The beginner’s guide to European soccer
Maurizio Lagana
Getting Started
Introduction
Leagues that involve multiple tiers, promotion and relegation can often cause consternation amongst those that have not been indoctrinated since birth. A sports fan raised in the U.S. is accustomed to feeling upset, or even ashamed, when the team he's chosen finishes last in the league. But the life-long Seattle Mariners fan will not see her team drop into, say, Triple-A after a particularly disastrous season.
The disconnect between the sports we grew up with and the sports we're trying to make sense of can be so wide that some people simply give up. Others stick with it, but often get confused at pertinent points -- such as why English sides are demoted to to a league labeled "The Championship." And even those that have followed a soccer team for decades are often unsure as to the rules in other countries, wondering about whether it's goal difference or head-to-head record that might ultimately determine a team's standing.
Worry not! This fail-safe guide will answer all your questions, ensuring you can talk about England's promotion playoffs, Spain's rules on B teams and Germany's get-out-of-jail-free card with ease. Each section outlines a country’s league system, its rules on promotion and relegation, and how a team can play its way into Europe. We also provide a handy-dandy guide to vocabulary, although that still might not ensure you know the difference between “league” and “division.”
What are football associations? The term 'football association' refers to the organizational body that governs the sport within the country. A football association is typically responsible for both professional and amateur leagues, as well as overseeing a country’s national team. A country’s football association is typically a member of both a regional governing body, such as UEFA, and FIFA, who oversee the sport worldwide.
What is a league system? In Europe, soccer structures tend to form a pyramid. The non-professional sides fill out the base, and the most talented players tend to be found at the top. Teams can be promoted to a higher division or relegated to a lower division, although the system by which this occurs often differs from association to association.
What is relegation? The greatest fear for many clubs is to slip down the league pyramid, starting the next season a division lower than the season before. Players will leave, less money will come in, and the club could well start a long slide into obscurity. Teams are relegated when they finish in one of the bottom slots in their league -- anywhere from the bottom two to the bottom six, in some smaller leagues. In some leagues, a team that fails to win a relegation “play-out” will be sent down.
What is goal difference? Goals given up by a team are subtracted from goals scored by the team. If a team scores 102 and concedes 37, their goal difference is +65. That's good. If a team scores 40 and gives up 85, they have a -45 goal difference. That's bad. In this case, the first team, Manchester City, won the Premier League trophy, while the second team, Fulham, were relegated to the Championship.
Goal difference is sometimes used as a tiebreaker if two teams are level on points at the end of a season or tournament stage.
Are leagues different from divisions? Often "league" and "division" are used interchangeably, particularly at the highest levels of soccer. That's because top divisions aren't further divided -- the highest level of German football, for instance, includes only the 18 teams of the Bundesliga, all competing against one another.
But when moving down to the lower levels, you encounter multiple leagues in one division. These are typically organized by region, with the leagues running parallel but separate. Germany's fourth division is made up of five regional leagues, each supervised by separate governing bodies, with the top teams in each league meeting in promotion playoffs to determine who will move up to the third division.
Match vs. fixture vs. tie vs. game All describe mostly the same thing: two teams playing football. There are three possible outcomes for a team: win, lose or draw.
In league play, the winning team gets three points. The losing team gets none. If the game ends in a tie, each team gets one point. In most leagues (and all of the biggest ones), at the end of the season, the team with the most points in its division takes home the trophy. And possibly gets promoted, if the team isn't already in the country's top division.
'Tie', however, has particular connotations -- it's frequently used to refer to knockout competitions in which teams play home and away over two legs rather than just a one-off match.
Does head-to-head record matter? The number of wins, losses, and draws accumulated by one club as compared directly to one or more other clubs. Head-to-head record is often used to determine a team's standing, either at the conclusion of the season or at the end of a tournament round. The two or more clubs even on points are measured against one another. The team that's earned more points finishes higher or moves on to the next round of the tournament. For instance, if Juventus and Napoli finish even on points in Serie A, but Napoli beat Juventus at home and drew against them on the road, Napoli will have four points, Juventus one, and Napoli would be declared winners.
