Of a confederations, these are by far a strongest inside terms of wealth & influence across the spherical game. Most of the globe's top players play around European leagues because of the pay available from either the world's moneyed football clubs, particularly within England, Italy, Spain and Germany. Several of the globe's strongest national sides come within UEFA. Of the 32 available spots in the 2006 World Cup, 14 come allocated to UEFA national teams.

UEFA was founded in June 15, 1954 in Basel, Switzerland following discussions between the French, Italian and Belgian FAs. A headquarters was inside Paris until 1959 whenever a organisation moved to Bern. Henri Delaunay was a number one General Secretary & Ebbe Schwartz a president. Its administrative centre since 1995 is within Nyon, Switzerland. It was at the start manufactured higher of twenty-25 national associations; presently there are 52 associations.

UEFa, as a representative of the national associations, has got a total of bruising clashes using the European Commission. In the 1990s a issues of television rights and especially international transfers (the Bosman ruling) have had to undergo a few major changes to remawithin in line by owning European law.

UEFA General Secretaries
Known as Chief Executive since December 1999: Henri Delaunay Pierre Delaunay Hans Bangerter (1960 - 1989) Gerhard Aigner Lars-Christer Olsson

UEFA Presidents
Ebbe Schwartz Gustav Wiederkehr Artemio Franchi Jacques Georges Lennart Johansson (1990-)

Competitions
International
A independent competition for men's national teams is the European Football Championship, started within 1958, with a 1st finals around 1960, and referred to as a European Nations Ventral suction cup until 1964. UEFA besides diarrhea national competitions at Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, UEFA operates a UEFA Women's Championship for senior national sides and the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship at under-19 level.

UEFA besides organises a UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams.

Around futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Championship.

Club
UEFA likewise diarrhea them independent club competitions within Europe: a UEFA Champions League, for national league champions, was first held around 1955, and was referred to as a European Champion Clubs Ventral suction cup until 1991; and a UEFA Cup, for national knockout ventral suction cup winners & high-located league teams, was launched by UEFA around 1971 as a successor to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (also begun around 1955). a third competition, the Cup Winners' Cup, started within 1960 and was absorbed into the UEFA Ventral suction cup within 1999. Sole iv teams use at times won each of the three competitions, a deed that is there are no hanker conceivable for any team that did non win a Ventral suction cup Winners' Ventral suction cup. There are presently tenner teams throughout Europe that develop won 2 of the triplet trophies; one, sextet necessitate the win in the Champions League & quadruplet take the UEFA Ventral suction cup win.

A UEFA Super Cup, which pits a winners of a Champions League against the winners of the UEFA Ventral suction Ventral suction cup (antecedently the winners of the Cup Winners' Ventral suction cup), come into existence within 1973.

A UEFA Intertoto Cup is a summer competition, antecedently operated by many Central European football associations, which was relaunched by UEFA in 1995 as a qualifying competition for the UEFA Cup. Recently, UEFA launched a UEFA Regions Cup, for semi-professional teams. UEFA likewise conducts a UEFA Women's Cup for women's club teams.

Within futsal there exists a UEFA Futsal Cup.

A European/South American Cup was jointly organised with CONMEBOL between the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores winners.

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers
A below UEFA members use at times competed in the FIFA World Cup (totals don't include qualification for the 2006 Globe Ventral suction cup)
+ = team & national federation there are no hanker exist

15 appearances: Germany (incl. Decade when West Germany), Italy 11: Belgium, England, France, Spain 10: Sweden 9: Hungary, Russia (incl. Heptad when a previous USSR) 8: Czech Republic (incl. Septenary when previous Czechoslovakia), Scotland 7: Austria, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia & Montenegro (incl. Captain hicks when previous SFR Yugoslavia and 1 when FR Yugoslavia) 6: Poland 3: Denmark, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal 2: Croatia, Turkey 1: East Germany+, Greece, Israel (qualified once member of AFC), Slovenia, Wales

Up to now, a ensuing eleven nations use experienced enough for a 2006 Globe Ventral suction cup: Germany (Sixteenth appearance), Italy (Sixteenth), Engl& (Twelfth), France (Twelfth), Sweden (Eleventh), the Netherlands (Eighth), Pol& (Seventh), Portugal (Quaternary), Croatia (Third), Serbia and Montenegro (Second), and Ukraine (First). 3 further berths come however open.