UEFA

Union of European Football Associations
Union des associations européennes de football (French)
Union der europäischen Fußballverbände (German)
Abbreviation UEFA
Formation 15 June 1954
Founded at Basel, Switzerland
Type Football organisation
Headquarters Nyon, Switzerland
Coordinates 46.371009°N 6.23103°E / 46.371009; 6.23103
Region served
Europe
Membership
55 full member associations
Official languages
English
French
German
(other main but not official: Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Spanish)
Aleksander Čeferin
First vice-president
Karl-Erik Nilsson
Vice-presidents
Zbigniew Boniek
Armand Duka
David Gill
Gabriele Gravina
Laura McAllister
General secretary
Theodore Theodoridis
Main organ
UEFA Congress
Parent organization
FIFA
Website uefa.com

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA yoo-AY-fə; 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 some Asian countries such as Israel, Cyprus and Armenia. 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.

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 Europa 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.

History and membership

UEFA was inaugurated on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland after consultation between the Italian, French, and Belgian associations. 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. 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.

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.

Some UEFA members are transcontinental states (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) and others are considered part of Europe both culturally and politically (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; 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 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 "Big Five European Leagues", consisting of Spain's La Liga, England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1.

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. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the UEFA ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld the ban. 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 team's, men and women, of under aged player. This was rejected by the FA of Ukraine, England, and Sweden, with all three threatening to boycott matches against Russia.

Executive committee

Members

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

Former members

Association Year Note
Saarland Football Union 1954–1956
Football Association of East Germany 1954–1990
Football Federation of the Soviet Union 1954–1991
Football Association of Yugoslavia 1954–1992
Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro 1992–2006
Football Association of Czechoslovakia 1954–1993

Competitions

UEFA continental competitions

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

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

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

The top-ranked UEFA competition is the UEFA Champions League, which started in the 1992/93 season and gathers 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); this competition was re-structured from a previous one that only gathered the top team of each country (held from 1955 to 1992 and known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or simply the European Cup).

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.

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.

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. 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.

Only five teams (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), 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 and, in commemoration of achieving that feat, have received The UEFA Plaque by the Union of European Football Associations on 12 July 1988.

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.

Current title holders

Competition Year Champions Title Runners-up Next edition
Intercontinental (UEFA–CONMEBOL)
Cup of Champions 2022 Argentina 2nd Italy 2025
Women's Finalissima 2023 England 1st Brazil 2026
UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge 2023 Sevilla 1st Independiente del Valle 2024
Under-20 Intercontinental Cup 2023 Boca Juniors 1st AZ TBD
Futsal Finalissima 2022 Portugal 1st Spain 2026
Men's national teams
European Championship 2020 Italy 2nd England 2024
Nations League 2022–23 Spain 1st Croatia 2024–25
U-21 Championship 2023 England 3rd Spain 2025
U-19 Championship 2023 Italy 4th Portugal 2024
U-17 Championship 2023 Germany 4th France 2024
Futsal Championship 2022 Portugal 2nd Russia 2026
U-19 Futsal Championship 2023 Portugal 1st Spain 2025
Women's national teams
Women's Championship 2022 England 1st Germany 2025
Women's Nations League 2023–24
Women's U-19 Championship 2023 Spain 5th Germany 2024
Women's U-17 Championship 2023 France 1st Spain 2024
Women's Futsal Championship 2023 Spain 3rd Ukraine 2027
Men's club teams
Super Cup 2023 Manchester City 1st Sevilla 2024
Champions League 2022–23 Manchester City 1st Inter Milan 2023–24
Europa League 2022–23 Sevilla 7th Roma 2023–24
Europa Conference League 2022–23 West Ham United 1st Fiorentina 2023–24
Youth League 2022–23 AZ 1st Hajduk Split 2023–24
Futsal Champions League 2022–23 Palma Futsal 1st Sporting CP 2023–24
Women's club teams
Women's Champions League 2022–23 Barcelona 2nd VfL Wolfsburg 2023–24
Men's amateur teams
Regions' Cup 2023 Galicia 1st Belgrade 2025

Titles by nation

Nation Men Women Futsal Total
Euro Nations U21 U19 U17 Euro U19 U17 Men's U21 U19 Women's
Spain 3 1 5 11 9 5 4 7 2 3 50
Germany 3 3 6 4 8 6 8 38
France 2 1 1 8 3 5 1 21
England 3 11 2 1 1 18
Italy 2 5 4 1 1 2 15
Russia 1 2 6 3 1 1 1 15
Portugal 1 1 4 6 2 1 15
Netherlands 1 2 4 1 1 9
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

Sponsors

UEFA national team competitions
UEFA Champions League

Note: The UEFA Champions League sponsors are also sponsors of the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Youth League.

