members are independent countries in Europe. However, there are a few exceptions. For example, Monaco and Vatican City are not members. Some UEFA members are not independent countries but are part of a larger country. These include England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales (parts of the United Kingdom). Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands, and Kosovo are also members. These areas often manage their own sports. UEFA has previously said no to membership for areas like Jersey because they are not sovereign countries.

Some UEFA members are countries that are partly in Europe and partly in Asia, like Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. Other countries, like Cyprus and Armenia, are considered part of Europe culturally and politically. Countries that used to be part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also joined UEFA. This includes Israel, which was banned from the AFC in 1974, and Kazakhstan.

Sometimes, clubs from one UEFA member's area play in another member's league. For example, AS Monaco plays in the French League. Welsh clubs like Cardiff City and Swansea City play in the English League. Derry City, which is in Northern Ireland, plays in the Republic of Ireland's league.

On 28 February 2022, UEFA paused Russia's participation in competitions. This was due to a conflict and a recommendation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Russian Football Union tried to appeal this ban but was unsuccessful. On 26 September 2023, the ban was lifted for the Russia U-17 team. This allowed them to play in the 2024 Euro U-17. UEFA stated that banning children from competitions was not fair to their development. This lifting of the ban applied to all underage teams, both boys and girls. However, the football associations of Ukraine, England, and Sweden said they would not play against Russia.

Europe's Top Five Football Nations

Five UEFA national teams have won 12 out of 22 FIFA World Cups for Europe. These teams are Germany, Italy, France, England, and Spain. These five nations also have the top football leagues in Europe. These are Spain's La Liga, England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and France's Ligue 1.

UEFA's Leadership Team

The UEFA executive committee is made up of:

Past UEFA Leaders

List of presidents of UEFA
President Nationality Term
Ebbe Schwartz  Denmark 1954–1962
Gustav Wiederkehr  Switzerland 1962–1972
Sándor Barcs  Hungary 1972–1973 (acting)
Artemio Franchi  Italy 1973–1983
Jacques Georges  France 1983–1990
Lennart Johansson  Sweden 1990–2007
Michel Platini  France 2007–2015
Ángel María Villar  Spain 2015–2016 (acting)
Aleksander Čeferin  Slovenia 2016–present
List of secretaries general of UEFA
Chief Executive
Secretary general Nationality Term
Henri Delaunay  France 1954–1955
Pierre Delaunay  France 1955–1960
Hans Bangerter  Switzerland 1960–1989
Gerhard Aigner  Germany 1989–1999
1999–2003
Lars-Christer Olsson  Sweden 2003–2007
Gianni Infantino  Switzerland
 Italy
2007
David Taylor  Scotland 2007–2009
Gianni Infantino  Switzerland
 Italy
2009–2016
Theodore Theodoridis  Greece 2016–present

UEFA Member Associations

Code Association National teams Founded FIFA
affiliation
UEFA
affiliation
IOC
member
ALB  Albania
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1930 1932 1954 Yes
AND  Andorra
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1994 1996 1996 Yes
ARM  Armenia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1992 1992 1992 Yes
AUT  Austria
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1904 1905 1954 Yes
AZE  Azerbaijan
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1992 1994 1994 Yes
BLR  Belarus
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1989 1992 1993 Yes
BEL  Belgium
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1895 1904 1954 Yes
BIH  Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1920 1996 1998 Yes
BUL  Bulgaria
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1923 1924 1954 Yes
CRO  Croatia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1912 1941 1993 Yes
CYP  Cyprus
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1934 1948 1962 Yes
CZE  Czech Republic
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1901 1907 1954 Yes
DEN  Denmark
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1889 1904 1954 Yes
ENG  England
1863 1905 1954 No
EST  Estonia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1921 1923 1992 Yes
FRO  Faroe Islands
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1979 1988 1990 No
FIN  Finland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1907 1908 1954 Yes
FRA  France
1919 1904 1954 Yes
GEO  Georgia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1990 1992 1992 Yes
GER  Germany
1900 1904 1954 Yes
GIB  Gibraltar
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1895 2016 2013 No
GRE  Greece
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1926 1927 1954 Yes
HUN  Hungary
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1901 1906 1954 Yes
ISL  Iceland
1947 1947 1954 Yes
ISR  Israel
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1928 1929 1994 Yes
ITA  Italy
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1898 1905 1954 Yes
KAZ  Kazakhstan
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1994 1994 2002 Yes
KOS  Kosovo
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
2008 2016 2016 Yes
LVA  Latvia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1921 1922 1992 Yes
LIE  Liechtenstein
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1934 1974 1974 Yes
LTU  Lithuania
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1922 1923 1992 Yes
LUX  Luxembourg
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1908 1910 1954 Yes
MLT  Malta
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1900 1959 1960 Yes
MDA  Moldova
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1990 1994 1993 Yes
MNE  Montenegro
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1931 2007 2007 Yes
NED  Netherlands
1889 1904 1954 Yes
MKD  North Macedonia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1926 1994 1994 Yes
NIR  Northern Ireland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1880 1911 1954 No
NOR  Norway
1902 1908 1954 Yes
POL  Poland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1919 1923 1954 Yes
POR  Portugal
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1914 1923 1954 Yes
IRL  Republic of Ireland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1921 1923 1954 Yes
ROU  Romania
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1909 1923 1954 Yes
RUS  Russia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1912 1912 1954 Yes
SMR  San Marino
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1931 1988 1988 Yes
SCO  Scotland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1873 1910 1954 No
SRB  Serbia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1919 1923 1954 Yes
SVK  Slovakia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1938 1939 1993 Yes
SVN  Slovenia
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1920 1992 1992 Yes
ESP  Spain
1909 1904 1954 Yes
SWE  Sweden
1904 1904 1954 Yes
SUI  Switzerland
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1895 1904 1954 Yes
TUR  Turkey
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1923 1923 1962 Yes
UKR  Ukraine
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1991 1992 1992 Yes
WAL  Wales
  • Men's
    • U21
    • U19
    • U17
    • F
    • BS
  • Women's
    • U19
    • U17
1876 1910 1954 No

