Association
An association is a national football body whose clubs enter the competition. Each association is ranked in the association coefficient, and its position decides how many places its clubs receive.
Why it matters
It matters because it is the unit of the allocation. Places are given to associations rather than to clubs directly, so the standing of a country's football decides how many of its clubs can reach the competition.
Where it is used
It is used in the allocation of places and in the entry list. Every association enters a number of clubs set by its ranking, and the domestic competition of the association decides which clubs take those places.
How to read it
Read the association as the bridge between the national and continental games. Its ranking decides the size of its entry, and its domestic league decides the order in which its clubs take the places it holds.
What it means
a national football body whose clubs enter the competition
Association 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.
- A national football body.
- Its clubs enter the competition.
- Ranked in the association coefficient.
- Its ranking sets its number of places.
- Places are given to associations, not clubs.
- The bridge between national and European football.