Competitions

Maradona's Argentina wins the 1986 FIFA World Cup
Photo by El Gráfico

Afghanistan

Africa

Africa Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and was first held in 1957.
Since 1968, it has been held every two years. The title holders at the time of a FIFA Confederations Cup qualify for that competition.

As of 2013, the tournament was switched to being held in odd-numbered years so as not to clash with the FIFA World Cup.

Organizer

Confederation of African Football

1st edition

1957 Africa Cup of Nations

Edition(s)

35

Titleholder

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Ivory Coast

Most successfull team(s) (6)

Egypt Egypt Egypt

Africa Games

The African Games are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union (AU) with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) and the Association of African Sports Confederations (AASC).

All of the competing nations are from the African continent. The first Games were held in 1965 in Brazzaville, Congo. The International Olympic Committee granted official recognition as a continental multi-sport event, along with the Asian Games and Pan American Games. Since 1999, the Games have also included athletes with a disability.

Organizer

African Union

1st edition

1965 African Games

Edition(s)

13

Titleholder

Ghana U-20 Ghana U-20 Ghana U-20

Most successfull team(s) (4)

Cameroon U-23 Cameroon U-23 Cameroon U-23

African Nations Championship

The African Nations Championship is a football tournament which was first announced on 11 September 2007.

It is administered by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is played between the best national teams of Africa, exclusively featuring players who are active in the national championships and qualified to play in the ongoing season.
Expatriate players, regardless of where they play, even in Africa, are not qualified to take part in the African Championship of Nations.

The tournament is held every two years, alternating with the Africa Cup of Nations.

Organizer

Confederation of African Football

1st edition

2009 African Nations Championship

Edition(s)

8

Titleholder

Senegal Senegal Senegal

Most successfull team(s) (2)

Morocco Morocco Morocco Congo DR Congo DR Congo DR

CAF Champions League

The CAF Champions League is an annual international club football competition run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The top club sides from Africa's football leagues are invited to participate in this competition, which is the premier club football competition in the continent and the equivalent to the UEFA Champions League.

The winner of the tournament earns a berth for the FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament contested between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations, and also faces the winner of the CAF Confederation Cup in the following season's CAF Super Cup.

Organizer

Confederation of African Football

1st edition

1965 African Cup of Champions Clubs

Edition(s)

61

Titleholder

Al Ahly SC Al Ahly SC Al Ahly

Most successfull team(s) (12)

Al Ahly SC Al Ahly SC Al Ahly

CAF Confederation Cup

The CAF Confederation Cup is an international club association football competition run by the Confederation of African Football. Select club sides from Africa's football leagues are invited to participate in this competition, which is the second club football competition in the continent behind the CAF Champions League.

The winner of the tournament faces the winner of the CAF Champions League in the following season's CAF Super Cup.

Organizer

Confederation of African Football

1st edition

2004 CAF Confederation Cup

Edition(s)

22

Titleholder

Zamalek SC Zamalek SC Zamalek

Most successfull team(s) (3)

CS Sfaxien CS Sfaxien CS Sfaxien

CAF Super Cup

The CAF Super Cup is an annual African association football competition contested between the winners of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The competition was first held in 1993 and is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

It is the continental equivalent of the UEFA Super Cup in European and Recopa Sudamericana in South American club football.

Organizer

Confederation of African Football

1st edition

1993 CAF Super Cup

Edition(s)

33

Titleholder

Zamalek SC Zamalek SC Zamalek

Most successfull team(s) (8)

Al Ahly SC Al Ahly SC Al Ahly

Africa / Asia

Albania

Algeria

America

Pan American Games

The Pan-American or Pan American Games is a major sporting event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions.

The competition is held among athletes from nations of the Americas, every four years in the year before the Summer Olympic Games. The only Winter Pan American Games were held in 1990. The Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) is the governing body of the Pan American Games movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.

Organizer

Pan American Sports Organization

1st edition

1951 Pan American Games

Edition(s)

19

Titleholder

Brazil U-23 Brazil U-23 Brazil U-23

Most successfull team(s) (5)

Argentina Argentina Argentina

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Arab League

Pan Arab Games

The Arab Games, also called the Pan Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world.
They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees.

