Anyone interested in betting Europe's top-tier football leagues and other high-level competitions, such as the UEFA Champions League, will find this article to be an excellent introduction to the sport. Not only will you learn about the rich history of each top European football league, but you'll also develop a better understanding of their mechanics and how they compare to one another. Did you know you can also use cryptocurrency to bet? To do so, you need to find the best crypto sportsbooks to place your bets and win big!
English Premier League
A new era began in 1992-93 with the launch of the English Premier League. A total of 22 clubs participated in the league's inaugural season. Sheffield United's Brian Dean scored the first goal in the Premier League in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United on an opening day.
Betting on the Premier League using various crypto sportsbooks is a favorite activity. Throughout the decade of the 2000s, the dominance of the best clubs was on display. During the Premier League's most recent season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United dominated, winning the most titles and consistently finishing in the top four positions to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal won the Premier League without losing a single game during the 2003-04 season, a feat that is still remembered today. Since the establishment of the Premier League, no side has dominated the competition more than Manchester United. It is the 13th time they have won the championship since 1992.
As the league reached the decade of the 2010s, the dominance of the “Big Four” began to wane a bit. Manchester City won the Premier League in 2011-12, and Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool all finished outside of the top four for a number of seasons prior to that. Not only in the Premier League, but throughout all of the sports, the 2015-16 season had the largest upset in history. At the outset of the season, Leicester City, who had just been promoted from the Championship, were considered 5,000-1 outsiders to win. However, they ended up winning the Premier League.
Bundesliga
Liga One (Bundesliga) is the highest-level professional football league in Germany. Germany's first divisional football league is officially known as the 1. Bundesliga. Following the sale of international television rights, the Bundesliga has gained in popularity throughout the world. They have the highest average attendance per game of any football league in the country.
The Bundesliga now comprises 18 clubs, thanks to the addition of the 2. Bundesliga, and operates under a promotion and regulation structure. The bottom two clubs in the Bundesliga are relegated to the second division by default each season. It is the top two finishers from the 2. Bundesliga who will take their places.
There is no playoff for the third-place finisher in this league, unlike in some other leagues. Three clubs from the Bundesliga's third-to-last division will meet in a two-legged competition against the third-placed team from the 2. Bundesliga (home and away). The victor of the competition will be awarded the final spot in the Bundesliga for the next season. The Bundesliga was founded in 1963 and began to play the following year with its debut season. FC Bayern Munich has won 25 titles in total, including the 2015-16 season, making them the most successful club in history. They have won more medals than any other team in the history of the Bundesliga.
In terms of popularity and quality of play, German football is only a few notches below La Liga and the Premier League in terms of interest and quality of play. Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, on the other hand, is consistently considered as the best club in the world, while a number of other clubs, such as Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke, have created significant waves in European football.
La Liga
La Primera División is Spain's premier professional football league. In English-speaking markets, it is known as La Liga. La Liga has a total of 20 teams. After each season, the bottom three finishers are relegated to the Segunda División, where they are replaced by the top two finishers in the Segunda and the winner of a playoff between the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-ranked clubs.
The origins of La Liga may be traced back to 1929. In the inaugural season, ten clubs made up the Primera División. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletic Bilbao were among the teams that were never relegated from the top flight. La Liga has witnessed plenty of dominance from its best clubs, similar to the English Premier League. Real Madrid has a record of 32 trophies, while Barcelona has 24 La Liga titles. Barcelona has dominated the last ten years, capturing six trophies in the last eight seasons.
The only other league that competes with the Premier League in terms of popularity and quality of play is La Liga. With Messi and Ronaldo battling against each other every year, some may claim that the Spanish league has an advantage in terms of star power.
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 is France's elite football league. The league was founded in September 1923 and was originally known as the National League before being renamed Division 1 after a full season. They changed their name to Ligue 1 in 2002.
The championship of Ligue 1 is contested by 20 different football clubs. With the French second division, Ligue 2, they use promotion and regulation. Ligue 1's bottom three finishers are demoted to Ligue 2, while Ligue 2's top three finishers are promoted to Ligue 1.
Ligue 1 used to be a very open competition, but it has become exceedingly top-heavy in recent years, especially when a Middle Eastern oil tycoon bought Paris Saint-Germain. Since the 2012-13 season, PSG has won the last four titles.
Serie A
Serie A is the highest-level professional football league in Italy. Serie A has been in existence since 1929, and La Liga has been in existence since 1927. A decade ago, Serie A was considered to be the best football league in the world. However, following the 2006 match-fixing allegations, the league's worldwide reputation suffered a severe blow from which it has not yet recovered.
In Serie A, there are a total of 20 teams. With Serie B, Italy's second division, there are prospects for promotion as well as for regulation. In Serie A, the bottom three teams are demoted to Serie B the following season, while the top three teams from the lower division are promoted to Serie A the following season. Juventus is, by a wide margin, the most successful club in Serie A. The team has won 32 trophies in all, making them the most successful Italian team in European events in the past decade. Juventus has won the Serie A five times in a row, most recently in 2015-16, and is a perennial contender. When it comes to player quality and viewership, Serie A is a distant fourth behind the Premier League, La Liga, and Bundesliga in Europe's most popular leagues.