UEFA Europa League

Note: The UEFA Europa League sponsors are also sponsors of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

UEFA women's football competitions

FIFA World Rankings

Overview

Team of the Year

Major tournament records

Legend

  •  1st  – Champions
  •  2nd  – Runners-up
  •  3rd  – Third place
  •  4th  – Fourth place
  • QF – Quarter-finals (1934–1938, 1954–1970, and 1986–present: knockout round of 8)
  • R2 – Round 2 (1974–1978, second group stage, top 8; 1982: second group stage, top 12; 1986–2022: knockout round of 16)
  • R1 – Round 1 (1930, 1950–1970 and 1986–present: group stage; 1934–1938: knockout round of 16; 1974–1982: first group stage)
  • Q — Qualified for upcoming tournament
  •    – Did not qualify
  •  ×  – Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned
  •     – Hosts

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

FIFA World Cup record
Team 1930

(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
Austria × 4th × × 3rd R1
15th
× R2
7th
R2
8th
R1
T-18th
R1
23rd
7
Belgium R1
11th
R1
15th
R1
13th
× R1
12th
R1
T-10th
R2
10th
4th R2
11th
R2
11th
R1
19th
R2
14th
QF
6th
3rd R1
23rd
14
Bosnia and Herzegovina Part of Yugoslavia × R1
20th
1
Bulgaria × × R1
15th
R1
15th
R1
13th
R1
12th
R2
15th
4th R1
29th
7
Croatia Part of Yugoslavia × 3rd R1
23rd
R1
22nd
R1
19th
2nd 3rd 6
Czech Republic × 2nd QF
5th
× R1
14th
R1
9th
2nd R1
15th
R1
19th
QF
6th
R1
20th
9
Denmark × × × × × × R2
9th
QF
8th
R2
10th
R1
24th
R2
11th
R1
28th
6
East Germany Part of Germany × × R2
6th
Part of Germany 1
England × × × R1
8th
QF
6th
R1
11th
QF
8th
1st QF
8th
R2
6th
QF
8th
4th R2
9th
QF
6th
QF
7th
R2
13th
R1
26th
4th QF
6th
16
France R1
7th
R1
T-9th
QF
6th
R1
11th
3rd R1
T-13th
R1
12th
4th 3rd 1st R1
28th
2nd R1
29th
QF
7th
1st 2nd 16
Germany × 3rd R1
10th
× 1st 4th QF
7th
2nd 3rd 1st R2
6th
2nd 2nd 1st QF
5th
QF
7th
2nd 3rd 3rd 1st R1
22nd
R1
17th
20
Greece × × R1
24th
R1
25th
R2
13th
3
Hungary × QF
6th
2nd × 2nd R1
10th
QF
5th
QF
6th
R1
15th
R1
14th
R1
18th
9
Iceland × × × × × × × × R1
28th
1
Israel × R1
12th
1
Italy × 1st 1st R1
7th
R1
10th
R1
9th
R1
9th
2nd R1
10th
4th 1st R2
12th
3rd 2nd QF
5th
R2
15th
1st R1
26th
R1
22nd
18
Netherlands × R1
T-9th
R1
14th
× × 2nd 2nd R2
15th
QF
7th
4th R2
11th
2nd 3rd QF
5th
11
Northern Ireland × × × QF
8th
R2
9th
R1
21st
3
Norway × × R1
12th
× R1
17th
R2
15th
3
Poland × R1
11th
× × 3rd R2
5th
3rd R2
14th
R1
25th
R1
21st
R1
25th
R2
15th
9
Portugal × 3rd R1
17th
R1
21st
4th R2
11th
R1
18th
R2
13th
QF
8th
Q 8
Republic of Ireland × QF
8th
R2
16th
R2
12th
3
Romania R1
8th
R1
12th
R1
9th
× R1
T-10th
R2
12th
QF
6th
R2
11th
7
Russia × × × × × QF
7th
QF
6th
4th QF
5th
R2
7th
R2
10th
R1
17th
R1
18th
R1
22nd
R1
24th
QF
8th
× 11
Scotland × × × •• R1
15th
R1
14th
R1
9th
R1
11th
R1
15th
R1
19th
R1
T-18th
R1
27th
8
Serbia 4th R1
5th
QF
7th
QF
5th
4th R2
7th
R1
16th
QF
5th
× R2
10th
R1
32nd
R1
23rd
R1
23rd
R1
29th
13
Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia R2
16th
1
Slovenia Part of Yugoslavia × R1
30th
R1
18th
2
Spain × QF
5th
× 4th R1
12th
R1
10th
R1
10th
R2
12th
QF
7th
R2
10th
QF
8th
R1
17th
QF
5th
R2
9th
1st R1
23rd
R2
10th
R2
13th
Q 16
Sweden × QF
8th
4th 3rd 2nd R1
9th
R2
5th
R1
13th
R1
21st
3rd R2
13th
R2
14th
QF
7th
12
Switzerland × QF
7th
QF
7th
R1
6th
QF
8th
R1
16th
R1
16th
R2
15th
R2
10th
R1
19th
R2
11th
R2
14th
R2
12th
12
Turkey × × × •• R1
9th
× 3rd 2
Ukraine Part of Soviet Union × QF
8th
1
Wales × × × QF
6th
R1
30th
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

