The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the administrative and controlling body for European football. It consists of 55 member associations, each of which is responsible for governing football in their respective countries.
All widely recognised sovereign states located entirely within Europe are members, with the exceptions of the United Kingdom, Monaco and Vatican City. Eight states partially or entirely outside Europe are also members: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey. The United Kingdom is divided into the four separate football associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales; each association has a separate UEFA membership. The Faroe Islands, an autonomous country of the Kingdom of Denmark, also has its own football association which is a member of UEFA. The football association of Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, was approved as a member by UEFA in 2013. Kosovo was approved as a member in 2016, even though it is claimed by Serbia and is not recognised by several other UEFA member states.
Each UEFA member has its own football league system, except Liechtenstein. Clubs playing in each top-level league compete for the title as the country's club champions. Clubs also compete in the league and national cup competitions for places in the following season's UEFA club competitions, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League. Due to promotion and relegation, the clubs playing in the top-level league are different every season, except in San Marino and Gibraltar where there is only one level.
Some clubs play in a national football league other than their own country's. Where this is the case, the club is noted as such.
UEFA coefficients
The UEFA league coefficients, also known as the UEFA rankings, are used to rank the leagues of Europe, and thus determine the number of clubs from a league that will participate in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. A country's ranking determines the number of teams competing in the season after the next; the 2009 rankings determined qualification for European competitions in the 2010–11 season.
A country's ranking is calculated based on the results of its clubs in UEFA competitions over the past five seasons. Two points are awarded for each win by a club, and one for a draw. If a game goes to extra time, the result at the end of time is used to calculate ranking points; if the match goes to a penalty shootout, it is considered to be a draw for the purposes of the coefficient system. The number of points awarded to a country's clubs are added together, and then divided by the number of clubs that participated in European competitions that season. This number is then rounded to three decimal places; two and two-thirds would become 2.667.
For the league coefficient the season's league coefficients for the last five seasons must be added up. In the preliminary rounds of both the Champions League and Europa League, the awarded points are halved. Bonus points for certain achievements are added to the number of points scored in a season. Bonus points are allocated for:
Qualifying for the Champions League group phase. (4 bonus points) Reaching the second round of the Champions League. (5 bonus points) Reaching the quarter, semi and final of both Champions League and Europa League. (1 bonus point)
Full list by country Albania
Football association: Albanian Football Association Top-level leagues: Kategoria Superiore () and Kategoria Superiore Femra UEFA ranking: 44th UEFA Association Club Coefficients and 16th Soccerway profile: here
The top division of men's Albanian football was formed in 1930, and the inaugural title was won by SK Tirana (now known as KF Tirana). Tirana are the most successful team in the league's history, having won the competition on 24 occasions, followed by FK Dinamo Tirana (now playing in the second division) with 18 championships, and Partizani with 17. The league became affiliated with UEFA in 1954. Since the 2014–15 season, 10 teams compete in the division. The teams finishing in the bottom two places are relegated to the Albanian First Division and are replaced by the champions of each of that league's two groups.
The top division of women's Albania football was formed in 2009, and the inaugural title was won by Tirana AS (now KFF Tirana). KFF Vllaznia is the most successful team in the league's history, having won the competition the following 14 occasions, 3 of which were won by Ada (whose members, upon the team disbanding after the 2012/13 season, joined KFF Vllaznia)—this success includes an unbeaten run from 2013 until 2023. Since the 2022–23 season, 10 teams compete in the division. As of the 2024-25 season, teams finishing in the bottom six positions in the league participate in group play and a subsequent final play-off match to determine relegation.
Clubs and locations as of 2025–26 Kategoria Superiore season and clubs of 2025–26 Kategoria Superiore Femra season:
Andorra
Country: Andorra Football association: Andorran Football Federation Top-level league: Andorran First Division () UEFA ranking: 49th Soccerway profile: here
Andorra's national league system was formed in 1993, and the Andorran Football Federation gained UEFA membership in 1996. Records from the league's first three seasons are incomplete, but FC Santa Coloma have won more First Division titles than any other team, with at least 13.CE Principat have three titles, and were runners-up in the 1993–94 season, meaning that they cannot match Santa Coloma's six confirmed league titles.
