UEFA Coefficient: The Best European Women's Football Teams
UEFA coefficient is a system the UEFA confederation uses to rank European Women's and Men's clubs based on their performance for the past five seasons. The confederation can determine the seeding of teams in international and club tournaments with the information. This read will take you through the best European club and country rankings based on their UEFA coefficient and answer some of your questions on the subject.
History Of UEFA Coefficients
The UEFA Coefficients, which is the weighted arithmetic mean for European teams, was introduced in 1979 for the men's European football tournaments as one of the most accurate ways to seed international and club competitions. Later, the confederation applied the coefficients for the women's futsal and football tournaments.
Since the introduction of the UEFA Coefficients, the confederation has been publishing three different rankings. The National Team Coefficient, Association Coefficient, and Club Coefficient rank European clubs for seeding in the UEFA Champions League, Europa Conference League, and Europa League.
The old ranking methods ran from 1997 to 2007, after which UEFA introduced the new coefficient calculation method, which lasted from May 2008 to 2017. Over the years, the confederation has changed the UEFA Coefficient calculation method. For example, UEFA uses data for the past five seasons instead of statistics for a single season.
UEFA Club Coefficients
As stated earlier, UEFA develops different rankings, one of them being the UEFA Club Coefficients. This ranking is based on statistics of different European clubs and their performance in UEFA competitions such as the Champions League. But how are the club coefficients calculated? Read on to find out.
How Are UEFA Club Coefficients Calculated?
Two sets of data are mandatory for calculating the UEFA Club Coefficients. First, the confederation sums up the number of points scored by a club during the season. After that, they determine the club's association coefficient and find 20% of the number. UEFA then adds the two results to get the club's coefficient. But how are the points distributed? The confederation awards point as follows:
- 1 – Every draw starting from the group stage onwards
- 2 – Every win starting from the group stage onwards
- 4 – Bonus for participating in the group stage
- 1 – Every round, the clubs get to the quarter-finals onwards
- 0.5 – Given to every club eliminated in the preliminary round
- 1 – Given to the club in the round 1 third-place match
- 1.5 – Given to the winner of the round 1 third-place match (four-team mini-tournament) or defeated team in the matchday 1 tie (three-team mini-tournament)
- 2 – Given to the defeated finalists in round 1
- 3 – Given to clubs eliminated in round 2
What Competitions do UEFA Club Coefficients effect
The UEFA club coefficients are based on three UEFA competitions. These include the Europa Conference League, Europa League, and the Champions League. These are the same tournaments that club coefficients affect:
UEFA Women’s Champions League
The UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL), initially known as the UEFA Women's Cup, is a European tournament for women's clubs that started in 2001. Initially, the competition would begin with 72 teams, but the changes made for the season 2021/22 saw the tournament start in a 16-team group stage. Since the premier of the UEFA Women's Champions League, Lyon has been the most triumphant club clinching the title eight times.
Top 5 UEFA Clubs Since 2001
The confederation has been ranking clubs for years based on the points earned during different stages of UEFA competitions. However, this section will only focus on the top 3 UEFA clubs since 2001 based on the number of times they appeared in the top spot:
Olympique Lyonnais Feminim
Olympique Lyonnais Feminim is a European women's football club launched in France in 1970 as FC Lyon. The team occupies the number one spot on the top of all time list with 9 points. To achieve such success, Olympique Lyonnais Feminim ranked high in multiple European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League seasons 2010/11, 2011/12, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, and 2021/22.
Wolfsburg Women
Despite being launched in 2003, Wolfsburg Women has proven to be one of the top teams in Germany and Europe by accumulating three points to end up second on the all-time list. Wolfsburg won the UEFA seasons 2012/13 and 2013/14. They also achieved the runner-up position for three seasons.
FFC Frankfurt
FFC Frankfurt Women from Germany jointly occupies position three on the top all-time list with 2 points. The club was founded in 1973 and ended up dominating the UEFA competitions twice for the seasons 2004/08 and 2005/9 accumulating 99.00 and 86.00 points, respectively.
Turbine Potsdam
Turbine Potsdam or FFC Turbine Potsdam is another German club that has participated in every European Club Competition and successfully advanced beyond the Champions League group stage. The club was established in March 1971 and achieved a high coefficient on two occasions. They garnered 59.750 for the 2002/06 period and 64.000 points for the 2003/07 period.
Umeå
Umea is a club based in Northern Sweden founded in 1917. The women's club has dominated various European competitions earning coefficients high enough to appear joint third in the all-time list with 2 points. In the 2003 season's Champions League, Umea won the tournament. They also went ahead to win the 2004 UEFA Champions League tournament.
UEFA Country Coefficients
UEFA comes up with three rankings, one of them being the UEFA Country Coefficients. This ranking is determined by the points accumulated by all clubs in each association and is used to decide the position of every association in the access list of the UEFA Champions League.
How Do UEFA Calculate National Association Coefficients?
