UEFA coefficients
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In European football, the UEFA coefficients are statistics used for ranking and seeding teams in club and international competitions.
The coefficients are calculated by UEFA, who administer football within Europe. It uses three different coefficients:
- The coefficient of the national teams;
- The coefficient of national leagues;
- The coefficient of football clubs.
The national team coefficients use three points for a win and one for a draw, while the league and club coefficients, two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
Contents |
[edit] The coefficients
[edit] National team coefficient
The national team coefficient is derived from the results of the national football team of a nation. It is calculated dividing the number of points scored (three points for a win, one for a draw) by the number of matches played in the last two qualification rounds of the World Cup or European Championship. Play-off match results are ignored. For some countries only one qualifying round will be taken into account, if they were hosts of one of the last two events.
This coefficient is used by UEFA to determine in which "pot" a national team will be for the qualification tournaments of the World Cup and European Championship, and the final tournament of the European Championship. Each team in a pot is drawn into a separate qualifying group, thus keeping the bigger teams apart until the later stages of the competition.
If two or more associations have the same coefficient, the following criteria will be applied:
- coefficient from the matches played in its most recent qualifying competition,
- average goal difference,
- average number of goals scored,
- average number of away goals scored,
- drawing of lots.
[edit] Current ranking for the EC 2008 qualifying rounds
Rank | Team | Coefficient |
---|---|---|
1 | Greece[1] | 1.950 |
2 | Netherlands | 2.550 |
3 | Portugal | 2.500 |
4 | England | 2.500 |
5 | Czech Republic | 2.450 |
6 | France | 2.444 |
7 | Sweden | 2.278 |
8 | Germany | 2.250 |
9 | Croatia | 2.222 |
10 | Italy | 2.222 |
11 | Turkey | 2.100 |
12 | Poland | 2.056 |
13 | Spain | 2.056 |
14 | Romania | 1.950 |
15 | Serbia and Montenegro | 1.889 |
16 | Russia | 1.850 |
17 | Denmark | 1.850 |
18 | Norway | 1.778 |
19 | Bulgaria | 1.778 |
20 | Ukraine | 1.750 |
21 | Slovakia | 1.650 |
22 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.611 |
23 | Ireland | 1.556 |
24 | Belgium | 1.556 |
25 | Latvia | 1.550 |
26 | Israel | 1.500 |
27 | Scotland | 1.500 |
28 | Slovenia | 1.444 |
29 | Hungary | 1.389 |
30 | Finland | 1.300 |
31 | Estonia | 1.250 |
32 | Wales | 1.167 |
33 | Lithuania | 1.111 |
34 | Albania | 1.050 |
35 | Iceland | 0.944 |
36 | Georgia | 0.850 |
37 | Macedonia | 0.750 |
38 | Belarus | 0.722 |
39 | Armenia | 0.700 |
40 | Northern Ireland | 0.667 |
41 | Cyprus | 0.667 |
42 | Moldova | 0.611 |
43 | Liechtenstein | 0.450 |
44 | Azerbaijan | 0.389 |
45 | Andorra | 0.250 |
46 | Malta | 0.222 |
47 | Faroe Islands | 0.111 |
48 | Kazakhstan | 0.083 |
49 | Luxembourg | 0.000 |
50 | San Marino | 0.000 |
Austria (1.333) and Switzerland (1.833) are already assured of places at Euro 2008 as host nations.
[edit] League coefficient
The league coefficient is used to rank the leagues of Europe, and thus determine the number of clubs from a league that will participate in competitions such as the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
This coefficient is determined by the results of the clubs of the leagues over the past five seasons. The number of points awarded each season (two for each win by a club from that league, one for a draw) is divided by the number of teams that participated for that nation in that season. This number is then rounded down to three decimal places (e.g. 2 2/3 will be rounded to 2.666).
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 awarded points are halved. Bonus points are allocated for:
- Qualifying for the Champions League group phase. (3 bonus points)
- Reaching the second round of the Champions league.
- Reaching the quarter, semi and final of both Champions League and UEFA cup.
The bonus points are added to the number of points scored in a season.
[edit] Current ranking
The UEFA ranking determines the number of teams competing in the season after the next, not in the first season after the publication of the ranking. Thus, the 2006 ranking determines the proportion in 2007–08, not 2006–07.
Note: UEFA only publish country rankings at the end of each football season. While some independent web sites are proficient at applying UEFA calculations to give interim figures during the season, these should be taken as unofficial estimates, and not as categorical fact.