Past Members of UEFA

Association Year Note
Flag of Saar (1947–1956).svg Saarland 1954–1956
East Germany East Germany 1954–1990
Soviet Union Soviet Union 1954–1991
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia 1954–1993
Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaSerbia and Montenegro Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia-Montenegro
1954–2003
2003–2006

UEFA Football Competitions

UEFA organizes many international football competitions in Europe. These also include some countries in Northern, Southwestern, and Central Asia. These events are for national teams and professional clubs. Some of them are considered among the most important tournaments in the world.

UEFA's Main Tournaments

UEFA organizes two of the most famous competitions for national teams: The UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League. The main competition for men's national teams is the UEFA European Championship, often called the Euro. It started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960. The UEFA Nations League is UEFA's second major tournament. It began in 2018 and mostly replaced friendly matches. This tournament is played every two years.

UEFA also runs national team competitions for younger players. These are for Under-21, Under-19, and Under-17 teams. For women's national teams, UEFA has the UEFA Women's Championship for senior teams. They also have Women's Under-19 and Women's Under-17 Championships.

World and Intercontinental Competitions

Besides European competitions, UEFA also organizes qualifying tournaments. These help European national teams and their junior teams get into World Cups (run by FIFA) and the Olympics (run by IOC).

UEFA also used to organize the UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams. This was to help grow youth football. In 1999, UEFA started the UEFA Regions' Cup for semi-professional teams representing their local areas. In futsal, there is the UEFA Futsal Championship and UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship. UEFA does not organize any beach soccer competitions. Other groups handle international and club beach soccer events for UEFA members.

The national teams of Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Russia are the only men's teams to have won the European football championship in all age categories.

Club Competitions

UEFA Members 2016
UEFA member countries by club competition entry entitlements, 2009/10

The most important UEFA club competition is the UEFA Champions League. It started in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup. At first, only the top team from each country could play. Now, it includes the top 1 to 4 teams from each country's league. The number of teams depends on the country's ranking.

The UEFA Europa League is a second, slightly lower-ranked competition. It began in 1971 for national cup winners and other high-ranking league teams. It took over from the old UEFA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. A third competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, which started in 1960, was combined into the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in 1999.

In December 2018, UEFA announced a new third club competition, later named the UEFA Europa Conference League. This competition has 32 teams in 8 groups of 4. There is a knockout round between second-placed teams from the Conference League and third-placed teams from the Europa League. This leads to a final knockout stage with 16 teams. The first Europa Conference League was played in 2021–2022.

For women's football, UEFA also runs the UEFA Women's Champions League for club teams. This competition first took place in 2001 and was called the UEFA Women's Cup until 2009.

The UEFA Super Cup is a match between the winners of the Champions League and the winners of the Europa League. It started in 1973.

The UEFA Intertoto Cup was a summer competition that UEFA officially recognized in 1995. The last Intertoto Cup was in 2008.

The European/South American Cup was organized with CONMEBOL. It was played between the winners of the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores.

Only five teams have won all three main European club competitions. These are Juventus, Ajax, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea. This achievement is no longer possible for new teams since the Cup Winners' Cup no longer exists. Eight other teams have won two of the three trophies.

Until the first UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, Juventus of Italy was the only team to win all of UEFA's official championships and cups. They received The UEFA Plaque on 12 July 1988 to celebrate this.

UEFA's top futsal competition is the UEFA Futsal Cup. This tournament started in 2001.

A new second-tier women's club competition, the "UEFA Women's Europa Cup," was announced in December 2024. Its first edition will be played in 2025–26.

