History of UEFA in Timeline

UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is the governing body for football, futsal, and beach soccer in Europe and several transcontinental/West Asian countries. Comprising 55 national association members, UEFA organizes major national and club competitions like the European Championship, Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. It also manages the financial aspects of these competitions, including prize money, regulations, and media rights. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, UEFA (in conjunction with FIFA) suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from its competitions.

June 1954: UEFA Inauguration

On June 15, 1954, UEFA was officially inaugurated in Basel, Switzerland, after consultations among the Italian, French, and Belgian associations. The founding meeting was attended by 25 members, with six additional associations recognized as founding members, bringing the total to 31.

1955: Beginning of Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

In 1955, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup began. It was later succeeded by the UEFA Europa League.

1955: Start of the European Champion Clubs' Cup

In 1955, the UEFA Champions League started as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, initially gathering the top team of each country. It has since been expanded to gather the top 1–4 teams of each country's league.

1958: UEFA European Championship Started

In 1958, the UEFA European Championship started, with the first finals in 1960, and was known as the European Nations Cup until 1964.

1960: UEFA Headquarters Moved to Bern

In 1960, UEFA's main headquarters were moved from Paris to Bern, Switzerland.

1960: Start of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

In 1960, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup started.

1960: First UEFA European Championship Finals

In 1960, the first finals of the UEFA European Championship were held. The competition started in 1958 and was known as the European Nations Cup until 1964.

1964: UEFA European Championship Renamed

In 1964, the European Nations Cup was renamed the UEFA European Championship.

1971: Launch of UEFA Europa League

In 1971, UEFA launched the UEFA Europa League as a successor of both the former UEFA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

1973: Introduction of UEFA Super Cup

In 1973, the UEFA Super Cup came into being. It pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the Europa League (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup).

1974: Israel Admitted to UEFA

In 1974, Israel, a country which had been banned from the AFC group, was admitted to UEFA.

1984: Futsal European Clubs Championship Tradition

In 1984, there was the long and well-established tradition in the European futsal community of the Futsal European Clubs Championship, which was never recognized as official by UEFA.

July 1988: Juventus Receives UEFA Plaque

On July 12, 1988, Juventus of Italy received The UEFA Plaque by the Union of European Football Associations in commemoration of achieving the feat of winning all UEFA's official championships and cups.

1995: UEFA Headquarters Moved to Nyon

In 1995, UEFA headquarters moved to Nyon, Switzerland.

1995: UEFA Recognizes Intertoto Cup

In 1995, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, previously operated by several Central European football associations, was relaunched and recognized as an official UEFA club competition by UEFA.

1999: UEFA Regions' Cup Launched

In 1999, UEFA launched the UEFA Regions' Cup for semi-professional teams representing their local region.

1999: Opening of Current UEFA Headquarters

In 1999, UEFA opened its current headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

1999: Absorption of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was absorbed into the UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League).

2001: UEFA Futsal Cup Started

In 2001, UEFA's premier futsal competition, the UEFA Futsal Cup, started, replacing the former Futsal European Clubs Championship.

2001: First UEFA Women's Champions League Held

In 2001, the first UEFA Women's Champions League was held. It was known as the UEFA Women's Cup until 2009.

2008: Last Intertoto Cup

The last Intertoto Cup took place in 2008.

2009: UEFA Women's Cup Renamed

In 2009, the UEFA Women's Cup was renamed the UEFA Women's Champions League.

2015: Michel Platini involved in FIFA corruption case

Following the 2015 FIFA corruption case, the then-president of UEFA, Michel Platini, was also involved in the case. Swiss prosecutors accused FIFA president Sepp Blatter of making a "disloyal payment" of $2m (£1.6m) to Mr Platini. Both Platini and Sepp Blatter were banned from football-related activity.

September 2016: Aleksander Čeferin elected as UEFA President

In September 2016, Aleksander Čeferin, former president of the Football Association of Slovenia, was elected as UEFA's seventh president at the 12th Extraordinary UEFA Congress in Athens. He also became a vice-president of FIFA.

2016: UEFA mafia term used during Serbia v Albania match

The term "UEFA mafia" was used outside of stadiums, for example during a protest in Kosovo outside an EU building following the Serbia v Albania (UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying) match.

December 2018: UEFA Announces Creation of Europa Conference League

In December 2018, UEFA announced the creation of a third club competition, later named the UEFA Europa Conference League.

2018: Introduction of UEFA Nations League

In 2018, the UEFA Nations League was introduced as the second tournament of UEFA. It largely replaced the international friendly matches previously played on the FIFA International Match Calendar and is scheduled to be played every two years.

2019: "UEFA MAFIA – THE PANDEMIC OF FOOTBALL" slogans

In 2019, F.C. Copenhagen supporters displayed banners around the city, with slogans such as "UEFA MAFIA – THE PANDEMIC OF FOOTBALL", when UEFA ordered their 2019–20 Europa League round of 16 return leg be played behind closed doors, despite reduced capacity being allowed by the Danish government.

2019: UEFA's decision to host Europa League Cup final in Baku

In 2019, UEFA's decision to host Europa League Cup final in Baku, Azerbaijan left one of the finalists, Arsenal, with a decision to withdraw their Armenian player Henrikh Mkhitaryan out of the competition due to safety concerns.

2021: Discussions for second tier women's club competition

Discussions for a Europa League-style second tier women's club competition had been in discussion since 2021.

2021: First Edition of UEFA Europa Conference League Played

The first edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League was played in the 2021–2022 season.

February 2022: UEFA Partners with Chiliz

In February 2022, UEFA's decision to partner with blockchain company Chiliz was criticised and described as 'incomprehensible' by fan groups across Europe.

February 2022: UEFA Suspends Russia's Participation

In February 2022, UEFA, following the IOC recommendation, suspended Russia's participation in its competitions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Football Union's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was unsuccessful.

2022: Suspension of Russian teams and clubs

In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from participating in any FIFA and UEFA competitions.

2022: First Edition of UEFA Europa Conference League Played

The first edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League was played in the 2021–2022 season.

2022: Juventus Remains Only Team to Win All UEFA Championships Until 2022

Until the first staging of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, Juventus of Italy remained the only team in Europe to win all UEFA's official championships and cups.

September 2023: UEFA Lifts Ban for Russia U-17 Team

In September 2023, UEFA lifted the ban for the Russia U-17 team, allowing them to compete in the 2024 Euro U-17. The decision was met with opposition from the FAs of Ukraine, England, and Sweden, who threatened to boycott matches against Russia.

December 2023: Creation of Europa League-style second tier women's club competition

In December 2023, the attempt to create a Europa League-style second tier women's club competition came to fruition, with the first edition of the competition to be played in 2025–26.

December 2024: Name of the competition "UEFA Women's Europa Cup" announced

In December 2024, the name of the competition, "UEFA Women's Europa Cup", was announced.

2024: Russia U-17 team eligible for 2024 Euro U-17

UEFA lifted the ban for the Russia U-17 team in September 2023, enabling them to compete in the 2024 Euro U-17.

July 2025: UEFA Sanctions Crystal Palace F.C. and Olympique Lyonnais

In July 2025, UEFA sanctioned Crystal Palace F.C. and Olympique Lyonnais for breaching its multi-club ownership rules. Palace, who had qualified for the UEFA Europa League as FA Cup winners, were instead placed in the UEFA Europa Conference League, while Lyon retained the Europa League spot.