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)
Years
Denmark QF
7th
QF
7th
R1
15th
R1
12th
R2
11th
5
England QF
6th
QF
7th
QF
7th
3rd 4th 2nd 6
France R1
9th
4th QF
5th
QF
6th
QF
6th
5
Germany 4th 2nd QF
8th
1st 1st QF
6th
4th QF
5th
R1
17th
9
Italy QF
6th
R1
9th
QF
7th
R1
22nd
4
Netherlands R2
13th
2nd QF
7th
3
Norway 2nd 1st 4th QF
7th
4th R1
10th
R2
10th
QF
8th
R2
15th
9
Portugal × R1
19th
1
Republic of Ireland × R1
26th
1
Russia × QF
5th
QF
8th
× 2
Scotland R1
19th
1
Spain R1
20th
R2
12th
1st 3
Sweden 3rd QF
5th
QF
6th
2nd R1
T-10th
3rd R2
16th
3rd 3rd 9
Switzerland R2
15th
R2
14th
2
Total (14 teams) 5 5 6 5 5 5 8 9 12 60

Olympic Games For Men

Olympic Games (Men's tournament) record
Team 1900

(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
 Austria 6 2 =11 =5 4
 Belarus 10 1
 Belgium 3 1 15 =5 4 5
 Bulgaria 10 =17 3 5 2 5
 Czech Republic 14 1
 Czechoslovakia 9 9 2 9 1 Split into Slovakia and Czech Republic 5
 Denmark 2 2 10 3 =5 2 6 13 8 9
 East Germany 3 3 1 2 Merged with West Germany 4
 Estonia =17 1
 Finland 4 =9 =14 9 4
 France 2 5 4 5 =9 =5 =17 9 7 5 1 5 13 Q 14
 Germany 7 =5 =6 4 =9 5 5 3 2 9 10
 Great Britain 1 1 1 11 =6 4 =17 =5 8 5 10
 Greece 13 =17 15 3
 Hungary 5 13 =9 1 3 1 1 2 16 9
 Ireland 7 =17 2
 Israel Competed with Asia (qualified 2 times) Q 3
 Italy 8 5 6 3 1 =5 =9 4 4 4 5 12 5 3 5 15
 Latvia 16 1
 Lithuania =17 1
 Luxembourg 12 11 =9 =9 =9 =9 6
 Netherlands 3 3 3 4 =9 =9 =17 7 8
 Norway 9 7 3 =14 10 5
 Poland =17 4 =9 10 1 2 2 7
 Portugal =5 4 14 6 4
 Romania 14 =17 5 11 4
 Russia 10 1
 Serbia 12 1
 Serbia and Montenegro 16 Split into 2 nations 1
 Slovakia 13 1
 Soviet Union =9 1 3 3 3 1 Split into 15 nations 6
 Spain 2 =17 =5 6 12 10 1 6 2 14 2 Q 12
 Sweden 4 11 6 3 =9 1 3 6 6 15 10
 Switzerland 2 =9 13 3
 Turkey =17 =9 =9 =5 =5 14 6
 Ukraine Q 1
 Yugoslavia 9 =17 =9 2 2 2 1 6 4 3 10 Split into 7 nations 11
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

