England
Premier League
20 clubs · 20 imported
England's top division, and the most watched football league in the world. Its clubs are unusually wealthy, which is why so many of the game's best players end up here.
How it works, and the tableLeagues
We focus on Europe's five biggest domestic leagues for now: 96 clubs with tables and explainers. Each page explains how the league works before it shows you a table, because a table means nothing until you know what the top and bottom of it do.
Spain
La Liga
20 clubs · 20 imported
Spain's top division, historically dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, whose meetings are known as El Clasico and are watched worldwide.
How it works, and the tableGermany
Bundesliga
18 clubs · 18 imported
Germany's top division, known for full stadiums, cheap tickets and standing terraces. Most clubs are majority-controlled by their own members under a rule called 50+1.
How it works, and the tableItaly
Serie A
20 clubs · 20 imported
Italy's top division, with a long reputation for tactical and defensive football, though that has softened considerably in recent years.
How it works, and the tableFrance
Ligue 1
18 clubs · 18 imported
France's top division, and one of the best places in Europe to watch young players before the rest of the continent notices them.
How it works, and the table
Other leagues across Europe
Europe has dozens of top divisions beyond the five we focus on. Clubs from those leagues still matter on Champions League nights and in World Cup squads. We are building Pitch Primer around the five biggest leagues first, so tables, full squads and matcher recommendations for the ones below are not here yet.
- EredivisieNetherlands
- Primeira LigaPortugal
- Scottish PremiershipScotland
- Belgian Pro LeagueBelgium
- Super LigTurkey
- ChampionshipEngland, second tier
- Austrian BundesligaAustria
- Swiss Super LeagueSwitzerland
- Danish SuperligaDenmark
- Greek Super LeagueGreece
If you already follow one of these, you can still search for players who play there, or start from a World Cup nation.
The European competitions
These run midweek, alongside the domestic leagues rather than instead of them. A club can be playing in two or three competitions at once, which is the part that confuses most people arriving from American sport.
Europe
UEFA Champions League
The competition every club in Europe is trying to reach. Clubs qualify by finishing near the top of their own domestic league, then play each other midweek across the season while their domestic league continues around it.
How it worksEurope
UEFA Europa League
The second tier of European club football. Clubs reach it by finishing just below the Champions League places at home, and winning it now earns a Champions League place the following season, which has made it far more valuable than it used to be.
How it worksEurope
UEFA Conference League
The third tier of European club football, created in 2021 so clubs from smaller leagues and mid-table clubs from bigger ones get a European campaign of their own.
How it works
What is missing
Domestic cups are not included, and we hold no tables or squads for the European competitions or the other leagues listed above. Our data provider puts many of those behind a paid tier or does not carry them. We would rather explain how they work than show you an empty table.