Association coefficient
The association coefficient ranks a country rather than a club. It combines the results of every club that country enters into the European competitions, and its position sets how many places the country receives.
Why it matters
It matters because it decides the size of a country's entry. A higher ranking brings more places and a later entry for the country's clubs, so a whole league's performance shapes how many of its sides reach the competition.
Where it is used
It is used in the allocation of places and in the entry rounds. Every club's results count towards the national total, so the ranking reflects the depth of a league as well as the form of its leading side.
How to read it
Read it as a measure of a league's strength. It is an aggregate rather than a single club's record, and a league whose middle is competitive gathers more points than one carried by a single dominant side.
What it means
the ranking of a country's league, built from all its clubs' results
Association coefficient is one of the working terms of the competition. This entry explains it as a mechanism that holds true from season to season, so it can be read on its own or alongside the other entries in the glossary of the tournament.
- Ranks a country, not a club.
- Combines the results of every club entered.
- Sets the number of places a country holds.
- Can lift or lower a league's entry.
- Rewards depth as well as a leading club.
- A measure of national strength over seasons.