Based on the performance of Premier League clubs in UEFA European competitions, the league has overtaken the Spanish La Liga as the best football league in Europe.
The Spanish La Liga has been topping the table as the best league in Europe in the last 9 years due to the performance of Spanish clubs in European competitions.
However, that will change when the European football governing body, UEFA, updates its association coefficient score at the end of this season.
The projection that the Premier League would overtake the Spanish La Liga on the UEFA coefficient table is based on the fact that Premier League clubs have performed better in three seasons out of the last five seasons. While clubs from the Spanish La Liga have done better in two seasons out of the last five.
Why is the Premier League better than Spanish La Liga
As stated earlier, the Premier League has been behind the Spanish La Liga in the last 9 years based on the UEFA coefficient table. The last time the English league enjoyed dominance on the table was between the 2007-2008 to 2011-2012 seasons.
But the fact that English clubs have been very consistent in European competitions in the last five years, the reign of the Spanish clubs will be interrupted at the end of this season.
As it stands, the English league has already overtaken the Spanish La Liga with 98.997 points as against La Liga’s 97.426 points. The points of the Premier League increased this season because two Premier League clubs are in the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League while two Premier League clubs are also in the Europa League.
Each country is rewarded points based on how far clubs from the country go in European competitions and subsequently the country whose clubs win European competitions earns such a country extra points. This performance must be consistent in the space of five successive years.
Based on the points the Premier League have gathered so far, even if Spanish La Liga clubs: Real Madrid and Villarreal win the Champions League and Europa League respectively, La Liga would not remain on the first spot because of the number of English clubs that made it to the semi-final stage of the two competitions (four clubs: two in Europa and two in the Champions League).
What is the benefit of the Premier League being the best club in Europe
There is no official benefit of being ranked first on the UEFA coefficient table. The only privilege is just for bragging rights.
However, the top four countries on the UEFA coefficient table have the privilege of presenting four clubs each for both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. That means that each season, the top four leagues in Europe, have 8 clubs each in European competitions.
Below are the current top five leagues in Europe based on UEFA Association Coefficient Score
- Premier League (England) – 98.997
- La Liga (Spain) – 97.426
- Serie A (Italy) – 75.153
- Bundesliga(Germany) – 73.570
- Ligue 1 (France) – 56.081