What is UEFA? UEFA is the European confederation of FIFA, tasked with administering the national football associations of its 54 members, as well as running international competitions such as the quadrennial European Football Championship (Euros), the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.
Despite its name, UEFA does include countries that many might not consider to be European. Turkey and Russia, spanning both Europe and Asia, are part of the confederation, as are Israel and Kazakhstan, both of which were formerly part of the Asia confederation.
What are points? In the United States, most championships are decided through a series of playoff games. Not so in European soccer (mostly). At the end of the season, the team with the highest number of points raises the trophy. Points are also used to determine which sides will enter European tournaments, and which will be relegated to a higher league or promoted to a lower league.
The winning team gets three points. The losing team gets none. If the game ends in a tie, each team gets one point. If at the end of the season, two or more teams are level on points, a system of tie-breakers exists to determine which side finishes higher. These tie-breakers are usually based on goals scored or head-to-head record, but vary from league to league.
What is promotion? Promotion is typically the ultimate goal for teams that play outside a country’s top division. Moving up the pyramid often results in greater revenues for a club, through sponsorship deals, TV rights and increased ticket sales. Promotion is typically achieved when a club finishes first or second in its league, or by winning a promotion playoff.
What is the Champions League? The UEFA Champions League is Europe's premier competition, widely considered the most coveted trophy in club football.
"League" in this case does not refer to a domestic competition, but rather a tournament played out amongst the top sides in Europe. "Champions," too, is a misnomer, as many leagues are able to send two, three, or even four clubs into the tournament. The number of teams a football association enters into the tournament depends on its ranking, which takes into account performances by domestic teams in European competition over the past five years.
Although a total of 77 teams from 53 European countries entered 2014-2015 tournament, most people consider its true start to be at the kickoff of the Group Stage, at which point 32 teams remain. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, with no teams from the same association drawn together. Each team faces off twice, at home and away, for a total of six matches. The two sides with the most points at the end of the group tournament then proceed to the Round of 16. The third-placed side in each group drops into the Europa League.
After the Group Stage ends, the 16 remaining teams enter the knockout rounds. Here they play two-legged ties, home and away, with the winner over 180 minutes progressing to the next round. The competition proceeds through the Round of 16 to the quarter-finals to the semi-finals and finally to the final.
The 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League final will be held on June 6 in Berlin, Germany. The current title holders are Real Madrid, who've now hoisted the Cup 10 times.
What is the Europa League? Another club tournament organized by UEFA, this competition is often seen as the ugly stepchild to the Champions League. Like the Champions League, teams qualify based on their previous finish the season before, but it is the teams that finish anywhere from 2nd to 7th that play in the Europa League. Most associations also reserve a spot for the winner of their domestic cup competition. However, if a team qualifies for both the Champions League and Europa League (say by finishing second in the league but winning the domestic cup) they will enter the Champions League.
Teams may also find themselves in the Europa League after losing in the Champions League. Clubs that lose a Champions League playoff round, or finish third in the group stages, will enter the secondary competition. Due to the lesser prestige and stress of travel involved in the competition, they’ve often treated it as such, fielding younger players or reserves. However, the winners of the 2014-2015 Europa League trophy will be given a berth in next season’s Champions League, so it may be the case that teams treat the tournament more seriously.
The format is similar to that of the Champions League, although the Europa League is much more sprawling, with a total of 195 teams involved in the 2014-2015 season. There are three qualifying rounds and a playoff round before the competition proper begins, with the group stage. Forty-eight teams are drawn into 12 groups of four, with the top two finishers in each group moving on to the knockout phase.
The knockout phase begins with the Round of 32, in which the 24 top finishers join with the eight third-place finishers from the Champions League group stage. Teams drawn together play a two-legged tie, home and away, with the winner progressing to the next round. The round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals are conducted in the same manner.
