Just for the Newbie’s – In the summer of 2009 FC Barcelona did what no other fútbol team had ever done before, they won all 6 major titles. I was so excited that after every championship I text messaged all my friends and family…Barça are Champions!!! Most of them didn’t understand European football and texted me back…"I thought they were already the champions". This page is dedicated to all those who don’t understand the different leagues and tournaments and how each competition works.
This page is not intended to teach you the rules of soccer or the strategies teams employ, you can find hundreds of other instructional websites for that, rather this page explains how the various leagues a European football team plays in, and how each work. In other words, this page is truly for the fútbol beginner and explains the very basic of league play, cup play, and the European Champions League. I will be using the 2008-09 FC Barcelona team for our example as they are the only team in history to win all 6 major competitions in a single calendar year. Also, our focus will be on European football…the United States has Major League Soccer (MLS) but their league play is different from Europe’s as they have a playoff system at the end of the season to decide the champion. In other parts of the world they have different formats as well, but since the best players in the world play in Europe we are going to focus our attention on those leagues. Obviously there are many countries in Europe and each have their own league, I will use the big four, England, Spain, Germany, and Italy for our lesson.
The 3 trophies...
Regardless of the country in Europe, all football teams are trying to win 3 trophies, the league, the cup, and the Champions League. A few teams in history have won all 3 trophies in a single season…that’s called a “Treble”. In 2009 FC Barcelona won the Treble (League, Cup, & Champions League) and then they did something no team had ever done before…they won the Super Cup in Spain, Europe, and the Club World Cup in the same calendar year. I know…I know…I said teams are trying to win 3 trophies and then in the same paragraph I dropped 3 more trophies on top of that. We’ll get to that later…the last 3 trophies never come into play unless you’ve won either the league, the cup, or the Champions league. Consider them bonus trophies.
1) The League…most points win
FYI - Each country has its own name for their respective league. The big 4 leagues are as follows:
| Spain | England | Germany | Italy |
| La Liga | The Premier League | Bundesliga | Seire A |
| 20 Teams | 20 Teams | 18 Teams | 20 Teams |
| 38 Games | 38 Games | 34 Games | 38 Games |
Although they have different names for each league, the rules and structure are the same. If you noticed above, Germany only has 18 teams in their league versus 20 teams for the other 3 countries…no big deal…it doesn’t change the format or point system. The point system is simple, 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. All four leagues work the same…you play each team in the league twice, once at home and then away. There is no playoff or sudden death in league play, whoever has the most points at the end of the season is declared the champion. If at the end of the season there is a tie on points then it’s decided by the head to head results between the tied teams, and if that doesn’t settle it then it goes to the goal differential (goals scored minus goals conceded). That’s how Spain decides it anyway…other leagues may break the tie on the goal differential 1st then the head to head as a 2nd tie breaker. In the 08-09 season FC Barcelona ended up with 87 points and the 2nd place team Real Madrid ended with 78 points. That means in week 36 Barcelona won La Liga, it was mathematically impossible for Real Madrid to catch up on the points, however the season continues until all 38 games are played regardless of when the champion is crowned. In the 06-07 season the league went through all 38 games with Real Madrid and Barcelona tied on points at 76 apiece. The head to head went to Madrid...in the first match Madrid won 2-0, and despite a hat trick by Messi in the 2nd match the scoreline ended at 3-3, thus Real Madrid won the head to head and the league. That was a hard pill to swallow!
FYI – in league play, club teams in Spain, England, Germany, or any other European country for that matter do not play teams in other countries, just as the Dallas Cowboys will never play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the Canadian League in an NFL game...that is unless the Blue Bombers officially join the NFL.
2) The Champions league…group stage and then on to the knockout rounds.
For anyone who took an interest in the last World Cup you’ll notice that the Champions League is set up almost identical to the World Cup format. That is, 32 teams are paired into groups of four (A through H) and the top two teams advance into the sudden death rounds. The big difference is that instead of playing one game between each opponent in the group stage and in the knockout rounds, the teams play each other twice...home and away. The two game system means that “away” goals become more valuable than a goal scored at home. Here’s an example of the “away rule” in action.
| Home | Score | Score | Away | |
| Game 1 | Barça | 0 | 0 | Chelsea |
| Game 2 | Chelsea | 1 | 1 | Barça |
When you look at this it appears both teams are even, both games ended in a tie and both teams scored a goal in the 2nd game. However, because Barça scored its goal away and Chelsea did not have an away goal, Barcelona was declared the winner. This is what happened in the 2009 semi final Champions League match that sent FC Barcelona through to the final game against Man. U. The championship is determined by one game…the Final. 90 minutes of regulation, if no winner is declared then two 15 minute extra half's are added, and if that doesn’t settle it then it goes to penalty kicks. This competition is played only between teams in Europe.