Here's the table showing the 2006 ranking:
Rank | League | Coeff. | CL places | UEFA Cup places |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 72.748 | 4 | 3 |
2 | Italy | 66.731 | ||
3 | England | 63.486 | ||
4 | France | 50.781 | 3 | |
5 | Germany | 48.364 | ||
6 | Portugal | 44.041 | ||
7 | Netherlands | 41.331 | 2 | 4 |
8 | Greece | 32.081 | ||
9 | Russia | 31.833 | 2 | |
10 | Romania | 39.832 | ||
11 | Scotland | 30.375 | ||
12 | Belgium | 30.250 | ||
13 | Ukraine | 26.600 | ||
14 | Czech Republic | 26.575 | ||
15 | Turkey | 26.166 | ||
16 | Switzerland | 25.875 | 1 | 3 |
17 | Bulgaria | 24.290 | ||
18 | Israel | 21.541 | ||
19 | Norway | 20.975 | ||
20 | Austria | 20.375 | ||
21 | Serbia | 19.999 | ||
22 | Poland | 18.500 | 2 | |
23 | Denmark | 16.950 | ||
24 | Hungary | 14.665 | ||
25 | Croatia | 14.083 | ||
26 | Sweden | 13.249 | ||
27 | Slovakia | 12.332 | ||
28 | Cyprus | 10.165 | ||
29 | Slovenia | 10.165 | ||
30 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8.165 | ||
31 | Finland | 7.373 | ||
32 | Latvia | 7.164 | ||
33 | Moldova | 6.832 | ||
34 | Georgia | 6.331 | ||
35 | Lithuania | 5.832 | ||
36 | FYR Macedonia | 5.331 | ||
37 | Iceland | 4.832 | ||
38 | Liechtenstein[2] | 4.500 | 0 | 1 |
39 | Belarus | 4.415 | 1 | 2 |
40 | Republic of Ireland | 4.331 | ||
41 | Albania | 3.665 | ||
42 | Armenia | 2.998 | ||
43 | Estonia | 2.665 | ||
44 | Malta | 2.665 | ||
45 | Wales | 2.332 | ||
46 | Northern Ireland | 2.332 | ||
47 | Azerbaijan | 1.999 | ||
48 | Luxembourg | 1.832 | ||
49 | Kazakhstan | 1.666 | ||
50 | Faroe Islands | 1.665 | ||
51 | San Marino | 0.000 | 0 | 1 |
52 | Andorra | 0.000 |
[edit] Club coefficient
The club coefficient is determined by the results of a club in European club competition in the last five seasons, and the league coefficient. The club coefficient is 33% of the league coefficient plus the number of points earned by the club in the five seasons. The points earned by a club in the preliminary rounds are not counted.
This ranking is used by UEFA to determine which pot the club belongs to in the preliminary and first rounds of the Champions League, and the preliminary, first and second rounds of the UEFA Cup.
Note, UEFA only publish club rankings at the end of each football season. While some independent web sites are proficient at applying UEFA calculations to give interim figures during the season, these should be taken as unofficial estimates, and not as categorical fact.
The estimated top 10 clubs as of May 2006 (following the UEFA Champions League final) are as follows:
Position | Club | Country | Coefficient |
---|---|---|---|
1 | AC Milan | Italy | 129.020 |
2 | FC Barcelona | Spain | 127.006 |
3 | Real Madrid | Spain | 120.006 |
4 | Internazionale | Italy | 112.020 |
5 | Juventus | Italy | 107.020 |
6 | Liverpool | England | 105.950 |
7 | Arsenal | England | 101.950 |
8 | Manchester United | England | 100.950 |
9 | Valencia | Spain | 95.006 |
10 | Lyon | France | 89.757 |
- A full list can be found Here
- incomplete list form uefa.com Champions League 06/07 lineup & UEFA Cup 06/07 line-up
[edit] Notes
- ^ Greece will be first seeded, as European champion
- ^ Liechtenstein Football Association doesn't organize any league competition, and the only competitor from Liechtenstein in the international competitions is the Liechtenstein cup winner, that qualifies for the UEFA Cup. All of the Liechtenstein teams play in the Swiss league competitions.
[edit] External links
- Independent but generally respected site about the league and club coefficient
- League coefficient according to a Dutch football magazine
- League coefficient by uefa.com
- League coefficient according to a German football magazine
- UEFA
- Euro 2008 coefficient according to an independent site
- Euro 2008 coefficient according to rdasilva's blog
- Discussion of how leagues move up and down the rankings