The final is a single match played in a neutral venue (neutral, that is, unless a club from the host city manages to make it to the final). The 2014-2015 Europa League final will be played on May 27 at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland. The defending champions are Spanish side Sevilla.
What are domestic cups? The majority of football associations organize at least one cup competition for domestic teams. The rules vary, with some associations permitting all clubs to enter the tournament, and others restricting the competition to certain leagues. Frequently the winner of the association's primary domestic cup competition is granted entry into the Europa League, while sometimes the runners-up will take their place if the winner has already clinched a spot in the Champions League.
England
Premier League The Premier League was founded in 1992, when the 20 clubs in the first division broke away from The Football League in order to take advantage of a lucrative television deal. The league now has the ability to negotiate its own broadcast and sponsorship deals, bringing in much more money than divisions further down the pyramid.
The top tier of English football still boasts 20 clubs. At the end of the season, one will hoist a trophy, while the three with the fewest points will be relegated to the Championship. The current holder of the Premier League title is Manchester City (two titles), and the 2014-15 season runs from Saturday, Aug. 15 to Sunday, May 24.
New faces in the 2014-2015 season
Leicester City
The Foxes returned to the Premier League after a 10-year absence, after finishing first in the Championship last season.
Burnley
Burnley takes a second stab at life in the top-flight. The Clarets were promoted for the 2009-2010 season, but fell right back down again. They're back after finishing second in the Championship.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR spent just one season in the Championship before beating Derby County 1-0 in the playoff final, earning promotion despite only finishing 4th last season.
Champions League
In English football, the sides that finish first, second and third gain automatic entry into the Champions League group stage. For 2014-2015, those clubs are Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
The fourth-placed club enters into the Champions League playoffs, where they play for a chance to enter the tournament in the group stages. It is rare that a Premier League club does not win the two-legged playoff, but if they do not, they go into the Europa League group stages. This season, Arsenal beat Turkish side Beşiktaş to advance.
The exception to this is if a Premier League team won the Champions League the previous season, but failed to finish in the top four in the current season -- such as Liverpool did in 2005. The defending champion is granted automatic entry into the tournament, at the expense of the fourth-place side.
Europa League
In the Premier League, the sides that finish fifth automatically qualifies for the Europa League group stages. Everton take this slot for the 2014-2015 season.
Two spots in the Europa League are reserved for the winners of domestic cup competitions -- the FA Cup and the League Cup. If the winner of the FA Cup (Arsenal last year) has already qualified for entry into the Champions League, the loser of the FA Cup final takes their place. If both participants in the FA Cup final have already qualified for the Champions League, the seventh-placed club will enter Europa League.
This leads to some interesting situations at times, because often weaker clubs will funnel their energies into a cup victory. Hull City finished 16th last season, but entered the Europa League in the Third Qualifying Round, and was eliminated in the playoff round. In recent years, teams such as Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic have entered into the tournament, despite having been relegated the season before.
If the winner of the League Cup has already qualified for the Champions League (Manchester City last season), the loser in the final does not gain entry to Europa League. Instead, the side that finishes sixth in the League enters the tournament at the playoff stages. This year, Tottenham Hotspur easily beat AEL Limassol to qualify for the group stage.
Finally, the Premier League is also eligible to gain another place in Europa League. The top three leagues in UEFA's Fair Play rankings get an additional slot in the tournament. The Premier League team that finished highest in the Premier League Fair Play standings, but did not automatically qualify for Europe, takes this spot, in the first qualifying round.
Tiebreakers
Sometimes, we come to the end of the Premier League season with two (or more) clubs even on points. If two teams are tied for, say, 12th, it matters little, except in the amount of money they receive at the end of the season. But what really gets fans' heads scratching is trying to determine who will be promoted, relegated or qualified for European play when the sides have the same number of points.
If two or more teams are even on points, the side with the greater goal difference finishes highest. If goal difference is equal, the team with the greater number of goals scored takes the higher spot. If points, goal difference and goals scored are all equal, there will be a playoff to determine who wins the league.