3) The Cup…Win or go home and let the minnows swim
Of the 3 trophies European football teams compete for, the Cup is considered to be of low importance. Many of the big clubs don’t play all of their big star players. That’s not to say the big star players don’t play in Cup matches, in fact in the 08-09 season Lionel Messi (the greatest player in the world) played in nearly every match for the entire 90 minutes. The Cup allows smaller clubs, referred to as “minnows”, to play against the bigger clubs like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the 09-10 Spanish Cup, the billion dollar club Real Madrid were eliminated by "giant-killers" 3rd tier team Real Union. The cup is a sudden death tournament, each country may do it a little different in format, in Spain it is played as a round robin, that is they play two games both home and away. (England does 1 game unless there is a tie then they play 2 games) The away rules just like in the Champions league apply in the Spanish Cup. The final does not have a round robin, whoever wins is the champ.
Just like the leagues, the Cup has a different name in each respective country. Here are the big 4 Cup names:
| Spain | England | Germany | Italy |
| Copa del Rey | FA Cup | DFB-Cup | Copa Italia |
That's it...that is what all European football clubs are playing for. Q - When does the season start and end, how do you play in 3 leagues at the same time, what times are the games televised in the United States and what network carries them?
The league seasons starts towards the end of August and runs through the end of May while the Champions League and Cup play starts around September and October and also ends in May. League games are played on the weekends while the Champions League and Cup matches are mid week games. The 9 month season can be quite grueling on the players as they have to play 2 games a week for many months...at least they hope so. If a team is playing a bunch of matches, mid-week and on the weekends in April and May that means they are still playing for a league title but are also competing in the Champions League or the Cup...or perhaps all three.
In the US you can watch the Spanish League (La Liga) on GolTV, ESPN, & ESPN Deportes. Games normally start anytime from noon up to 3:00 PM central time (CST). (In Spain it's around 7:00 to 10:00 PM) Every FC Barcelona game is televised in the US. The Champions League games are mid week (Tuesday or Wednesday) and usually start at 1:45 CST. I will tell you this, if you've never watched an FC Barcelona game on GolTV then you're missing out. The 2 commentators on GolTV are Ray Hudson & Phil Schoen...Ray Hudson is nothing short of brilliant. He is the most over the top sports broadcaster of all time...a must see.
Quotes of Ray Hudson:
El Classico, May 2, 2009 - Barça down 1-0 in the 17th minute Messi passes to Henry and we're all squared.
"Good ball...Magic...(goal scored) there's the bounce back I was telling you about, we all know it, the DNA of this team is richer than Northern Dancer...it's absolutely royal. Wonderful by Thierry Henry...there's the look of a warrior but with a touch of a belly dancer...you take a look at this again, it's a sublime little slot home finish...the ball over the top by the magical Messi...the ball rubs for Thierry Henry, he ways all the options, he takes the earth's rotation into account...then he slots it home."
El Classico, May 2, 2009 - score is 1-1 in the 20th minute - Xavi feeds to Puyol ...header, Goal
"Xavi needs no help...he needs help like a fish needs a bicycle"
Comment about Freddy Adu
"A blind man on a galloping horse can see his talent. He's a little Faberge egg"
Comment on Barca's Bojan
"I'm telling you man, this kid could be the best thing on two legs since Sophia Loren"
May 2007, week 35 in La Liga with the title on the line, Real Madrid scores a goal in 2 minutes of stoppage time to win the game
"Heartbreak turns into sheer delight...orgasmic jubilation. Iker goes ballistic, this goal heavenly, if you doubted this wasn't destiny...believe it now"
Sorry...got so carried away with the Ray Hudson quotes I forgot about the other trophies
# 4, 5, & 6...win any major trophy and you get the opportunity for another trophy
Because Barça won all the trophies in 2009, a Treble (the League, Champions League, & the Cup) they qualified to play in 3 more title opportunities. Here's how it works. All these matches are finals, meaning it's a single game...winner is crowned champion. As in the case with most soccer finals, it's 90 minutes of regulation, two additional 15 minute half's if there is no winner...if still no winner it goes to penalty kicks.
4) The Spanish Super Cup - played between the winner of La Liga (The league) and the winner of the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup). Since Barça won both the league and the cup in 2009, they played the same team they played in the finals of the regular Spanish Cup...and won again to be crowned the Spanish Super Cup champions.
5) The European Super Cup - Barça won the Champions League...but there is a lower tier Champions League called the Europa League, teams that didn't make the cut to the big tournament. That does not necessarily mean they are inferior teams, some of the largest clubs in Europe have been relegated to the lower tier in any given year...including Barça. (4 time Europa League winners - a record) In this game the Champion of the Champions League play the Champion of the Europa Leage. Oh...did I mention, we won that game as well?
6) The Club World Cup - This match is between all the Champions of the world. It spans 6 continents, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, North & Central America & the Caribbean, & Oceania. It's basically 6 Champions League winners going head to head. For the lower ranked teams there is a playoff system to advance to the quarter final round...all games are single elimination in this tournament. European teams never have to go through the playoff system, instead they are entered straight into the semi finals...understandable considering European teams have the best players in the world. The 2009 Barça team won the semi final game and advanced to the final round where they made history by winning their 6th and final trophy of the 2009 season. This was the first time FC Barcelona won the Club World Cup trophy.
Congratulations...
You are now an expert on European football...it's all about the league, the cup and the Champions League.