The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. Intended to be held every four years since, political turmoil as well as financial difficulties have made the event an unstable one.
Women were first allowed to compete in 1985.

Organizer

Union of Arab National Olympic Committees

1st edition

1953 Pan Arab Games Tournament

Edition(s)

11

Titleholder

Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain

Most successfull team(s) (4)

Egypt Egypt Egypt

Argentina

Armenia

Asia

AFC Asian Cup

The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Australia joined the Asian confederation in 2007 and hosted the Asian Cup finals in 2015.

Organizer

Asian Football Confederation

1st edition

1956 AFC Asian Cup

Edition(s)

19

Titleholder

Qatar Qatar Qatar

Most successfull team(s) (4)

Japan Japan Japan

AFC Challenge Cup

The AFC Challenge Cup was an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries that was categorized as "emerging countries" in the "Vision Asia" programme.

"Vision Asia", created by former AFC president, Mohammed Bin Hammam, is the AFC's plan for a continent wide programme to raise the standards of Asian football at all levels.
The AFC Challenge Cup, which reflected the philosophy of Vision Asia, was created for teams to experience playing in a continental competition with the possibility to win an AFC trophy and to potentially discover new talent.

The inaugural tournament was hosted by Bangladesh in 2006 and is held biennially.

The 2014 tournament was the last edition of this competition, due to the expansion of the Asian Cup to the 24-nations format from the 16-nations one after the 2015 edition.
In April 2016, several associations requested a new competition to replace the Challenge Cup as they were having problems arranging friendly matches, AFC created the AFC Solidarity Cup.

Organizer

Asian Football Confederation

1st edition

2006 AFC Challenge Cup

Edition(s)

5

Titleholder

Palestine Palestine Palestine

Most successfull team(s) (2)

Korea DPR Korea DPR Korea DPR

AFC Champions League

The AFC Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Introduced in 2002, the competition replaced the Asian Club Championship which had run since 1985 and which had replaced the Asian Champion Club Tournament (1967-1971) after a 14-year hiatus. It is the premier club tournament in Asia.

The winner of the AFC Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Organizer

Asian Football Confederation

1st edition

1967 Asian Club Championship

Edition(s)

43

Titleholder

Al-Ain FC Al-Ain FC Al-Ain

Most successfull team(s) (4)

Al-Hilal FC Al-Hilal FC Al-Hilal

AFC Cup

The AFC Cup is an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Qualification to the competition is available to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries that fall into the AFC's "developing nations" category as laid out in their "Vision Asia" document. Countries which are "emerging" nations are eligible to participate in the AFC Cup qualifying play-off, where as countries which are "mature" nations are entered into the AFC Champions League.

Organizer

Asian Football Confederation

1st edition

2004 AFC Cup

Edition(s)

21

Titleholder

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners CC Mariners

Most successfull team(s) (3)

Air Force Club Air Force Club Air Force Kuwait SC Kuwait SC Kuwait SC

Asian Games

The Asian Games is a Pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia.
The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games.

Since the 1982 Games they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

Organizer

Olympic Council of Asia

1st edition

1951 Asian Games

Edition(s)

19

Titleholder

South Korea U-23 South Korea U-23 South Korea U-23

Most successfull team(s) (4)

South Korea South Korea South Korea Iran Iran Iran

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Balkans

Baltic region

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Benin

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Caribbean

Caribbean Cup

The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union.

The first competition was contested in 1989 in Barbados.
The Caribbean Cup served as a qualification tournament among CFU members for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Caribbean Cup replaced the CFU Championship competition which was active between 1978 and 1988.

Organizer

Caribbean Football Union

1st edition

1989 Caribbean Cup

Edition(s)

19

Titleholder

Curaçao Curaçao Curaçao

Most successfull team(s) (8)

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad-Tobago

Cayman Islands

Central Africa

Central America

Copa Centroamericana

The Copa Centroamericana is the main association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol (UNCAF), the sport's Central American governing body.

Held every two years since 1991, in the years before and after the FIFA World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UNCAF Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 2011.

Depending on their performance in the Copa Centroamericana, teams then go on to participate in other competitions, such as the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Copa América.

