European Soccer

For those who think the American National Football League (NFL) playoff system of tiebreakers is complicated, do not even attempt to try to understand the European soccer league system. Suffice it to say, for those wanting to place a wager on an European soccer match, there is plenty of opportunity and options.

The most difficult part of following the sports book in Europe is determining which competition to handicap. The European soccer scene generally has several competitions in progress at the same time. Each country has its national professional league with its minor leagues and there are several international competitions going on at the same time. This makes it completely possible for a bettor, or “punter,” as they are called, to place bets for a team with a certain player at the same time betting against that same player on another team in another competition.

National Leagues

Primarily the basic competition within each member nation of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is national league play. Each national federation in countries such as England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal operates a premiere professional league, and from one to three or four lower divisions. Obviously, most of the attention – and betting action – centers around a federation’s top, or “premiere” league, the teams playing for the national championship.

Lower divisions compete for the right to move up to higher divisions, eventually hitting the premiere league. Conversely, teams slipping to the bottom of their division face the possibility of “relegation,” or being dropped to a lower league next season. Under this system, it is possible for the best team, an “up-and-comer,” in the national competition to be in a lower division and not be eligible to win the championship.

Elite Teams

For the sports bettor, this can present some interesting decisions. Because of the fear of relegation, some of the most successful clubs in each federation stack their teams with star players to form “elite” squads that tend to stay near the top of the standings year after year. Perhaps the most famous of these is the English team Manchester United, or “Man U” as it is sometimes called. There are others. In Spain Real Madrid holds the same mystique as Man U as does Milan AC in the Italian Premiere League. Wagering on these teams usually is a safe bet but they generally carry only short odds.

National and International Cups

Success in national league play qualifies some teams for international competitions, usually held in the summer, sponsored by the UEFA. Also there are national cup tournaments each year where lower level teams get to compete against the elite squads. While considered a distraction from the more important national league play, as in Germany, these elimination tournaments have produced some major upsets and some big paydays for punters betting a long line.