The Championship Somewhat confusingly, this is the second level of English football. There are 24 teams in the second division. The top team wins the title and moves up to the Premier League, where it is joined by the team that finishes second. The next four teams (3-6 place) compete in a mini-playoff tournament, the winner of which is also promoted to the Premier League. The bottom three teams are relegated to League One.
League One League One, the third division of English football, boasts 24 teams. The top team wins the title and moves up to the Championship, joined by the team that finishes second. The next four teams (3-6 place) compete in a mini-playoff tournament, the winner of which is also promoted to the Championship. The bottom four teams are relegated to League Two.
League Two League Two is England's fourth division, which prompts many to scratch their heads. Twenty-four teams compete to win League Two, and the teams that finish in the top three places are automatically promoted to League One. The next four teams (4-7 place) compete in a mini-playoff tournament, the winner of which is also promoted to League One. Only two teams are relegated, and they head down to the top tier of non-league football, or division five.
Non-League Football Everything outside the top 92 clubs in England's football system is known as "non-league football." Although these clubs do play the majority of their football in league-organized competitions, they are not part of the Football League, hence the name. There are 20 levels of football that fall outside the Football League, comprising various leagues and further divisions into regions. Clubs can win automatic promotion into the Football League from the Conference, and conversely, clubs in League Two can be relegated into non-league football.
The FA Cup England's premier domestic cup competition. The tournament is open to all teams in the Premier League, the Football League, and certain sides in the top six levels of non-league football. All teams outside the top four divisions need to qualify before entering the competition proper. There are six qualifying rounds, ending with Fourth Round Qualifying, because England enjoys muddling things up.
The FA Cup is a knockout tournament, with one game being played at the home of the side first picked out of the hat. Should the match end in a draw, a replay will be held at the other team's ground, but if the score is still level at the end of the second game, extra time will be played, and a penalty shootout will occur if necessary.
The 2014-2015 FA Cup final will be held at Wembley Stadium on May 30. The current holder is Arsenal (11 titles).
The League Cup This domestic cup will try to trick you by referring to itself as the Capital One Cup. The sponsor changes, but the competition remains the same. The 92 members of the Premier League and the Football League compete in a knockout tournament, with the eventual winners being given a rather small check. Because of this, and the strain that it puts on many sides, often big teams will field weaker lineups for the League Cup. The potential glory is also limited, as winners qualify for the Europa League, but runners-up get nothing.
Two things to note about the League Cup. With just 92 teams in the competition, the majority come in in the first round. Premier League clubs receive a bye into the second round, while clubs in European competition do not enter until the third round. Also, the semi-finals are two-legged for reasons that surpass understanding.
The current holder is Manchester City (3 titles).
How does promotion work in England? In England, the top two teams in the Championship (second division) and League One (third division) are automatically promoted, while the third through sixth placed teams enter a playoff. In the semi-finals, the sixth-place team plays the third-place team, while fourth and fifth face off. The semi-finals are two-legged, home and away, and if the score is tied after the second leg, 30 additional minutes are played. If the game is still a draw, penalties decide the winner.
The winners of the semi-finals meet in the finals at a neutral venue. The winner must be decided on the day, so if the score is tied at the end of 90 minutes, extra time is played, moving into penalties if necessary. The team that is victorious is promoted to the next-highest division.
The rules are the same for League Two (fourth division), except the top three teams are automatically promoted, and teams placed fourth through seventh participate in the playoffs.
How does relegation work in England? Simple enough: In the Premier League, the Championship and League One, the three clubs with the lowest number of points at the end of the season are bumped down to the league below. Only two clubs from League Two are relegated, into the Conference.
Is there a winter break? Despite the fact that England and Wales do indeed get snow -- a few seasons back, nearly every match one weekend was canceled -- there's no winter break built into the league system.
Soccer in Germany
Bundesliga Germany's top division includes just 18 teams, two fewer than most of Europe’s other top leagues, and the team that finishes with the most points takes the title. The bottom two sides are relegated, while the 16th-placed side plays a two-legged playoff with the 3rd-placed side in the second division. If the Bundesliga side loses, they are relegated to the second division, and the winner takes their spot in the top flight.
