Coefficient points

Minimum points in European competitions: advancement, participation and elimination (UCL, UEL, UECL)

UEFA has introduced clear rules for awarding ranking points for results in the league phase, bonuses for league position and progression to subsequent rounds. In the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, there are also guaranteed minimums for the club coefficient. This system affects both individual club coefficients and the association coefficient, which is used to determine access to European competitions in subsequent seasons.

Two different rankings: club and association

Before looking at the details of the points system, it is important to distinguish between two systems that can easily be confused:

Club ranking (UEFA Club Coefficient)

• Applies to an individual club and is calculated based on results from successive seasons over the relevant period.
• Influences, among other things, a club's seeding in draws.
• UEFA also uses a separate 10-year club coefficient for the distribution of competition revenues.
• The club ranking includes points for match results, league-phase position bonuses and bonuses for progressing to subsequent rounds.
• In the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, guaranteed minimums also apply to the club coefficient: 3 points in the UEL and 2.5 points in the UECL.

Association ranking (UEFA Association/Country Coefficient)

• Applies to an entire national association and is used to determine the number of places and starting rounds allocated to clubs from that country in subsequent editions of the competitions.
• It is calculated as the number of points earned by all clubs from that country competing in the UCL, UEL and UECL in a given season, divided by the number of clubs participating from that country in that season.

How exactly are association points calculated?

The formula is simple:

Association coefficient (in a given season) = total points earned by all clubs from that association in all three competitions ÷ number of clubs from that association participating in the competitions

The total includes:

• 2 points for a win in the league phase and knockout rounds,
• 1 point for a draw in the league phase and knockout rounds,
• 1 point for a win in qualifying rounds and play-offs,
• 0.5 points for a draw in qualifying rounds and play-offs,
• 0 points for a defeat,
• bonus points for league-phase position,
• bonus points for progressing to subsequent knockout rounds.

Guaranteed minimums awarded in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League are not added to the association coefficient.

The association coefficient for a given season is then added to the results from the four previous seasons, giving a total of five seasons. This determines the association's position in the UEFA ranking used to establish access to European competitions.

Minimum points for participation in the league phase

In the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, UEFA has established guaranteed minimums so that a club does not finish the season with a very low club coefficient even if it achieves poor results in the league phase.

• UEFA Champions League: every club receives at least 6 bonus points for its position in the league phase. Clubs finishing in positions 25–36 receive exactly 6 points. However, this is not a separate minimum like those in the UEL and UECL — it is a position bonus and is also included when calculating the association coefficient.
• UEFA Europa League: a guaranteed minimum of 3 points applies to the club coefficient if the points earned from league-phase results are lower.
• UEFA Conference League: a guaranteed minimum of 2.5 points applies to the club coefficient if the points earned from league-phase results are lower.

In the UEL and UECL, the guaranteed minimum is not added to the points earned from matches. For example, if a club earns 2 points from its UEL league-phase results, its result for the club coefficient is raised to 3 points, not to 5 points.

Points for progression and elimination in subsequent rounds

Points for progressing through the competition are a key element differentiating the value of the UCL, UEL and UECL. League-phase position bonuses and bonuses for reaching subsequent rounds are included in both the club and association coefficients.

Below are the most important rules in force since the 2024/25 season, when the league phase with 36 teams was introduced.

UEFA Champions League (UCL)

• League phase: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
• League-phase position bonus: from 12 points for 1st place to 6 points for places 25–36. The bonus decreases by 0.25 points for each subsequent position from 1st to 24th.
  • 1st place – 12 points.
  • 2nd place – 11.75 points.
  • 3rd place – 11.50 points.
  • 4th place – 11.25 points.
  • ...
  • 23rd place – 6.50 points.
  • 24th place – 6.25 points.
  • 25th–36th place – 6 points.
• Knockout rounds: +1.5 points for reaching each round from the round of 16 to the final.

For example, a club that wins 3 matches and draws 1 in the league phase (7 points) and finishes in 25th place receives 7 points for its results plus 6 position-bonus points, for a total of 13 points. These points are included in both the club and association rankings.

If it then reaches the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, it receives an additional +1.5 points for the round of 16 and +1.5 points for the quarter-finals.

UEFA Europa League (UEL)

• League phase: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
• Guaranteed minimum: 3 points for the club coefficient if the points earned from results are lower.
• League-phase position bonus:
  • 1st place – 6 points.
  • 2nd place – 5.75 points.
  • 3rd place – 5.50 points.
  • 4th place – 5.25 points.
  • ...
  • 23rd place – 0.50 points.
  • 24th place – 0.25 points.
  • 25th–36th place – 0 points.
• Knockout rounds: +1 point for each round reached from the round of 16 to the final.

The guaranteed minimum of 3 points is used exclusively when calculating the club coefficient and is not added to the association coefficient.

UEFA Conference League (UECL)

• Qualifying rounds and play-offs: points for elimination depending on the round:
  • First qualifying round – 1 point.
  • Second qualifying round – 1.5 points.
  • Third qualifying round – 2 points.
  • Play-offs – 2.5 points.
• League phase: 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
• Guaranteed minimum: 2.5 points for the club coefficient if the points earned from results are lower.
• League-phase position bonus: lower than in the UEL, with an additional flattening from 9th place:
  • up to 8th place, the bonus decreases by 0.25 points per position,
  • from 9th place onwards, the decrease is 0.125 points for each subsequent position.
• Knockout rounds: +0.5 points for each round reached from the round of 16 to the final.

As in the UEL, the guaranteed minimum of 2.5 points is not included in the association coefficient.

Summary

• The club ranking is primarily used to assess the position of an individual club, including for seeding purposes. In the UEL and UECL, guaranteed minimums protect clubs from finishing a season with a very low coefficient.
• The association ranking is based on points earned by all clubs from a given association. It includes match results as well as the relevant bonuses for league-phase positions and progression to subsequent rounds.
• The guaranteed minimums of 3 points in the UEL and 2.5 points in the UECL are not included in the association ranking.
• League-phase position bonuses in the UCL, UEL and UECL are included in the association ranking, so they should not be treated in the same way as the guaranteed minimums in the UEL and UECL.
• The seasonal association coefficient is calculated by dividing the total points earned by all clubs from the association by the number of clubs participating in European competitions.
• Five consecutive seasonal coefficients form the five-year UEFA association ranking, which serves as the basis for determining access to European competitions in subsequent seasons.