Comparing 2 Championships: UEFA With The Champions League

The UEFA European Championship is the cup between Europe’s best international teams. Also a pan-European event, the UEFA Champions League is played between the best club teams in Europe. So, how do the Champions League and European Cup compare?

Champions League Vs. European Championship

Both events require qualification. For the European Championship, there are qualifying groups with the top two group teams qualifying for the championship. The Champions League is more seasonal, and the top league finishers from the best leagues qualify for the event. Up to four top teams from the best leagues can qualify, with play-offs required for lower finishers.

The two cups are a little different in terms of structure. The European Championship has 24 teams in six groups. The top two teams from the group qualify for the quarter-finals alongside the best third-place finishers. Then it is knockout games up to the final.

The Champions League includes more teams. It has 36 of Europe’s best club sides playing in the event, seasonally, within a single group table. The top eight from the table progress to the second round knockout stage. The other 16 teams that finish below them play in the playoffs for the next round.

There are home and away games for all Champions League matches. The home and away element of the Champions League ensures twice the number of games are played to win it. There are eight group games alone within the Champions League. Then, of course, an extra game is played for each knockout round, excluding the final.

Both the UEFA Champions League and the Euro Championship have the best European teams. The Euro Championship is far more European, for it includes only European players for the national teams. The Champions League can have Brazil, Argentina, and other non-European players in the club teams. Teams like Real Madrid can include a variety of international players.

It is difficult to say that the European Championship necessarily has the better teams and is harder to win overall. Euro champs Spain certainly do have some great players. However, the best players of Europe play in the Champions League, in addition to other great players. Could Barcelona beat Spain in a match? Possibly yes, but then you could say the same of Spain.