The method used to calculate the national association coefficients is much more straightforward. UEFA adds the coefficients for the last five seasons and sums the results with bonus points. UEFA awards bonus points using the following criteria:
- 4 bonus points for clubs that advance to the UEFA Champions League (UWCL) group stage
- 5 bonus points for women's clubs that reach the Champions League round of 16
- 1 bonus point for women's clubs that advance to the Champions League quarter-finals
- 1 bonus point for clubs that reach the semi-finals or finals of the Champions League
As seen, the bonus points play a significant role in the ultimate coefficients of the associations.
What are the benefits of Scoring higher coefficient points?
Scoring higher coefficient points is beneficial to the association since it determines which women's teams will automatically enter the group stage. It also projects the team that will proceed through qualifications. Therefore, the higher the points scored, the more advantageous the associations and clubs involved.
Top 5 UEFA National Associations
The competition in UEFA-held tournaments is very strong which is why most of the associations have higher coefficients. However, some associations have proven to be ahead of others by gathering more than 60 points. Here is the list of the top 5 UEFA national associations:
France - French Football Federation (FFF)
The French Football Federation or the FFF is one of the most active UEFA associations that started in 1919. FFF joined UEFA in 1954 but was only represented by the men's teams. In 1970, women's football was reinstated, and by 1971 FFF women's team had participated in their first international match. Some of the top leagues the FFF teams have participated in include the UEFA Champions League. On the other hand, the current top teams in the association include Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse, and Lyon.
Germany - German Football Association ( DFB)
The German Football Association (DFB) was launched in 1900 and became part of UEFA in 1954. The football association in Germany represents some of the top women's teams in the country, including Turbine Potsdam, Duisburg, VfL Wolfsburg, and Frankfurt. All of which play in the country's top division - Frauen-Bundesliga
Since its initialization, DFB teams have participated in tournaments including Summer Olympic Games, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA Women's World Cup.
Spain - Royal Spanish Football Federation (REFF) (30-60 Words MAX)
The Royal Spanish Football Federation, or REF, has governed football in Spain since 1909. REF's men's teams joined UEFA in 1954, whereas the women's teams started participating in UEFA competitions in 1987. Since then, women's teams such as Barcelona have been part of top competitions, including the UEFA Women's Championship.
England -The Football Association (FA)
The Football Association or FA has been governing England's football since 1863. FA also runs England's dependencies, such as Jersey and Guernsey. The association comprises some of the biggest teams in Europe, with the top examples being Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The top division in England is the Women's Super League (WSL). And the top teams generally always get through the Women's Champions League group stage.
Sweden - Svenska Fotbollförbundet (SvFF)
Svenska Fotbollförbundet or SvFF is the football association in Sweden. SvFF was founded in 1904 and joined UEFA in 1954.
On the other hand, women's teams started participating in UEFA tournaments in 1982 and have managed to qualify for the Olympic Games, UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, and FIFA Women's World Cup, with the top teams being Umeå, Tyresö, and Djurgården.
Coefficient Schedules - When Do UEFA Update Its Coefficients?
UEFA is one of the most active confederations behind three distinct coefficients. Initially, UEFA released rankings yearly to seed for European competitions, both final and qualifying. However, they have since changed their update schedule to real-time. This implies that the governing body makes updates as tournaments proceed.
FAQ On UEFA Women's Coefficients
Here are some frequently asked questions on UEFA Women's Coefficients that will hopefully answer your queries satisfactorily:
What is The point of UEFA Women’s Coefficients?
UEFA women's coefficients aim to rank and seed women's teams in its club and international competitions. Furthermore, it determines how many teams in an association will gain direct entry to the UEFA Europa League, Europa Conference League, and Europa League group stage. .
When Does UEFA Update Its Women’s Club Coefficients?
UEFA updates women's club coefficients in real-time. This means that the governing body makes changes to the rankings as the tournaments continue.
Where Are England In The Current UEFA Women’s Coefficients?
England ranks fourth in the current UEFA Women's Coefficients. The association has managed to accumulate 66.000 points, placing it ahead of Sweden.
Where Can I Find The Current UEFA Women’s Coefficients?
You can find the current UEFA women's coefficients at different sites, including Oddspedia. And of course, you can get the coefficients directly from the horse's mouth - the official UEFA website.
Who Is Europe's No.1 Women’s Club Team?
Europe's No. 1 women's club team is Olympique Lyonnais. The club leads with a coefficient of 128.666, followed by FC Barcelona of Spain.
Does The No1 Coefficient Club Generally Win The UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL)?
No, the number one coefficient club does not generally win the UEFA Women's Champions League. However, they are usually the bookies' favourite to lift the trophy.
Which is the UEFA Women’s National Team With The Lowest Ranking?
The lowest ranked UEFA Women's National Team is Moldova, ranking number 47 with only two points. It holds the position with Armenia, North Macedonia, and Latvia.