How does UEFAs coefficient system affect the draws made in its competitions?
The simple answer is of course, that teams with higher coefficients are seeded, or are placed in a higher pot when there is a round with teams placed in groups. However, a number of consequences arise from the specifics of UEFA’s system. Remember that a team co-efficient is the total of five years’ worth of coefficients; even if a team did not play in Europe in a particular season, it will have 33% of its country’s co-efficient for that year. A team will have a higher co-efficient either if it belongs to a highly ranked country (so 33% of that country’s co-efficient is a substantial figure) or if it gains points for itself in the main rounds of the competition. The highest ranked teams generally satisfy both criteria. This means teams from the highest ranked countries can sometimes be seeded with little or no European experience from the previous five years. In choosing the figure of 33% (previously 50%) UEFA is trying to balance the strength or weakness of countries against the streng