The current title holders are Bayern Munich, who've won the Bundesliga 23 times. The 2014-2015 Bundesliga season runs from Friday, Aug. 22 to Saturday, May 23.
New faces in the 2014-2015 season
FC Köln
After two years out of the top flight, Köln finished first in 2. Bundesliga last season, earning promotion.
SC Paderborn 07
Paderborn finished runners-up in the second division last season and enter the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.
Champions League
The top three Bundesliga finishers qualify directly into the Champions League proper. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 entered the 2014-2015 group stage. The team that finishes fourth heads to the Champions League playoff. This season, Bayer Leverkusen easily defeated FC Copenhagen to move into the group stage.
Europa League
The side that finishes fifth in Bundesliga, which was Wolfsburg last season, enters the Europa League at the group stage. Sixth place enters the tournament in the playoff round, where Borussia Mönchengladbach beat FK Sarajevo 10-2 over two legs.
The winner of the DFB-Pokal, Germany's cup competition, enters Europa League in the Third Qualifying Round. If the winner has already qualified for the Champions League, the loser of the final enters Europa League -- unless they, too, have qualified for the premier competition. Last season Bayern beat Dortmund, but the sides finished first and second respectively, qualifying for the Champions League. The slot then passes to the seventh-placed Bundesliga team, which was Mainz 05. Mainz fell at the first hurdle, losing to Greek side Asteras Tripoli.
2. Bundesliga The second division is exactly the same as the top division -- well, besides being lower down the pyramid, of course. The top two sides are promoted, while the 3rd place side plays a two-legged playoff with the 16th-placed side in the Bundesliga. If the 2. Bundesliga side loses, they are relegated to the third division. The bottom two sides of the second division are relegated, while the 16th-placed side plays a two-legged playoff with the 3rd-placed side in the third division. If the 2. Bundesliga side loses, they are relegated.
3. Liga There are 20 teams in Germany's third division. The top two finishers are promoted -- unless they're a reserve team, who cannot advance into the second tier -- while the third-place side plays a two-legged playoff with the 16th-place side from the second division. If successful, they move into 2. Bundesliga. The bottom three sides are relegated, with no relegation playoff necessary.
Regionalliga Germany's fourth division is a semi-professional league composed of 92 teams split into five regional leagues, with the top finishers from each league (with the exception of Südwest, which sends the top two) heading to a promotion playoff, after which three sides will move up to 3. Liga.
DFB Pokal Germany's domestic cup consists of 64 teams competing in a knockout tournament. All 36 teams from the top two divisions are entered, as well as 28 sides from the lower levels. The top four sides in the third division automatically qualify, as do the 21 winners of the regional cup competitions. The remaining three spots are given to the three regional associations with the greatest number of teams, with the association choosing who will participate.
In Germany, the teams in higher divisions are not granted byes to later rounds. Instead, the teams are split, with the 28 lower-level sides as well as the four sides just promoted to 2.Bund in one pot, and the higher-level teams in the other, to be drawn against one another. The same sort of draw happens in the second round.
Germany plays a straightforward knockout competition, with no replays or two-legged ties. If scores are level after 90 minutes, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.
The winner of the DFB-Pokal enters the Europa League Third Qualifying Round. If the winner has already qualified for the Champions League, the runner-up enters Europa League.
Promotion The top two sides in Germany's second and third divisions are automatically promoted. The third-placed sides enter into a two-legged playoff with the third-from-bottom sides in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesiga. If the third-placed side in the lower division wins the playoff against the team from the higher division, they are promoted to the next tier, while the loser drops down.
Relegation The bottom two sides in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga are automatically relegated. The third-from-bottom sides enter a two-legged playoff against the third-from-top team in the division below. If the side from the higher division loses the playoff, they are relegated.
