Which football leagues are there? An overview and information

Football is probably the most popular club sport in the world. Even in the USA, where American football in particular is a favourite with the masses, football or soccer is becoming increasingly important. Recent transfers, most notably that of Cristiano Ronaldo, mean that even Saudi Arabia’s premier league is increasingly making the headlines.

However, the top 5 European football leagues are and remain the measure of all things in professional football. England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy are the countries whose top teams battle it out year after year in the Champions League for the European football crown. Meanwhile, the championships in these leagues are synonymous with absolutely top-class football.

Current football leagues

The next 10 matches in the leagues at a glance

The first football leagues in Europe

The first real league was, of course, in the motherland of football – England. After the first rules were laid down there in the middle of the 20th century, the Football Association was founded in 1863 as the first football association. As early as 1888, the English Football League was launched and the game was played in the form of a league for the first time.

In continental Europe, structures were first established in Switzerland, where various clubs were founded before the Swiss Football Association was formed in 1895 and the first championship was held two years later.

From Switzerland, football spread to other European countries and developed in a similar way. However, championships initially always took the form of a final round with elimination rounds, whereas smaller regional associations had previously played out the participants in the championship via their own league system. In Germany, for example, there were still 55 leagues in 1932/33, each of which had regional first division status.

The modern league system in professional football

In 1920, some countries such as Austria, Spain and Italy followed the English example and created a national professional league. In Germany, however, it took until 1962 before the representatives of the regional associations were able to agree on the introduction of the Bundesliga from the 1963/1964 season.

In almost every country in the world, the league system with a first and second round and the resulting final rankings is common practice. Depending on the size of the country, relegation to a lower division is also determined in addition to the championship. In addition, the league positions determine possible participation in international competitions.

However, there are a few other league systems. For the most part, this is a combination of a league system with a main round and a play-off system as the final round. This means that the final placings are determined via play-offs, either with elimination rounds or a new league system. The placings after the first main round determine which teams ultimately compete in the respective play-offs for the championship, international qualification, relegation places, etc.

Such a system, which is also common in American football in the USA, is used in European football in the top leagues of Belgium and Austria, among others.

The football leagues in Germany

In almost all major countries, there is a so-called league pyramid for club football. This means that there are many other leagues below the first division, with the number of leagues at one level usually increasing as the division descends. For example, from two or more leagues, two or more players are promoted to the next higher division, while two or more players are relegated from that division to the lower leagues.

Here, for example, is a rough overview of the league pyramid in Germany:

• Bundesliga
• Bundesliga 2
• Bundesliga 3
• Regional league North – RL Northeast – RL West – RL Southwest – RL Bavaria
• 15 seasons of the Oberliga
• 37 seasons of the national leagues

Below the sixth-highest division, there are further divisions in descending order with leagues and seasons organised by the state associations through to the district associations. The regional leagues are organised by the respective regional associations, while the DFL is responsible for the 3rd division, 2nd Bundesliga and Bundesliga.

Which football leagues are the best in Europe?

In Germany, the 3rd division is therefore considered a professional league as well as the highest division and benefits from the marketing of the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga by the DFL. In fact, this model is economically successful in this country and ensures increased prestige for the clubs in the 3rd division. In international comparison, however, the second division in particular is a strong foundation for the championship in the first division.

A similar general interest in the lower leagues can only be found in England, where there are numerous strong clubs even below the Premier League.

In addition to the Premier League and the Bundesliga, Serie A in Italy, Ligue 1 in France and the Primera Division (also known as La Liga) in Spain are among the top 5 leagues in Europe. The top clubs there, such as Manchester City, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, justify this status year after year with their appearances in the Champions League.

Will there be a Super League in Europe?

The keyword Champions League brings up another possible top league in Europe: the Super League. The Super League is a competition that has not yet been realised, in which the best clubs from the top European leagues would compete against each other. In contrast to the Champions League, there will be one match day per week, meaning that the Super League will run parallel to the national leagues.

The controversial aspect is that the Super League is to take place entirely without the involvement of UEFA and therefore represents potential competition for the Champions League. After details of the plans became known in 2018 as part of the “Football Leaks”, there was increased criticism, meaning that such a league was initially not introduced – this was already planned for the 2021/2022 season.

Nevertheless, the individual clubs are still considering and endeavouring to create such a league, possibly in an open format and with an expanded field of participants. As recently as December 2023, the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA may not prohibit its members (clubs and players) from participating in other competitions in any way. Supporters of the Super League declared this a victory against the “UEFA monopoly”.

From 2024 in the Champions League: league instead of groups

Independently of the debate surrounding the Super League, the Champions League will be reformed. From 2024/2025, 36 instead of 32 teams will take part in the final round. This final round will no longer take place in groups, but as a single league.

As a result, each participating club will play against eight opponents, four times at home and four times away. A draw is held beforehand to determine which teams have to play each other: four pots with 9 teams each and each team gets one home game and one away game drawn from each pot – a total of 8 opponents. Matches between clubs from the same country should initially be ruled out.

In the league itself, as usual, 3 points will be awarded for each win and one point for a draw. After all matches have been played (9 match days), the eight top-placed clubs will go straight through to the round of 16. The clubs in places 9 to 16 and 17 to 24 play in play-offs for the remaining places in the round of 16. This is followed by the usual Champions League knockout rounds through to the final.

Frequently asked questions about the football leagues