Another Andorran football club, FC Andorra, play in the Spanish football league system. In recent years, ten teams have competed in the First Division. The eight clubs that play in the league play each other three times in the same venue. After the first 21 rounds, the league splits in half, into a top four and bottom four. They then play the other three teams in their section twice more to give a total of 27 games. The last placed of the relegation round is relegated to Second Division, the second highest football league in Andorra, while the penultimate classified play a two-legged relegation play-off against the runners-up of Segona Divisió.
Clubs and locations as of 2025–26 season:
Armenia
Country: Armenia Football association: Football Federation of Armenia Top-level league: Armenian Premier League () UEFA Ranking: 34th Soccerway profile: here
Armenia gained independence in 1991, following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Organised football had been played in Armenia since 1936, as part of the Soviet football system. The Football Federation of Armenia gained UEFA affiliation in 1992, and the league ran as the national championship for the first time in the same year. Since independence, the country's most successful team is Pyunik, who has won 16 league titles.
Clubs and locations as of 2025–26 season:
Austria
Country: Austria Football association: Austrian Football Association Top-level leagues: Austrian Football Bundesliga () and ÖFB Frauen Bundesliga UEFA ranking: 17th and 10th Soccerway profile: here The ÖFB Frauen Bundesliga was founded in 1982, making it one of the oldest women's football leagues in Europe.
Clubs and locations as of 2024–25 ÖFB Frauen Bundesliga season and 2025–26 Austrian Football Bundesliga season:
Azerbaijan
Country: Azerbaijan Football association: Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Top-level league: Azerbaijan Premier League () UEFA ranking: 26th Soccerway profile: here
Although the country was part of the Soviet Union, the first Azerbaijan-wide football competition took place in 1928, and became an annual occurrence from 1934. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, the first independent Azeri championship took place in 1992, and the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan gained UEFA affiliation in 1994 Since independence, the country's most successful team is Qarabağ, with eleven league titles.
Clubs and locations as of 2025–26 season:
Belarus
Country: Belarus Football association: Football Federation of Belarus Top-level league: Belarusian Premier League () UEFA ranking: 50th Soccerway profile: here
Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Its independence was widely recognised within Europe in 1991, an independent national championship began in 1992, and UEFA membership followed in 1993. Through the 2018 season, the most successful team is BATE Borisov, with 15 league championships. The 2016 season saw the league expand from 14 teams to 16, accomplished by promoting three clubs from the Belarusian First League and relegating only the last-place team in the 2015 Premier League. At the end of the season, the bottom two teams are relegated to the First League and replaced by that league's top two finishers.
Clubs and locations as of 2026 season:
Belgium
Country: Belgium Football association: Royal Belgian Football Association Top-level league: Belgian Pro League (, , ) UEFA ranking: 8th Soccerway profile: here
Organised football reached Belgium in the 19th century; the Royal Belgian Football Association was founded in 1895, and FC Liégeois became the country's first champions the following year. Belgium joined European football's governing body, UEFA, upon its formation in 1954. Historically the country's most successful team are Anderlecht, with 34 league titles as of 2024. The Belgian First Division A, historically known as the First Division and also known as the Pro League from 2008 to 2009 through 2015–16, currently consists of 16 teams. Initially, each team plays the other clubs twice for a total of 30 matches. At this point, the league proceeds as follows (as of the current 2025–26 season): The top six teams take half of their points (rounded up) into a championship play-off, playing each other two further times to determine the national champion. The relegation play-off is played between the teams ranked 13th and 16th after the regular season. After the relegation play-off battle, two teams are relegated directly to the Challenger Pro League and one team will play against 3rd place of Challenger Pro League due to avoid relegation.
Clubs and locations as of 2025–26 season:
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina Football association: Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina Top-level league: Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina () UEFA ranking: 38th Soccerway profile: here
Prior to gaining independence from Yugoslavia, clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina were eligible to compete in the Yugoslav First League, which they won three times. The country gained independence in 1992, and its Football Association gained UEFA membership in 1998. Due to political tensions between Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats, the country did not have a single national top division until the 2002–03 season, but rather two or three. Since then, Zrinjski Mostar have won eight titles, Sarajevo have won four, Željezničar have won three, Borac have won three, Široki Brijeg have won twice and two other teams have won it once each.