Tiebreakers When teams are level on points at the end of the season, the Bundesliga has a series of tiebreakers used to determine which side will finish top:
Goal difference for the entire season
Total goals scored for the entire season
Head-to-head results (total points)
Head-to-head goals scored
Head-to-head away goals scored
Total away goals scored for the entire season
Should there remain a need for yet another tiebreaker, the two teams will play a match at a neutral venue. Such a match has not occurred in the 51 seasons of the Bundesliga.
Soccer in Spain
Primera División The Primera División, mostly referred to as 'La Liga', is the top division of Spanish soccer. At the end of the season, the club with the most points takes home the title, while the bottom three clubs are relegated. Twenty clubs total compete in the Primera División.
The current title holders are Atlético Madrid (10 wins), and the season stretches from Sunday, Aug. 24 to Sunday, May 24.
New faces in the 2014-15 season
Eibar
Eibar finished first in the Segunda División last season, and will play their first season in La Liga. Eibar almost didn't make it, however -- it was only on July 15 that they managed to raise enough capital to allow them to play in the top flight.
Deportivo La Coruña
Depor returns to the top division after just one year away, taking second in the Segunda División last season.
Córdoba CF
The Andalusian side finished 7th in in the Segunda División last season, but because Barcelona B were in third, Córdoba were bumped up to the playoffs -- which they then won.
Champions League
The team that wins the league title automatically qualifies for the Champions League, as do the second and third place teams, so Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid will enter at the group stage for the 2014-2015 tournament. The fourth-place finisher earns a place in the playoff round, for the chance to enter the competition proper. Athletic Bilbao finished fourth last season, and proceeded to beat Italian side Napoli to gain entry into the group stage.
Europa League
La Liga's fifth-placed team gets automatic entry to the Europa League group stage. That team for 2014-2015 would be Sevilla, the winners of the last Europa League trophy. However, their winning last season does not mean Spain field an extra side in the tournament.
The sixth-placed team, Villarreal last season, qualified for the playoff round. They beat Kazakh side Astana 7-0 on aggregate to enter the group stages.
The winner of the Copa del Rey also qualifies for the Europa League, but if they are already in the Champions League, it is the loser of the final that goes instead. Last season the final was a Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, with Real the winners. Because both teams are already in the Champions League, La Liga's seventh-placed finisher, Real Sociedad, will entered Europa League in the third qualifying round. La Real advanced to the playoff round but were beaten by Russian side Krasnodar.
Segunda División The second division of Spanish football, comprising 22 clubs. The top two teams are automatically promoted to La Liga, while teams finishing third through sixth (excluding reserve teams) participate in a playoff to determine the third promoted team. The bottom four sides are relegated. Reserve teams are not eligible for promotion as long as their parent club plays in the top league.
Segunda División B For some reason, Spain decided to name this division not third, or "tercera," but "Second B." It's the third division, made up of 80 clubs divided into four groups of 20. The top four teams in each group -- 16 in total -- enter into a playoff to determine which four teams will be promoted (excluding reserve teams, if their parent club is in the second division). The four group winners play their own two-legged series, with the winners moving into the second division as well as competing against one another to determine the champion of Segunda División B. The losers enter the main playoff to determine promotion.
The bottom four teams in each group are relegated. In addition, the four 16th-placed teams enter into a relegation playoff, with the two losers relegated to the third division.
Reserve teams are not eligible for promotion if the parent club is playing in the second division.
Tercera División The fourth division of Spanish football features an astonishing 360 teams divided into 18 regional groups. Like the Segunda División B, promotions are determined via playoffs, with the top four in each group entering the playoffs. Eighteen teams in total are promoted to the third division. The three teams at the bottom of each group may be relegated, but the number that actually goes down varies.
Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España - Copa de Su Majestad el Rey (Championship of Spain - His Majesty the King's Cup) is Spain's domestic cup competition. The 42 teams from the top division are automatically included, while the top five teams from each of the four Segunda División B groups, along with the top two teams outside that list, along with the 18 group champions from the Tercera División, also participate. Reserve teams are excluded from the Copa.
