Competitions
How football competitions work
How football competitions work, covering leagues, cups, international tournaments, calendars and how teams qualify between competitions.
Competitions
Football competitions
Football competitions cover the leagues, cups and tournaments that structure the season. This section explains how the main competitions work, how teams qualify between them, and how international football fits alongside the club game.
What you will find in this section
This section explains the main football competitions and how they fit together, from the World Cup through to domestic leagues and cups.
Football competitions split broadly into two halves — international football, played between national teams, and club football, played between clubs. Club football itself runs in three layers: national leagues and cups within a country, continental competitions between clubs from across a confederation, and global competitions that bring together leading clubs from different confederations.
The pages in this section start at that broad level and work down to specific competitions. The pillar page covers how leagues, cups and tournaments work in general. From there, dedicated pages can cover the World Cup, major continental national-team tournaments, leading club competitions across the world, and the women's game alongside them.
Start with the core topics
These are the best pages to read first to understand how football competitions fit together.
Main competition topics
Football competitions split naturally into a small number of categories, each with its own format and place in the calendar.
How competitions work
Leagues, cups and international tournaments — the three main forms, how the calendar fits together, and how teams move between competitions.
International football
The World Cup, the major continental national-team tournaments such as the Euros and Copa América, and the qualifying campaigns that lead into them.
Intercontinental club football
The FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which bring together leading clubs from different confederations, including continental champions.
Continental club football
The Champions League, Europa League, Copa Libertadores and the other continental competitions, where clubs from across a confederation compete each season.
Domestic football
Domestic leagues and cups across the major footballing nations, from the Premier League and La Liga to Major League Soccer and the Brazilian Série A.
Women's football competitions
The Women's World Cup, the UEFA Women's Champions League, the Women's Super League and other major tournaments in the women's game.
Where to go next
Once you understand the competitions, the next step is usually to explore the history behind them or look up specific terms.