Football leagues, cups and continental competitions
Football leagues reward a whole season; cups reward a good afternoon. That is the basic difference, and most of the confusion about competitions disappears once it is clear. In a league every club plays every other club home and away, and the table at the end decides the champion. In a cup, clubs are drawn against each other and the loser goes out.
The FA Cup is the oldest example of the second kind. Its first edition was played in 1871–72, and Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1–0 in the final at Kennington Oval. The league format came later: the Football League was founded in 1888 with twelve clubs, among them Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Continental competitions sit on top of both. Clubs qualify through their domestic league or cup, then play sides from other countries. The European Cup started in 1955 and took the name UEFA Champions League in 1992, a year after a group stage had been added to the old knockout format.
Points and league tables
A league table looks simple, but the scoring has changed. English football gave two points for a win until the Football League switched to three in 1981. The 1994 World Cup used the same system, and from there it spread to most leagues in the world. A draw is worth one point, a defeat nothing.
The aim was to make a win worth more than two draws. Whether it changed how teams play is still argued about, and the evidence is mixed.
How promotion and relegation work
Most European football is organised as a pyramid, and promotion and relegation are what connect the levels. The worst clubs in a division drop to the one below; the best clubs in the lower division take their places. Nothing about a club's size protects it.
The details vary by country. In England the bottom three clubs in the Premier League go down to the Championship, a 24-club division where each side plays 46 matches. The top two in the Championship go up automatically and a play-off decides the third promoted club, so a season can end with one match deciding which division a club plays in. Germany mixes the two methods differently: the bottom two Bundesliga clubs go down directly, while the club in 16th meets the third-placed side from the 2. Bundesliga over two legs.
The money involved explains the tension of a relegation fight. A club that drops loses television income, sponsors and often its best players within a single summer.
The big European leagues
Five top divisions are usually grouped together as the biggest in Europe: England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. They share the league format but not the size or the age, as the table shows.
| League | Country | First season | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | England | 1992–93 | 20 since 1995–96 |
| La Liga | Spain | 1929 | 20 since 1997–98 |
| Serie A | Italy | 1929–30 | 20 since 2004–05 |
| Bundesliga | Germany | 1963–64 | 18 since 1992–93 |
| Ligue 1 | France | 1932–33 | 18 since 2023–24 |
The Premier League is the youngest of the five by name only. It replaced the old First Division, which had been the top tier of English football since 1888, and kept the same promotion and relegation link with the Football League below it. Serie A's date marks the first season played as a single national table; Italian champions had been crowned since 1898 under other formats.
How the Leagues section is organised
The Premier League has the first full page: its founding in 1992, the 20-club format with 38 matches per side, the champions and the records. The shorter dated articles cover the competitions around it, from FA Cup replays and League Cup semi-finals to Champions League draws, the European Championship and the first plans for the UEFA Nations League.
League stories from the archive
Questions people ask
How does a league differ from a knockout cup?
In a league every club plays every other club, usually home and away, and the final table decides the champion. In a cup, clubs are drawn against each other and the loser of each tie is knocked out.
How many clubs are relegated from the Premier League?
The three lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League are relegated to the EFL Championship. They are replaced by the top two Championship clubs and the winner of the Championship play-offs.
When did three points for a win start?
The Football League in England introduced three points for a win in 1981, replacing two points. The system was used at the 1994 World Cup and then spread to most leagues around the world.
Which is the oldest football competition?
The FA Cup is the oldest national football competition still played. Its first season was 1871-72, and Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 in the first final.