Olympic Games For Women

Olympic Games (Women's tournament) record
Team 1996

(8)
2000

(8)
2004

(10)
2008

(12)
2012

(12)
2016

(12)
2020

(12)
Years
 Denmark 8 1
 France 4 6 2
 Germany 5 3 3 3 1 5
 Great Britain 5 7 2
 Greece 10 1
 Netherlands 5 1
 Norway 3 1 7 3
 Sweden 6 6 4 6 7 2 2 7
Total (8 teams) 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 22

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record
Team
(Total 35 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
Albania × × × GS Q 2
Austria GS GS R16 Q 4
Belgium × 3rd 2nd GS GS QF QF Q 7
Bulgaria GS GS 2
Croatia Part of Yugoslavia QF GS QF GS R16 R16 Q 7
Czech Republic 3rd 1st 3rd 2nd GS SF GS QF GS QF Q 11
Denmark 4th SF GS 1st GS GS QF GS SF Q 10
England × 3rd GS GS GS SF GS QF QF R16 2nd Q Q 11
Finland × × GS 1
France 4th 1st GS SF 1st QF GS QF 2nd R16 Q 11
Germany × × 1st 2nd 1st GS SF 2nd 1st GS GS 2nd SF SF R16 Q 14
Greece × GS 1st GS QF 4
Hungary 3rd 4th R16 GS Q 5
Iceland × × × QF 1
Italy × 1st 4th SF GS 2nd GS QF 2nd QF 1st Q Q 11
Latvia Part of Soviet Union GS 1
Netherlands × 3rd GS 1st SF QF SF SF QF GS R16 Q 11
North Macedonia Part of Yugoslavia GS 1
Northern Ireland × R16 Q 1
Norway GS 1
Poland GS GS QF GS 4
Portugal SF QF SF 2nd QF SF 1st R16 Q 9
Republic of Ireland GS GS R16 Q 3
Romania GS GS QF GS GS Q 6
Russia 1st 2nd 4th 2nd 2nd GS GS GS SF GS GS GS × 12
Scotland × × GS GS GS Q Q 4
Serbia 2nd 2nd 4th GS •× × QF Q 6
Slovakia Part of Czechoslovakia R16 GS Q 3
Slovenia Part of Yugoslavia GS Q 2
Spain •× 1st GS 2nd GS QF QF GS 1st 1st R16 SF Q 12
Sweden × SF GS QF GS GS GS R16 7
Switzerland × GS GS GS R16 QF Q 6
Turkey GS QF SF GS GS Q Q 6
Ukraine Part of Soviet Union GS GS QF 3
Wales × SF R16 Q 2

UEFA Women's Championship

Team 1984
(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
Austria × × × × × × SF QF 2
Belgium GS QF 2
Denmark SF 3rd 3rd GS SF GS GS SF 2nd GS 10
England 2nd 4th SF GS GS 2nd GS SF 1st 9
Finland SF QF GS GS 4
France GS GS GS QF QF QF SF 7
Germany 1st 1st 4th 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st QF 2nd 11
Iceland × × × GS QF GS GS 4
Italy SF 3rd 4th 4th 2nd 2nd GS GS QF QF GS GS 12
Netherlands SF GS 1st QF 4
Northern Ireland × × × × × × GS 1
Norway 1st 2nd 2nd 1st SF GS SF 2nd SF 2nd GS GS 12
Portugal GS GS 2
Russia × × × × GS GS GS GS GS × 5
Scotland × GS 1
Spain × SF QF QF QF 4
Sweden 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd SF 2nd SF QF SF QF SF 11
Switzerland GS GS Q 3
Ukraine Part of Soviet Union × GS 1