Current Champions

Competition Year Champions Title Runners-up Next edition
Intercontinental (UEFA–CONMEBOL)
Finalissima 2022  Argentina 2nd  Italy 2026
Women's Finalissima 2023 Flag of England.svg England 1st Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 2026
Club Challenge 2023 Spain Sevilla 1st Ecuador Independiente del Valle 2025
U-20 Intercontinental Cup 2024 Brazil Flamengo 1st Greece Olympiacos 2025
Futsal Finalissima 2022  Portugal 1st  Spain 2026
Men's national teams
European Championship 2024  Spain 4th  England 2028
Nations League 2024–25  Portugal 2nd  Spain 2026–27
U-21 Championship 2025  England 4th  Germany 2027
U-19 Championship 2025  Netherlands 1st  Spain 2026
U-17 Championship 2025  Portugal 7th  France 2026
Futsal Championship 2022  Portugal 2nd  Russia 2026
U-19 Futsal Championship 2023 Portugal 1st Spain 2025
Women's national teams
Women's Championship 2022 Flag of England.svg England 1st Flag of Germany.svg Germany 2025
Women's Nations League 2023–24 Flag of Spain.svg Spain 1st Flag of France.svg France 2025
Women's U-19 Championship 2025  Spain 7th  France 2026
Women's U-17 Championship 2025  Netherlands 1st  Norway 2026
Women's Futsal Championship 2023  Spain 3rd  Ukraine 2027
Men's club teams
Super Cup 2024 Spain Real Madrid 6th Italy Atalanta 2025
Champions League 2024–25 France Paris Saint-Germain 1st Italy Inter Milan 2025–26
Europa League 2024–25 England Tottenham Hotspur 3rd England Manchester United 2025–26
Conference League 2024–25 England Chelsea 1st Spain Real Betis 2025–26
Youth League 2024–25 Spain Barcelona 3rd Turkey Trabzonspor 2025–26
Futsal Champions League 2024–25 Spain Palma Futsal 3rd Kazakhstan Kairat 2025–26
Women's club teams
Women's Champions League 2024–25 England Arsenal 2nd Spain Barcelona 2025–26
Women's Europa Cup 2025–26
Men's amateur teams
Regions' Cup 2025 Spain Aragon 1st Poland Dolnośląski 2027

Tournament Wins by Nation

Nation Men Women Futsal Total
Euro NL U21 U19 U17 Euro NL U19 U17 Men's U19 Women's
 Spain 4 1 5 12 9 1 6 5 7 2 3 55
 Germany 3 3 3 4 8 6 8 35
 France 2 1 1 8 3 5 1 21
 England 4 11 2 1 1 19
 Portugal 1 2 4 7 2 1 17
 Italy 2 5 4 2 1 2 16
 Russia 1 2 6 3 1 1 14
 Netherlands 1 2 1 4 1 1 1 11
 Sweden 1 1 3 5
 Czech Republic 1 1 1 1 4
 Serbia 1 3 4
 Bulgaria 3 3
 Hungary 3 3
 Poland 1 1 1 3
 Turkey 1 2 3
 Austria 2 2
 Denmark 1 1 2
 Norway 2 2
 Republic of Ireland 1 1 2
 Belgium 1 1
 Greece 1 1
 Romania 1 1
 Scotland 1 1
 Switzerland 1 1
 Ukraine 1 1

UEFA's Sponsors

For UEFA National Team Competitions
For UEFA Champions League
Global Sponsors
Suppliers and Enhanced Partners

Note: These sponsors also support the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Youth League.

For UEFA Europa League
Global Sponsors
  • Betano
  • Engelbert Strauss
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car
  • FlixBus
  • Hankook
  • Lidl
  • Just Eat Takeaway.com
  • Swissquote
Suppliers
  • Decathlon

Note: These sponsors also support the UEFA Conference League.

For UEFA Women's Football Competitions

FIFA World Rankings for UEFA Teams

Ranking Overview

Top Teams of the Year

Sanctions and Rules

Actions Against Associations

  • Lithuania Lithuania: In 1990, rules were put in place because the Lithuanian Football Federation left the Soviet Union's Football Federation.
  • Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia: From 1992–1998, rules were put in place due to the Bosnian War.
  • Russia Russia: In 2022, rules were put in place due to a conflict.
  • Belarus Belarus: In 2022, rules were put in place for supporting Russia in a conflict.

Actions Against Clubs

  • Albania Albania: In 1967, special rules were put in place against the 1966–67 Albanian Superliga because of its political background.
  • England England: From 1985–1991, rules were put in place against English football clubs. This was due to the Heysel Stadium disaster. Their participation in European competitions was paused for five years.
  • Italy Italy: In 1974–1975, rules were put in place against SS Lazio because of its fans. Italy was not allowed to send Lazio to the European Cup, even though they had qualified.
  • Netherlands Netherlands: In 1990–1991, rules were put in place against AFC Ajax because of its fans. The Netherlands was not allowed to send Ajax to the European Cup, even though they had qualified.

More About UEFA

Awards and Recognition

UEFA Meetings

  • UEFA Congress

Fair Play in Money Matters

  • UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations

Team Rankings

  • UEFA coefficient

UEFA Presidents

Related Football Organizations

Future Competitions

  • Proposals for a European Super League in association football – A plan for a single, big European Football League that UEFA leaders have been involved in discussing.
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