The first three rounds, prior to the entry of La Liga clubs, are single-match elimination. When the top-division sides come in at the Round of 32, the format changes to a two-legged, home and away tie. Spain is particularly cruel in that it pits the remaining seven Segunda División B and Tercera División sides against the seven La Liga sides that qualified for Europe.
The Copa del Rey final is a single match played in a neutral venue. The current holder is Real Madrid
Reserve Teams Also called b-teams, reserve teams are comprised of players under contract with a specific club, but not often included on the roster for the club's matches. These players, often youngsters in need of playing time or older players recovering from injury, play separate matches with the reserve team.
Unlike many leagues, Spanish reserve teams play within the same system as their parent clubs. However, the b-team may not compete in the same division as the parent club, so although the team is included in league standings, these sides are not eligible for promotion. The prohibition can cause a bit of a muddle, such as when Málaga were relegated to the second division in 2006, forcing the relegation of Málaga B into the third division.
Promotion Due to the complexities of Spanish soccer, we'll concentrate on explaining how teams move back and forth from the second tier and the first. The top two teams in Segunda División are automatically promoted, while the third through sixth (excluding reserve teams) placed teams enter a playoff. The semi-finals are two-legged, as is the final.
Remember, reserve teams cannot be promoted to La Liga, as they cannot play in the same division as their parent club. This sometimes results in odd scenarios like Barcelona B finishing in third place (2010-11) and letting the seventh-place team into the playoff.
Relegation The process of being relegated from the top or second divisions of Spanish soccer is quite straightforward. Teams from La Liga can find themselves in the Segunda División if they finish in the bottom three. Second division clubs are relegated to Segunda División B if they finish in the bottom four.
Tiebreakers Deep breath here, because Spain likes to confuse when determining which side places higher in the table. If two teams are even on points, the deadlock is broken by determining the goal difference for the two league matches that the clubs have played against one another. If the sides remain even, the next tiebreaker is total goal difference, followed by total goals scored.
If there are more than two teams even on points, La Liga first breaks the tie based on head-to-head points against the teams that are deadlocked. The next tiebreaker is head-to-head goal difference, followed by head-to-head goals scored.
Should the teams remain tied, the matter will be resolved using Fair Play rankings. If, by some act of God, there's still no resolution, a tiebreaker match will be held in a neutral venue.
Breaks La Liga takes a break for Christmas. For the 2014-2015 season, they are off between rounds 16 and 17 -- Dec. 21 through Jan. 4.
El Clasico Even though Atlético Madrid won the league last season, La Liga is still often viewed as a two-horse race. That means any match in which Barcelona and Real Madrid face off attracts loads of attention. These games are known as "clásicos", a term that applies to every meeting of the two sides, be it in the league, the Copa del Rey or the Champions League. The two clubs are both rich, hugely successful and boast superstars in their squads. It's worth marking these days out on the calendar long in advance, because it's probably the most important club rivalry in the world.
Serie A Serie A is Italy's top league, comprised of 20 clubs. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title, while the bottom three clubs are relegated. This being Italy, sometimes teams find themselves relegated not due to their performance on the pitch, but because they've been docked points for some scandal or another.
The current scudetto -- that's title -- holders are Juventus, who've won it 32 times but had two titles officially revoked thanks to a match-fixing scandal. The 2014-2015 Serie A season started on Saturday, Aug. 30 and will finish on Sunday, May 31.
New faces for the 2014-2015 Season
Palermo
The rosanero spent last season in the second division, but returned to Serie A after topping Serie B last season.
Empoli
Empoli were relegated at the end of the 2007-2008 season and make their first return to Serie A since, after finishing second in Serie B.
Cesena
The Seahorses have been absent for the past two seasons, but won last season's playoff after finishing fourth during the season.
Champions League
Italy has just two slots that provide direct entry into the Champions League group stage. The first and second placed teams qualify, which last season were Juventus and AS Roma. Serie A's third-placed finisher enters the Champions League at the playoff round. Napoli took that spot this year, and wound up losing to Spanish side Athletic Bilbao.
