European Football Leagues and Tournaments

Introduction

Although football is a world-wide popular sport, there is no doubt that its main significance is found on the European continent. Apart from the world-class footballers and the massive fanbase of the sport, football in Europe has evolved into one large money-making industry with many top European clubs being owned by international businessmen who make use of football in Europe for profitable investments. The mass amount of money involved in European football has proven to be a big push factor for betting as well as fixed football matches through an amount of websites found on the dark web.

Domestic Leagues

The major part of European nations have their own football leagues which abide the rules of their respective associations. Every nation can have several league divisions, depending on the amount of registered football teams found in the country. The top division of every country would house the best stadiums, players, coaches etc… European domestic leagues are usually played and recorded in the form of a league table.

Domestic knock-out tournaments

Apart from the domestic leagues, most national football associations also have their own form of tournaments. In these tournaments, all registered teams of the nation compete against each other, in a knockout form of tournament. The winner of the tournament will be awarded with a trophy and will be crowned champion of that specific year.

Champions League & Europa League

The top teams of every European country have the opportunity of playing against other top European teams in annual tournaments. The most prestigious European-wide club tournament is the UEFA Champions League, where the best of best teams from European countries compete against each other in a form of a table, later followed by a knockout stage.

Another similar major European-wide tournament is the UEFA Europa League which consists of teams which haven’t necessarily won their domestic league, however they would have placed very high in their respective league tables, earning them a spot to compete in the Europa League, a tournament which works the same as the champions league. Unlike domestic tournaments, such UEFA tournaments are more professional and secure making them less prone to fixed matches.

National team tournaments

Every country in Europe has its own national team, consisting of the country’s best players. Most national team football games are more accessible to public viewers as they are free to watch, unlike club football which generally require a paid subscription, leading to the increase of free streaming sites on the deep web.

UEFA, the European football association currently holds an annual tournament, called the UEFA nations league, in which national teams compete against other teams of similar ability in the form of a mini- league table system.

Another well-known tournament is no other than the UEFA Euros, a tournament which happens every 4 years, in which 24 of the best European national teams play head to head in mini-groups, followed by a knockout stage which would eventually result in a single winner. The Euro competition is very similar to the FIFA world cup as teams also have to go through a qualifying stage in order to be eligible for participation in the tournament.