FIFA U-20 World Cup

FIFA U-20 World Cup record
Team 1977

(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)
Years
Austria R1 R1 4th R1 R2 5
Belgium R2 1
Bulgaria QF QF 2
Croatia R2 R1 R2 3
Czech Republic R1 R1 QF R1 2nd R2 6
East Germany 3rd R1 2
England 4th R1 R1 3rd R2 R1 R1 R1 R2 R1 1st R2 12
Finland R1 1
France R1 QF QF 4th 1st R2 R2 R1 8
Germany 1st 2nd R1 R1 R1 R2 R1 QF QF QF R2 11
Greece R2 1
Hungary R1 R1 R1 R1 3rd R2 6
Israel 3rd 1
Italy R1 R1 QF QF QF 3rd 4th 2nd 8
Kazakhstan R1 1
Netherlands QF R1 QF QF 4
Norway R1 R1 R1 3
Poland 4th R1 3rd R2 R2 5
Portugal QF 1st 1st R1 3rd R2 R2 2nd R2 QF QF R1 12
Republic of Ireland R1 R1 3rd R2 R2 5
Romania 3rd 1
Russia 1st 2nd R1 4th QF 3rd QF QF 8
Scotland QF QF R1 3
Serbia R1 1st 1st 3
Slovakia R2 R2 2
Spain R1 QF R1 2nd R1 QF 4th QF 1st 2nd QF QF R2 QF QF 15
Sweden R1 1
Switzerland R1 1
Turkey R1 R2 R2 3
Ukraine R2 R2 R2 1st 4
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

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup record
Team 2002

(12)
2004

(12)
2006

(16)
2008

(16)
2010

(16)
2012

(16)
2014

(16)
2016

(16)
2018

(16)
2022

(16)
Years
Denmark QF 1
England QF QF GS GS 3rd 5
Finland GS GS 2
France GS QF 4th GS 3rd 2nd 4th QF 8
Germany 3rd 1st QF 3rd 1st 2nd 1st QF QF GS 10
Italy GS GS 2
Netherlands QF 4th 2
Norway GS QF 2
Russia QF QF 2
Spain GS QF 2nd 1st 4
Sweden QF GS 2
Switzerland GS GS GS 3
Total (12 teams) 4 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 5 4 43

FIFA U-17 World Cup

FIFA U-17 World Cup record
Team 1985

(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
Austria R1 R1 2
Belgium R1 3rd 2
Croatia R1 R1 QF 3
Czech Republic QF R1 2
Denmark R1 1
East Germany QF Merged with West Germany 1
England QF QF R1 1st R2 5
Finland R1 1
France QF 1st QF QF R2 R2 3rd 2nd 8
Germany 2nd QF R1 4th R1 3rd R2 3rd R2 QF 1st 11
Hungary QF R1 2
Italy R1 4th R1 R1 R1 QF R2 QF 8
Netherlands 3rd R1 R1 4th 4
Poland 4th R1 R1 3
Portugal 3rd QF QF 3
Russia 1st R2 R2 × 3
Scotland 2nd 1
Slovakia R2 1
Spain 2nd R1 3rd R1 R1 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd QF QF 11
Sweden 3rd 1
Switzerland 1st 1
Turkey 4th QF R1 3
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
Team 2008

(16)
2010

(16)
2012

(16)
2014

(16)
2016

(16)
2018

(16)
2022

(16)
Years
Azerbaijan R1 1
Denmark QF 1
England 4th QF 2
Finland GS 1
France R1 1st GS 3
Germany 3rd QF 4th GS QF QF 4th 7
Italy 3rd 1
Republic of Ireland QF 1
Spain 3rd 2nd 3rd 1st 1st 5
Total (9 teams) 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 19

FIFA Futsal World Cup

FIFA Futsal World Cup record
Team 1989

(16)
1992

(16)
1996

(16)
2000

(16)
2004

(16)
2008

(20)
2012

(24)
2016

(24)
2021

(24)
Years
Azerbaijan QF 1
Belgium 4th R2 R2 3
Croatia R2 1
Czech Republic R2 R1 R2 R2 4
Denmark R1 1
Hungary R2 1
Italy R2 R1 R2 2nd 3rd 3rd R2 7
Kazakhstan R1 R2 4th 3
Lithuania R1 1
Netherlands 2nd R2 R2 R2 4
Poland R2 1
Portugal 3rd R2 R1 QF 4th 1st 6
Russia R1 3rd 4th 4th QF 2nd QF 7
Serbia R2 R2 2
Spain R1 3rd 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd QF QF 9
Ukraine 4th R2 R2 QF R2 5
Total (16 teams) 6 6 6 6 5 6 7 7 7 56

