UEFA Coefficient System Introduction
UEFA Coefficient System Introduction
Neil de Bruyn 5/9/2022 @USUEFAGuy
The UEFA Club and Association Coefficient system decides which clubs participate in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Europa League(UEL), and Europa Conference League(UECL). These association rankings decide if clubs enter into the competitions qualifying round, playoff round, or group stage. The “pot1” they are sorted into for each competition is decided by the clubs individual coefficients. Points are awarded to clubs throughout the competitions, 2 points for wins, 1 points for draws, as well as bonus points for UCL group stage participation, UCL round of 16 participation, winning UEL and UECL groups, and being group runners up in UEL and UECL. National Association ranks are determined by adding up each clubs totals from that season, add on association bonus points for pre group stage qualifying rounds, and UEL and UECL rounds of 32 performances, then divide by the number of teams that competed in Europe that season.
If you are a fan of the English, German, Spanish, or Italian top leagues, these points have little impact on you as the top 4 leagues have the same allocations for European play, and these leagues are well clear of 5th place. Top 4 make UCL group stage, Cup winners and 5th place make UEL, and 6th place will make the UECL playoff round.2 However, the battles down table make huge impacts on clubs and associations. More teams in later stages of Europe mean more money. More money means better players, better performances, and deeper runs in Europe…which means more money. There is absolutely a cyclical motion since the format changes in the mid 90s, where rich clubs and associations get richer and richer, making it more difficult for clubs and associations with less money to compete. Being knocked out in the group stage of UCL earned Dortmund about 51 million Euros this season, while Frankfurt who began in Europa, and will be playing in the final has earned around 20 million Euros.3 This is all based on coefficient and which tournament you play in, not necessarily how well you do in said tournament. The diversity of clubs and nations in major European Finals has decreased over the last 20 years, but I digress.
There are 55 associations that compete in UEFA competitions. The champions of leagues 1-11 are guaranteed group stage participation in the UCL, from 12th on there are a bunch of different access rules for each competition. A few points here and there can make a huge impact. The difference between 11th ranked Serbia and 12th Ranked Ukraine is 1.5 points. That is a difference of about 4 wins over the 5 years of competition. Yet this can make the difference between competing in UCL or UEL. While the top 6 leagues have been relatively consistent the past 10 years , the rest of the table sees massive fluctuation. This is partly based on trends in their actual on field talent, but also in the calculation method. Serbia currently has 4 teams qualify for Europe. Their top two clubs earn all the points, and then have their total divided by 4, leaving them with a respectable 33.3754 5 year average, or about 28 points a year divided by 4. In 23/24 they will have 5 teams, assuming the same trend continues where 2 team earn about 28 points, they will only have a yearly score of 28/5= 5.6. So as associations rise in the rankings, their top teams meet tougher competition in higher leagues, which can lower performance, and their 4th, 5th, or 6th placed teams now compete and increase the divisor. The system is built in a way that creates a pendulum motion for the associations 7-55. The top heavy loading of the UCL group stage has gotten progressively worse over the last several years. In 2015/16 season the champions from 1-12, runners up from 1-6 and 3rd from 1-3 made the group stage directly. Now, champions from 1-11, runners up from 1-6, 3rd from 1-4, and 4th from 1-4 all make the group stages directly. That is 4 more places automatically qualified. This forces champions and runners up from lower leagues beat each other to qualify, rather than being able to knockout a 4th place team from the top 4 leagues.
The association coefficient also comes with built-in lag that helps the big leagues as well. The smaller nations often groom good young talent through their academies, and then sell them off. Top 5 leagues are more likely to replace talent every season, because they have the money to do so. 1 good season does not help the coefficient for 2 years, and by that time the players that helped gain that coefficient have been bought up by the top 5 leagues. A strong season in 2019/20 will not affect the starting positions of clubs until 21/22. The same can be said about a bad season, having a delayed effect, and that can have an opportunity cost of causing the next group of talented youngsters to not be able to play in a certain competition. The competitions take the standings from the previous seasons leagues to populate teams, why not also use the most recent coefficient rankings?
The club coefficient also can have an impact on a clubs ability to be successful in the group stages of competitions. For example, RB Leipzig and Benfica are typically on the edge of pot 2 and pot 3. If for that year they get to be pot 2, they now play a *Liverpool* *Bayer Leverkusen* and and *Olympiacos*. If they fall to pot 3 even by a point or two they now have to play a *Liverpool*, * Sevilla* and *Olympiacos*. Being in Pot 1 and 2 make it far more likely to advance to the knockout stage of whichever competition you are in.
All of this being said the coefficient system is effective in producing quality tournaments between clubs of relatively equal talent, but also offering league champions the chance to compete in Europe. This is where I really like the new UECL. The winner of the Estonian league would be really out of place in a UCL group, or even a UEL group most years, however the UECL allows these teams to play european football as a reward for winning their league. The passion and excitement around Europe in Bodo/Glimt and Qarabag show that these competitions are meaningful to those involved. It also highlights the talent in lower ranked leagues. Having 6 nations represented across the 3 finals in the first year with UECL I think really exemplifies what continental competition should be.
Pot refers to a teams seeding within a group. Groups have 4 teams, one from each pot if possible. Pot 1 teams are either league winners, Title holders, and then teams with highest coefficients. Each group will have 1 team from each pot. Pot 1 teams have better recent performances in European play than Pot 2,3,4, teams.
This can change depending on who wins the domestic cups. If domestic cup winners qualify for UCL through league table finishing, the 6th place team becomes UEL, and 7th place team becomes UECL.
Monetary information pulled from fotcalc.com
Coefficients and rules on them pulled from UEFA.com