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What is the UEFA Champions League?
The short answer is that the UEFA Champions League is the club championship of Europe, and probably, therefore, the most prestigious football competition in the world other than the World Cup. Also, somewhat strangely, it's not a league; it's a tournament. But before we explain more, let’s cover a little history. For a little background,…
A Guide to the Leagues and Cups of English Football
What are all the leagues and cups of English football? This was utterly mysterious to us for years. And it may still be for many Americans. Allow us to explain. First, here's an example of something a TV announcer in England might say that you would never hear an American announcer say: that a team…
Promotion & Relegation in Some European Leagues
Groundhopper Guides has kept you informed about promotions and relegations in English football this past season. Now we turn our attention to promotion and relegation in some European domestic leagues. Here's a look at what happened in a few of the other major European leagues in 2020-21. GERMAN BUNDESLIGA Champion: Bayern Munich (78 points) Bayern…
What is the FA Cup?
As Americans fall more in love with soccer, particularly English soccer, we can sometimes get confused by all the different leagues and competitions. So let us explain one of our favorites, the FA Cup. In the U.S., there are just the leagues: the NFL, NBA, NHL, or Major League Baseball. They play, there’s a playoff…
What is the UEFA Europa League?
What is the UEFA Europa League? Briefly, the Europa League is the No. 2 European club competition, after the UEFA Champions League. Here's a bit more on a competition some non-British readers might not know a lot about. (Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning Groundhopper Guides may receive some compensation if…
Why Does Top Four in the Premier League Matter?
If you are fairly new to watching English soccer, you could certainly be forgiven for wondering why on Earth people would care about finishing in the top four in the Premier League. After all, in most sports finishing fourth isn't considered any sort of success. That it is a lofty aspiration for many an English soccer…
What Does it Mean to “Go to Wembley”?
If you are getting into watching English soccer for the first time, you have probably noticed there are a lot of words and phrases you don’t know; it’s like a language and subculture all its own, and one of the key phrases, indeed aspirations of the land, is to “Go to Wembley.” Of course, there…
On The Magic of English Soccer’s FA Cup
One of the best things about watching English soccer is that there are so many games to watch – and some of them are magical just because of who is playing who. Nowhere is this more true than in the FA Cup. In English football, there are several different competitions, even for teams at the…