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

Team Beach Soccer World Championship record FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup record Appearances
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)
WC
/10
FIFA
/13
Years
/23
Belarus × × × R1
11th
R1
14th
q 0 3 3
Belgium R1
12th
× × × × × × × × × 1 0 1
Denmark R1
6th
× × × × × × × × × 1 0 1
England 3rd × × 1 0 1
France R1
7th
2nd R1
11th
R1
11th
2nd R1
7th
4th QF
5th
1st 3rd 4th QF
8th
8 4 12
Germany R1
5th
R1
12th
R1
12th
R1
11th
4 0 4
Italy 4th 3rd R1
5th
R1
10th
R1
9th
QF
8th
QF
8th
R1
6th
R1
6th
4th R1
15th
R1
10th
2nd QF
8th
QF
5th
4th 4th 2nd q 10 9 19
Netherlands R1
8th
× R1
14th
× × × × 1 1 2
Poland R1
11th
R1
15th
0 2 2
Portugal R1
6th
R1
5th
2nd QF
6th
1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 2nd 4th QF
8th
3rd 3rd 3rd 1st QF
8th
1st R1
10th
q 8 11 19
Russia R1
5th
× R1
9th
QF
6th
QF
7th
1st 1st 3rd 3rd 1st × 1 8 9
Spain R1
6th
QF
5th
3rd QF
6th
R1
6th
2nd 2nd QF
7th
R1
10th
QF
7th
4th QF
6th
2nd R1
10th
QF
7th
q 7 9 16
Switzerland QF
8th
2nd R1
10th
QF
8th
QF
5th
QF
8th
3rd 1 6 7
Turkey R1
10th
× × 1 0 1
Ukraine QF
6th
R1
9th
R1
12th
× × × 0 3 3
Total (15 teams) 4 3 3 4 4 5 6 4 4 7 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 4 4

Former tournaments

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Team 1992

(4)
1995

(6)
1997

(8)
1999

(8)
2001


(8)
2003

(8)
2005

(8)
2009

(8)
2013

(8)
2017

(8)
Years
Czech Republic × 3rd 1
Denmark × 1st 1
France × •• 1st 1st 2
Germany × •• GS •• 3rd 1st 3
Greece × GS 1
Italy × •• GS 3rd 2
Portugal × 3rd 1
Russia × GS 1
Spain × •• 3rd 2nd 2
Turkey × 3rd 1
Total (10 teams) 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 15

Sanctions

Against associations

Against clubs

  • Albania, in 1967 special sanctions were imposed against 1966–67 Albanian Superliga due to its political background
  • England, in 1985–1991 sanctions were imposed against English association football clubs due to the Heysel Stadium disaster by suspending their participation in continental competitions for five years
  • Italy, in 1974–1975 sanctions were imposed against SS Lazio due to its fans, Italy was restricted from the European Cup to which Lazio qualified
  • Netherlands, in 1990–1991 sanctions were imposed against AFC Ajax due to its fans, the Netherlands were restricted from the European Cup to which Ajax qualified

Corruption and controversy

Dissatisfied fans across Europe have referred to the organisation as UEFA mafia, including in Russia's top league, in Bulgaria's top league, and in a Champions League group stage match held in Sweden. 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. 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.

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, Michael Lauber, 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". 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.

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, 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. UEFA's decision to partner with blockchain company Chiliz in February 2022 was criticised and described as 'incomprehensible' by fan groups across Europe.

The adjudicatory committee of UEFA's Club Financial Control Board's report that was produced in 2020 but never published, get leaked. The report on Manchester City F.C.'s financial charges has been obtained by the filmmakers of the YouTube documentary "Britain's Biggest Football Scandal?", which was released by Surise Media.

The report claims that two £15 million payments were made by a United Arab Emirates' mystery man to the Manchester City football club from 2012 and 2013. The £30 million payments are expected to be included in the 115 alleged violations of the Premier League's financial regulations that Manchester City was charged with. The payments, which were purportedly made by Etisalat, the UAE's majority state-owned telecommunications company, were actually disguised equity funding. The report claims that the funding came from the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the investment group owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Manchester City argued that Etisalat had repaid the £30 million in 2015, but the UEFA adjudicatory committee did not accept this. In 2019, the committee imposed a two-year European ban on City, which was overturned a year later by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS ruled that the £30 million payments could not be considered rule breaches because they were time-barred. Premier League and UEFA financial rules allows unlimited amount of sponsorship funding into the club while limiting the amount of equity funding into the club to cover losses.

See also

Resolutions

UEFA congress

Financial fair play

UEFA coefficient

UEFA presidents

Related links

Planned competitions