UEFA competitions (French:compétitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by themass media asEuropean football,[Note 1] are the set of tournaments organised by theUnion of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateurassociation football andfutsal. The term was established in 1971 by the confederation to differentiate the men's football competitions under its administration, the first in history being held at a pan-European stage,[1] from other international competitions carried out in the continent between 1960s and 1990s, such as theInter-Cities Fairs Cup,International Football Cup and Karl Rappan Cup,Cup of the Alps,Balkans Cup[2] and the restructuredMitropa Cup (as well as some which had already been discontinued by late 1950s such as theLatin Cup). All these tournaments were organised by private bodies and/or at least two national associations and concerning one of more regional areas of Europe,[1] not being recognised by UEFA for historic-statistical purposes.[3]
After being recognised by FIFA in 1961 and defined its functions as governing body, UEFA laid down principles for the authorisation of other international club competitions,[4] becoming the only organization with legal authority over international football in the continent.[3] For that reason, it considers only results in its own competitions, in general terms and by single tournament, as the only valid for calculating and communicating confederation-level official records and statistics as long as setting combined values in inter-club football.[5]
Until the firstUEFA Europa Conference League final in 2022, the only team to have won everymen's professional club competition wasJuventus of Italy,[6] whileFrance is the solenational side to have won theEuropean/South American Nations Cup, theNations League and the men'sEuropean Championship. The governing body of the latter,French Football Federation (FFF), alongside itsCzechoslovak,German,Italian,Soviet andSpanish counterparts in men's football; as well as German Football Association (DFB) inwomen's variant, is also the onlyassociation affilied to UEFA which representative teams have won, at least once, the senior Euro and the continental tournament in allage categories (under 17, under 19 and under 21).
FC Barcelona of Spain became the first women's club to follow its men's team of winning the Champions League, by winning the2021 Women's Champions League Final.The club's men's team won their first title in1992. The beaten finalistsChelsea of England was also seeking to break that record as well, asits men's team won their maiden in2012. They were already the first club ever to see its men's and women's teams reach the Champions League final in the same season, having qualified for theChampions League Final as well. Barcelona is also the only club in the UEFA zone that has won men's and women's Champions League, theYouth League and theFutsal Champions League among these with active sections which can compete in all these tournaments.