Europa League
Serie A's fourth-placed finisher enters Europa League at the group stages, while fifth place enters at the playoff round. Last season Fiorentina finished fourth and Inter fifth. The nerazzurri had no trouble advancing to the competition proper after beating Icelandic side Stjarnan 9-0 on aggregate.
The winner of the Coppa Italia is given Serie A's third Europa League place, entering in the Third Qualifying Round. However, if that winner has already qualified for the Champions League, the team that lost the final takes their place. Last year, Napoli -- already in the Champions League playoff round -- won the Coppa, while Fiorentina lost the final. But because Fiorentina finished fourth, the final spot went to Serie A's sixth-placed finisher.
Parma, who finished sixth, were disqualified from European competition for failing to submit the required paperwork on time. So seventh-placed Torino went into the Europa League for the first time, and made it through their first two rounds to enter the group stage.
Serie B The number of teams in Italy's second division tends to fluctuate. There have been 22 teams for the past 10 seasons, but that number will soon be reduced to 20. In 2014-2015, 21 teams were set to play in Serie B, as Siena failed to register for the league, declaring bankruptcy on July 15. However, multiple teams bid to take the Tuscan side’s place. Three -- Novara, Lecce and Reggina -- were disqualified due to sporting fraud. In the end Vincenza were promoted.
The top three teams are promoted to Serie A, and the bottom three sides sent down to Serie C. Then the fourth-to-last and fifth-to-last teams play a two-legged playoff to determine which side is relegated. But that only occurs if those two sides are within four points of one another. If the fifth-to-last team has a lead of five points or more, no play-out is necessary.
Serie C What's Serie C? You're forgiven for not knowing. This level of Italian football was formerly divided into Serie C1 and Serie C2, which were restructured in 2008 to Lega Pro Prima Divisione and Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. These divisions have now merged into one league, starting this season.
The league contains 60 teams split into three regional groups of 20. The top placed team in each division is promoted to Serie B, with the fourth promoted team decided via a playoff. The second and third placed teams in each division are joined by the two best fourth-placed teams to determine the final promoted team. This is all new this season, so we'll be learning as we go.
Coppa Italia Italy's domestic cup is a knockout tournament, composed of single-legged ties -- with the exception of the semi-finals, which involve a home and an away leg. If teams are tied at the end of the match, extra time is played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.
The 42 clubs in Italy's top two leagues are all entered into the competition. An additional 36 clubs from Italy's lower leagues also participate: the four clubs relegated from Serie B, the six best non-promoted sides from both groups in Divisione 1 (which no longer exists, but it did last season), the best remaining side from either group in Divisione 1, the four best sides from both groups in Divisione 2, the two finalists of the Lega Pro Cup, and the nine best teams from Serie D.
This will all change next season, of course, now that Serie C replaces Divisiones 1 and 2, but at least this covers the 2014-2015 Coppa.
Promotion The top two teams of Serie B are automatically promoted to the top division. If the third-placed team has a lead of nine points or more over the fourth-place team, they too are promoted. If not, a playoff will be held.
Italy enjoys confusing fans, and thus does not have a set number of teams that automatically enter the promotion playoffs. Instead, the playoff can occur with as few as two teams or as many as six -- it depends on how many teams are within 14 points of the third-place team. If there are three rounds in the playoffs, the opening round is a simple knockout game, hosted by the higher-placed side. The following rounds are two-legged affairs, home and away.
Italy also does not go in for penalties to decide who will be promoted. If games remain drawn at the end of extra time, the team that finished the season higher in the table will advance.
Relegation For Serie A, it's simple: the bottom three sides are relegated.
Things are more complicated in Serie B. The bottom three teams are relegated to Serie C. If the side fourth from bottom is five or more points off the side fifth from bottom, they too will be relegated. If not, a play-out to avoid relegation is held. Those two sides play out a two-legged tie, with the loser relegated. If the score is tied after the two legs, the team that finished the season higher in the table is saved, and the lower-placed side relegated.
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