Organizer

Central American Football Union

1st edition

1991 UNCAF Nations Cup

Edition(s)

14

Titleholder

Honduras Honduras Honduras

Most successfull team(s) (8)

Costa Rica Costa Rica Costa Rica

Central America and the Caribbean

Central Asia

Ceylon

Chile

China PR

Chinese Taipei

Colombia

Costa Rica

Croatia

Curaçao

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

East Africa

East and Central Africa

CECAFA Cup

The CECAFA Cup is the oldest football tournament in Africa. A FIFA competition, it includes national teams from the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).

It is the successor competition of the Gossage Cup, held 37 times from 1926 until 1966, and the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, held 7 times between 1965 and 1971.

Organizer

Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations

1st edition

1926 Gossage Cup

Edition(s)

84

Titleholder

Tanzania U-23 Tanzania U-23 Tanzania U-23

Most successfull team(s) (40)

Uganda Uganda Uganda

East Asia

EAFF East Asian Cup

EAFF E-1 Football Championship, known as the East Asian Football Championship from 2003 to 2010, and the EAFF East Asian Cup for the 2013 and 2015 editions, is a men's international football competition in East Asia for member nations of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF).

Before the EAFF was founded in 2002, the Dynasty Cup was held between the East Asian top four teams, and was regarded as the unofficial East Asian Championship.

Organizer

East Asian Football Federation

1st edition

2003 East Asian Football Championship

Edition(s)

9

Titleholder

Japan Japan Japan

Most successfull team(s) (5)

South Korea South Korea South Korea

Ecuador

Egypt

England

Estonia

Ethiopia

Eurasia

Europe

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs.
It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by the national league champion (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of each UEFA national association.

Introduced in 1992, the competition replaced the European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply European Cup, which had run since 1955, adding a group stage to the competition and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries.

The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Organizer

Union of European Football Associations

1st edition

1955-56 European Cup

Edition(s)

70

Titleholder

Real Madrid Real Madrid R. Madrid

Most successfull team(s) (15)

Real Madrid Real Madrid R. Madrid

UEFA Europa League

The UEFA Europa League, previously called the UEFA Cup, is an annual association football club competition organized by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs.

Previously called the UEFA Cup, the competition has been known as the UEFA Europa League since the 2009–10 season, following a change in format.
In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was abolished and merged with the UEFA Cup.

The winner of the UEFA Europa League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, and from the 2014–15 season onwards the winner of the UEFA Europa League also qualifies for the next edition of the UEFA Champions League.
The winner enters at least at the play-off round (assuming they do not already qualify through domestic performance), and will enter the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders is not used.

Organizer

Union of European Football Associations

1st edition

1971-72 UEFA Cup

Edition(s)

54

Titleholder

Atalanta Atalanta Atalanta

Most successfull team(s) (7)

Sevilla FC Sevilla FC Sevilla

UEFA European Football Championship

The UEFA European Championship is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), determining the continental champion of Europe.

Held every four years since 1960, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968.
The championship winners earn the opportunity to compete in the following FIFA Confederations Cup.

Organizer

Union of European Football Associations

1st edition

1960 UEFA European Football Championship

Edition(s)

17

Titleholder

Spain Spain Spain

Most successfull team(s) (4)

Spain Spain Spain

UEFA Super Cup

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match organized by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.

Organizer

Union of European Football Associations

1st edition

1972 UEFA Super Cup

Edition(s)

50

Titleholder

Real Madrid Real Madrid R. Madrid

Most successfull team(s) (6)

Real Madrid Real Madrid R. Madrid

Faroe Islands

Finland

France

French Equatorial Africa

Gabon

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Greenland

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean Island Games

The Indian Ocean Island Games is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Indian Ocean islands.

The Games was adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1976 and currently gather the islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and the Maldives.
The number of athletes who participate has increased over the years, it went from 1000 athletes in 1979 to over 1500 participants in 2003 and 2007.

Organizer

International Olympic Committee

1st edition

1979 Indian Ocean Island Games

Edition(s)

10

Titleholder

Réunion Réunion Réunion

Most successfull team(s) (5)

Réunion Réunion Réunion

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Ivory Coast

Japan